There's this continuous urge to keep writing, which sometimes get stalled up...
Potentially any topic could be written about. The creative streak could make its mark on any variety of subjects, the output taking any number of forms, from informational to deeply philosophical to funny.
The words want to keep flowing. But perhaps there needs to be a slow-down period in between stories. With so many different things one could write about, sometimes choosing one isn't easy. Sometimes some reflection is in order, clarity to be gained through asking the question:
Does any of this matter?
"Will this next piece of writing just fade away into blockchain oblivion? Or might it leave its mark, etching some thought into the mind of readers that could potentially make some sort of difference?"
Odds are, what we write will most likely just blend in with the rest composing others' daily feeds - maybe providing a brief hit of positive energy before drifting off into the bottomless pits of forgotten memories. After all, who are we to write something truly great that impacts the world...?
Or, who are we not to...?
Is our level of respect for our readers so low that we'd expect them to read the outpourings of our thoughts and emotions without offering them something within that might potentially gift them some perspective that makes the read more than worth their time?
What standards shall we hold ourselves to?
Simply taking up space during this limited time on this pretty rock called earth flying through space, without doing or saying anything really significant - or making the most of this opportunity to potentially add value to the space we find ourselves in, unbeknownst the ultimate ripple of effect but continuing to uphold a commitment to service through the action of sharing something of substance with intention to enrich the consciousness of those crossing our paths...?
Maybe it sounds a bit idealistic.
Though maybe the world could use some of that idealism. Not any sort of fundamentalist ideology, such as the nutcase Islamic extremists taking it upon themselves to rape women and kill "infidels" in the name of some twisted ideology. But perhaps some grounded form of idealism based in harmonious values and integrity - the type of maturity and wisdom needed to counter the chaotic brain-damaged messes of the world's worst.
Maybe the world could use a new wave of leadership - one smart enough to influence minds in a constructive direction. "Constructive" not in any subjective sense defined by my own ideals - but objectively, in an evolutionary context. i.e. solving the world's problems, contributing to the advancement of culture and society through harmonious, sustainable means with respect for human, animal, and environmental life, doing more than selfish destructive consumption.
Idealistic, sure.
But if a balanced dose of idealism won't change around things in this world, when we're kinda heading on a course of self-destruction, what will...?
And maybe, this perspective is looking on the negative side of things rather than focusing on all the good that's also happening. Though... balanced perspectives. Yeah, there is alot of good going down. And there's also some pretty crazy shit. We might be far removed from it, sitting in the comfort of our first-world homes, getting the news of the world's issues from our shiny new smartphones. But there are things happening on this planet that really aren't so cool. And isolating ourselves behind a computer screen thinking it'll all sort itself out might not be the type of leadership required to alter the course of the shittier events unfolding on the world stage.
Of course, it might not be our position to intervene with everything going on in other countries.
Nonetheless, there might be some consequences to sticking our head in the sand, regarding some of it.
So what difference can we make?
Who fucking knows.
But maybe that's not an excuse for not attempting something.
What difference is made by us - on this growing platform on the fringes of the blockchain revolution - speaking our minds, writing our thoughts out to be shared amongst this small cyber-community? Maybe none at all. Maybe more than we could guess. Maybe both at the same time. Or maybe that's entirely our answer to write, weaved as intention between the words of each post submitted for contribution to the Steem blockchain.
Maybe every time we hit that "submit" button is an opportunity to impregnant the minds of our readers with the seed of an idea, which we can't foresee where they might take hold and be nourished to fruition.
Maybe our words might matter.
Perhaps each time a reader opens our stories, they open their minds - metaphorically, the feminine, receptive side opening its its legs to be penetrated by the masculine power of our words, ripe for pollination with the ideas within our stories, secretly hoping, wishing, and craving the result shall become a beautiful, lush, rich garden of enlightened intellect and purely selfless soul.
Perhaps each ejaculation of words onto the blockchain becomes a gateway - leading nowhere except into the wasteland of yesterday's repeating cycles, or into a new dimension of possibility in which countless treasure awaits.
Perhaps this all does make a difference.
Perhaps thinking it doesn't - and consequently not going the extra difference to really make sure what we're writing something of substance - results in little more than shooting blanks. Sure, maybe we got to bust a nut. But what was the opportunity cost...?
Maybe I think too deeply for my own good, sometimes, dwelling in these types of questions.
Nonetheless, maybe these types of reflections matter.
I don't want to waste your precious time you've invested in reading this, or any of my, writing. I want to make a difference - full-well knowing none of it might potentially matter at all, in the bigger picture. And I don't want my time wasted reading shit either. So the least I could do is attempt my best to lead by example, making what little difference might be possible by putting in the extra effort to make sure I ain't shooting no blanks.
