 We're all connected, right? We're on Facebook, Twitter, blogging and monitoring all our digital connections.
And yet, I've become aware of spinning and spinning online; building ties and promoting, yes, but the virtual, in the end, is fleeting. In college, I wrote my senior thesis on the works of E.M. Forster. (Look, here's my ancient edition!) Now, I confess, I don't remember the thrust of my argument, but I do know I was drawn to Forster's epigraph: Only connect the prose and the passion, and both will be exalted, and human love will be seen at its height. For Margaret in Howard's End, it was her hope to reduce the inevitable inner solitude that isolates humans. When we make human connections, we nurture compassion. As Gary Schmidt (my new hero!) reminded us at the LA SCBWI conference, “Write the stories that will give kids more to be human beings with.” His five dictums to authors are: "Love the world. Love words. Make wonder. Pay attention. Make the writing serve." Read Schmidt's Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy to know how it's done. It's what I've tried to do with My Mixed-Up Berry Blue Summer. As one librarian noted, the story "allows opportunities to understanding love." The highest calling, I believe, is to write the truth. This is hard. "Make an authentic connection between author and reader," said Arthur Levine. "Truth is timeless." I'm not the first to observe that social media is just another way people try to escape the isolation that plagues us. But perhaps the answer is to read (and write) more true, wonderful books to connect with our inner humanity.
3 Comments
Hi Jen, Very interesting, Steve and I were talking about this the other day. Just to add another perspective, while I LOVE to read and write, I thought about what happens when you read: you get into the head of one person's thoughts and see life from their perspective. When you meditate, on the other hand, and clear your mind of all (attachment to) thoughts, you open to inspiration and are in touch with the larger (possibly collective) consciousness which leaves you never feeling lonely or isolated. The feeling I get while meditating, and the lingering result, is connectedness to all. It's interesting to ponder that in the deepest isolation, you can feel the deepest connection. Whether virtual or up front and personal, everything is fleeting. I love how because of our virtual connection we can and do have this conversation, which we might not, just passing on the dock or even at a dock party. This provides us with an opportunity to check out what each other is doing. I love the virtual for its purposes and I love the face to face. Especially when it's a face at my front door, in the dark, knocking on the glass and when I open it the voice says, "Cookie delivery." Priceless! That wouldn't have happened without facebook. I'll never forget that! Love that you're our neighbors. :)
Jen Gennari
10/3/2012 12:45:28 am
This is so lovely and true! I've never taken to meditation because I'm too fidgety but I've heard about that connectedness with all (and I do believe in the interconnected web of life). You are the second person to mention the cookies! And it's so true that our virtual lives feed our face-to-face relationships, all in a good way. Leave a Reply. |