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Inspirational quote


13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
I also want to share three quotes that I have taken from this website that have really helped me as I progress through the program:
 
"The only way to overcome depression is to experiment with new behaviors."
 
"Goals should be about doing, not feeling."
 
"If you have trouble moving from one step to another, add a step."
 
I found these quotes to be great advice that challenges my thinking. I am sure I'll find others as I work through the program.
 
I found these three quotes so helpful that I printed them out as a cover for my "homework" folder. I keep all the program's worksheets and homework in this folder. If I am ever stuck or feeling overwhelmed by the program, I close my folder and read these, and usually they get me back on track. 

13 years ago 0 223 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0

This really has turned into a stimulating thread - so many thanks to Jason for kicking it off.

In the spirit of getting the thread back on track, here's a few more from me:

If you understood everything I say, you'd be me! - Miles Davis

You will not be punished for your anger, you will be punished by your anger. - Gautama Buddha

Always be a poet, even in prose.  - Charles Baudelaire

Most of the trouble in this world has been caused by folks who can't mind their own business, because they have no business of their own to mind, any more than a smallpox virus has.  - William S. Burroughs

Beware of the man who works hard to learn something, learns it, and finds himself no wiser than before. - Kurt Vonnegut

Without music to decorate it, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines or dates by which bills must be paid.  - Frank Zappa

Learn that you are your manifestations: the phenomena and dance of matter , the rainbow body the energy scatter.  You are the light and shade and silence and voice, the bitter and sweet and warm and cold. And maybe there is no other inside. Untouched.  Unadorned by the laurels of lonely grief. - Me :))

Thank you, Sally - I am incredibly complimented that you took the time to read my piece of writing and, just for the record, your interpretation accords pretty well with my intention when writing. Thank you for taking it seriously.

13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Pete,

Thank you very much for posting your writing on your blog. I truly enjoyed reading it, and am continuing to turn it over and over and around and around in my mind. For me, the meaning shifts and moves, like a target that won’t stay fixed. Your writing has a fascinating puzzle-like quality to it for me. The meaning I ascribe to it is based solely on my own life and my own understanding of things. I wish I had the opportunity to sit down with you and discuss your personal meaning you put into it as you wrote. I can see this work added to an anthology at some future date, being studied by graduate students who debate what the author meant, adding their own understanding and meaning.

You may not have intended this meaning, or this may go completely against your intended meaning, but when I read these lines (and much of the text), I thought of myself and my own depression:

“Crippled bird excites our sympathy. Crippled bird excites our contempt.”

I identified with the crippled bird, feeling like a specimen being clinically observed. This is one of the reasons why I have not shared my depression, my treatment, or my need for medication with anyone. I do not want to be a source of pity, classified as a damaged object, studied and categorized, treated with condescension and aversion, or assigned a stigma. And I certainly don’t want to titillate and fascinate others as a modern day human oddity, as though I were on display at a circus freak show. Because of this, I hide and stay silent.

Thank you again for sharing with us!

“I say I can’t, but in reality, I am making a choice; what I mean is...I won’t.”
-me  :  )


13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
To everyone,
 
To get this conversation back on track (about meaningful quotes), I think the concept of a reader and the quote creating a "hybrid" final product is very applicable. What “I” find meaningful may not be what others find meaningful based on what I bring to the quote and vice versa. Knowing this, I do not condemn or judge others who find quotes, like the one originally posted by Jason, helpful. That quote may be meaningful and life-changing to some, and I highly value that quote (and all quotes/writings) because of that.
 
On the other hand, the quotes that I find meaningful may just sounds weird and nonsensical to others, or even depressing or dark. I completely understand that viewpoint as well and think all viewpoints are very valid. That is what is so nice about having so many quotes, or books, or paintings, or movies; there is something that we can all relate to and be inspired by!

Here are a couple more quotes that I find meaningful and fascinating. Take them for what they are and for what you get or don’t get out of them:

"I can't go on, I'll go on.”
Samuel Beckett

"We have to dare to be ourselves, however frightening or strange that self may prove to be."
May Sarton

"Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding"
Khalil Gibran

“the cake is a lie”
from the game Portal

Pete, this really applies to a reader changing or reinterpreting a text:
"We don't see things as they are, we see them as we are."
Anaïs Nin

Thanks for the quote thread Jason!


13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Pete,
 
Glad you liked the asemic writing.  You seem to have a much deeper understanding of it than me. I am stuck on the "visual beauty" aspect of it and the mystery that surrounds it.
 
Like the writing you showed your psychotherapist, all writing does not have to have a meaning to a reader. It is enough that only the writer knows. I know this may seem illogical, but I wouldn't worry too much about whether people understand what you write.
 
Each person/reader brings something to the table when they interact with a work. They bring their history, understanding, etc. If a reader does not understand a particular writing, that just means that reader has nothing to bring to that writing that relates to it in a meaningful way.
 
Sometimes the author chooses to be explicit later on, helping the readers connect with the text on a level they can understand. Some of the best and most influential writers were accused of writing incomprehensible text. Only after time and group discussions and research into the references, can the original work be accessible without the author's input.
 
So don't be too hard on yourself! Your writing sounds fascinating, like a puzzle. I am sure it is more accessible than asemic writing. LOL!
 
It just sounds like your psychotherapist didn’t have the right background and experience to access your writing. Not her fault.  Unfortunately, it is painful to hear that not everybody "gets" what we write.
 