And of course, this outlook could be applied to many more areas of life than writing alone.
Perhaps each interaction with another is an opportunity to make an impact, put a genuine smile on a face, add something of value that shifts a person's day in a slightly or significantly awesome direction.
Maybe the little moments putting in work on a long-term project might not seem all that big a deal. But who knows what those tiny, deliberate, consciously-detailed steps may result in down the line.
Though still, it's natural to ask:
Will any of it make a difference in the end?
Maybe not.
But perhaps by planting the seeds of some stunningly gorgeous flowers and greenery through these writings, a beautifully-inspiring garden shall be grown in which to enjoy and savor some of life's finer, simpler gifts.
Yes, the contents of every garden shall eventually die. As shall we. And the world shall carry on without it or us.
But maybe making our small mark through the joy of crafting and playing in these gardens could impact more people than we'd expect, causing some unforeseen butterfly effect, delivering light and love (save the traditional "positivity" preconceptions of the term excluding forms such an effective bullshit-slapdown to be at times equally necessary and beneficial) - to some far corners of the world we'll never know.
We'll never know.
But write & march on, we shall...
Thank you, thank you, thank you @rok-sivante. This post had me riveted . You sum it all up so well when referring to The Ripple Effect...
...after all, a ripple starts with a single drop. Please keep writing ...
Signed,
Your newest fan
Upvoted/Resteemed /Following
Reminds me of King Solomon.. but with blockchain talk..
Thanks for this!
Lol wtf.
Seriously! I was just thinking the same thing, in less detail:
Gabbing To Myself About Steemit's Ephemeral Nature
Mine was less existential angsty and a little more Banksy.
There is a consciousness that connects us all. And many things we do not understand. Put it out there.
amen.
For me, aside from letting the world know something or many things through writing, I would not care if its going to be in oblivion. Whats important is I have express my thought and if the readers will like it, its an achievement. But if not, still I would be happy for myself because I'm also learning a lot when I write.
another valuable addition to the blockchain
This was a very interesting article to read and I agree with a lot, though not all, of what you said. I think its okay for people to not agree with everything everyone else says all the time, its what makes us interesting and frustrating (at times) to each other. Thank you for posting. :D
Curious - as interested in some counterviewpoints - which parts didn't you agree with and why?
Well only one main thing that I disagree with is that I, personally, don't think that its possible too think to hard about what you write (don't get me wrong the little fluff pieces about day-to-day stuff doesn't require as much thought but its still good to think a bit before just writing anything.)
I think that we all share this planet that may seem big but in reality is really quite small and with the different types of social media available today, almost, everyone is basically just a click or phone call away.
I say this because I've been blessed to go to different parts of this world and have met some wonderful and some not-so-wonderful people but the one thing that I've noticed is that no matter how horrible things are in one part of the world other parts are thriving and doing so well.
I think that if we all did things with the thought of "how can I help someone else today" or "what can I do to make things better" the world would be a lot better off than it is now.
If you go by what you see in the fake news, the real news (although its getting harder to tell which is which these days,) etc... it seems there is nothing but ugliness in the world but those that take the time to really look around them can see the beauty that is still all around if you actually look instead of just listening to all the negative news.... of course that is an over simplification.
I must admit that almost every single thing in your article clicked with me and I thank you for taking the time to write it.
amen.
and your welcome. :-)
Awe, that is sweet of you to say, thanks. :D
I've added you to my follow list and resteemed your whole post. :D
Reproductive metaphors - nice.
Upvoted and Followed
Haha. I honestly have no idea where this stuff comes from sometimes... :-)
Man, your writing is like a Zen koan...leaves me scratching my head and thinking WTF? I love it, you explore the possibilities and allow the reader to make his/her own choices.
Or, maybe you utilize a hypnotic technique which essentially splits the reader down the middle to flounder about in a transcendental lala land until he takes his place and she takes her place in this fruitionery state which you described so eloquently and sensually:
"Perhaps each time a reader opens our stories, they open their minds - metaphorically, the feminine, receptive side opening its legs to be penetrated by the masculine power of our words, ripe for pollination with the ideas within our stories, secretly hoping, wishing, and craving the result shall become a beautiful, lush, rich garden of enlightened intellect and purely selfless soul."
Reading that section gets me emotionally erect! ;) Keep it up! (Pun intended) L
I am actually working on a really similar post. It's going to be a bit of a different angle though. A bit more Shia LaBeouf
Very interesting... 😉