Question

I read this blog called I'll Never Forget the Day I a Book, which is pretty boss. The author reviews books, as well as post interesting questions. In a recent post, he asked about what makes literature "literature." Here's a link to his post.

Leave your comments, and I'll try to think my way through this question.

Lecture From Brian Doyle

"If the doors of perception were cleansed, we would see everything as it is -infinite." -Blake

Unusual Intelligence and Humor are interconnected; spirituality also.

Humility is the Final Frontier of Existence.

"Writing, Editing and Money"

Words are terribly weak, but must be used to understand the abstract. Examples are God and love. Are there any words more used, but also confused?

Writing matters, more than I think it does. Great writing is an arrow that is shot into other's hearts; it's not about the author. Great writing becomes a part of another. We have nothing, are nothing, if we tell no stories. Stories are Everything! As long as we tell their stories, people live on. True stories have nothing to do with fiction or nonfiction. You can knock on them, and they resonate.

Writing: Being lost in a forest, with only a sharp pen to make your way home. "Learn to ask a question and then shut your pie hole." Silence is a great tool for writing. Really, then what? Put your butt in the chair and get started. 90% of the work is sitting down and starting a story. Don't sit down to write "literature;" just get the story out on paper. Writing is cathartic and a discovery. Avoid "me." Stories are prayer, food, the past, the heart, etc. Without them, man is but an empty ego. There is something great within stories that brings people together, and give selfishness and greed the finger. Writing comes in all shapes and forms; boil it down to power, verb and courage. Let others make sense of it.

Editing: A craft, not an art. Patty Ann Rogers -Great, American Poet. Editing is about clarity of thought. Editors are sparks, motivators. Poke people to see what they should write. Editing is clarifying; Does the piece have bones or not? Personal essay and poetry are most prone to egotism. Strip away the ego, so the truth (salt) of the piece comes out. Poke the author so blood and humor come out. Find the flow within the text. You can say a lot without a word.

If you can smell, catch, or tell a story, you are Marketable!

Waiting

I am sitting at a desk in Provo, about to teach an elementary school in South Korea. How interesting is that? With my new job and today's technology, I can reach out and talk to people across the world. But there is also points of disconnection.
Take for instance earlier today (by earlier I mean at 1:30 in the morning). I am teaching a young man in ChangYang Middle School, when his connection stopped. I tried calling several times, but to no avail. I lost connection.
I thought about this in terms of human interaction. How often do I "disconnect," meaning lose interest or focus. I may be present, but there is no communication.
Those are just some quick thoughts; I'll flesh them out later.

Can We Go Back?

I realized after reaching campus today that I forgot my cell phone. I thought about going back to get, but I stopped. Hadn't I lived life without a cell phone once? Is it possible to live today without one?

I decided to experiment. I won't carry my cell phone for the rest of the day (until midnight tonight). I want to see if I can handle not having it, or if carrying my phone has become an addiction. Already I feel an urge to be connected.

Oh, this is indeed a philosophical conundrum.

De-Centralized Learning

With the advent of this new semester, I find all my classes away from the Joseph F. Smith Building. This may not seem like much to most of you, but the JFSB is the home of the College of Humanities. It is my educational home at BYU, and without classes there, I'm just a little lost.

Or I can look at this experience as a journey to discover new parts of campus. We'll see; stay tuned.