Lately all things have struck me as markedly ephemeral. Short-lived victories. There is a lot of writing about half-life's, natural decay, consumerism, materialism, and all other-ism's related to things. A few things that I've heard that come to mind as I think of them are:
- The things we own end up owning us.
- Things begin to decay as soon as they're made.
- The aesthetics of decay.
- It's like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic; it's still going down.
But until now, those things were static in the background. But if you think about it for a while, those things make sense. The houses we live in will not be here in 300 years. The new paint we spread (just painted the whole house) will be outdated in 10. If you're lucky enough to be truly talented, maybe one of your paintings, or songs, or poems, or ideas or theories will be remembered. But for most of us, this is it.
Our one shot.
So if you can accept that, what becomes important? (rhetorical) Another theory that make sense to me is that preserving the past is an act of deluding the present. There is no other time than now. One of my own thoughts was that taking pictures hinders our ability to be present. When is a memory-aide a memory hindrance? Will you remember the event better for having a keepsake or just allowing yourself to truly be there? Does remembering really matter? (rhetorical) Is what I'm writing now just a memory-aide, or is it trying to share the now? Does the act of sharing events/moments delude the event or the moment? Why not just let the other people in that event/moment experience it in their own way?
A smile is important. A laugh is too. So is a hug. Equally important then are tears.
A sunset is important. So is a sunrise.
Cold air on the back of your neck is important on a warm day. Warm air on the back of your neck is important on a cold one.
Maybe all that is important is to be witness.
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