If you truly feel this way: "what I write can only evoke for me what it is intended to evoke," then you are absolutely right; you should not publish your writing. Once a work is published, it takes on a life of its own. People will see things that you never intended, criticize it, use it in ways you do not approve of, etc. But this is the life of a work released away from your protection. All authors let go of control of the piece once it is released.
 
This is not always bad though. Sometimes the readers add to the work, bringing bits of themselves into the work. It is almost like a “new work” is created through the interaction of the created work and the reader, a triangle of creation: the writer, the reader, and the new work that spawns. Sometimes this new work has more depth, is more complex, and is more beautiful then the original author ever imaged. Sometimes the reader reveals something about the work that the author never considered, adding to the authors understanding of themselves and his work.
 
I do understand that it is painfully hard to let a piece of writing go. It is like letting a child go off into the world without our protection, without our control.
 
I wonder if being an author can be a metaphor for depression. Sometimes, I hide my true feelings from those around me, protecting my "true self." Much like an author, I am afraid of rejection, afraid they will see a deeper meaning than I can see, challenging me to face a harsh reality that I struggle to deny, forcing me to accept another's point of view, not understanding me. By "exposing" myself to others, I face unwanted advice and explanations. Being open and honest to others and ourselves about our depression can be a scary and disappointing experience, much like an author exposing his work.
 
Maybe that's why I don't have any friends!  LOL! I am afraid of all of the above. And maybe that's why I only keep my writing in my head, to protect it.
 

 
 


13 years ago 0 223 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Sally,
I checked out some asemic writing on the New Post-Literate blog. It's very interesting. I like the way it plays tricks with our expectations - we expect writing to represent semantic and phonetic content, and when it doesn't ..... I find some of the work to be a species of visual music - wordless chants, scat singing, strange laments in alien tongues. So I find myself quite fascinated - it's like abstract art given an extra layer, an extra fizz, by the presence of pseudo-script. Also, by bypassing implicit meaning, it alerted me to the visual beauty of writing itself. Thanks indeed for pointing me at this art form, of which I was totally unaware. I shall surely look deeper.
 
Ah, my fragments of writing. As you suggested, I do keep all my writing except when I have an orgy of futility and burn (well, delete, but the intent is the same) large amounts of it. I've always wanted to write a novel, but lack the application and consistency of style to do that, so I always end up with sort-of poems, though I don't consider myself a poet. More like short prose pieces in a poetic form, if that makes sense. I am always stealing from myself, making new combinations of words and ideas from what I have written, searching for the right combination of meaning, lack of meaning, cadence and visual appearance on the page. I hope above all that what I write is distinctly and honestly me, regardless of anyone else's opinion.
 
I have no ambitions as regards publication, because ultimately much of it is worthless and meaningless to anyone except me. Case in point - there's a piece I just posted in my blog here called 'Ornithology'. My psychotherapist, a little while ago, expressed interest in seeing some of my writing as she had noticed that in our sessions it was the only thing that seemed to raise my enthusiasm. So I emailed her a couple of poems which were fairly straightforward and conventional for me, and I sent her 'Ornithology'.
 
Now, I wrote that piece very painstakingly. Went over every word, every sentence, polished the structure ... really finished it and felt quite, quite proud of it. When I next saw my therapist, she was very positive about my writing, said she found the poems moving and affecting but, she said, she couldn't make head nor tail of 'Ornithology'. Just couldn't find the sense, couldn't find a way in to it. At first I was angry and a bit crushed. Then I felt disgusted with myself as I realised I had shown her my work for the sole purpose of impressing, eliciting admiration. And I felt cheap and petty. Came to the conclusion I was better off just writing for me, then I can be as abstruse as I like, because I can follow the thoughts, understand all the references, and what I write can only evoke for me what it is intended to evoke.
 
And now I'm being pretentious all over this forum. My apologies. Shut up, Pete.
13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Goofy,
 
I just wanted to say how much I appreciate you positive posts and encouragement. Thank you!
 
 

13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Pete,
 
Asemic writing is not really writing in the traditional sense. I would call it more of an art (like a painting).  It does not make sense the way regular written text does. There is no meaning other than what you give to it. It is very abstract and really challenges the reader/viewer to bring meaning into the work. One of my favorite aspects of asemic writing is that it can be "read" by anyone, regardless of their native language. Asemic writing "suggests" meaning even though there is no stated meaning available.
 
One of my favorite asemic written "books" is Codex Seraphinias (you'll have to search Google). It is an invented world and language. I am hoping to find an affordable copy for myself someday.
 
I am not sure if we are allowed to post links in here, but if you do a search for asemic writing, you will find a lot of examples. There are some really neat examples at the gallery The New Post-Literate.
 
About your writing: have you ever thought of just writing the fragments down for now? What about taking the pressure off yourself to produce something comprehensible, something like all the other books. Instead, allow the fragments to just coalesce into something (it could even be called "Fragments"). I know that doesn't make sense, but that's the idea. Maybe later, you will want to create different works from the fragments, or mash the fragments up together and create a unique work that breaks all the rules. I think, when we write, we get caught up in the idea that writing has to look a certain way or fit a certain mold. Some of the most influential writers threw the mold away and just wrote. 
 
I know exactly what you mean about hyper self-criticism. I have had several stories floating around in my mind for many years, but my fear has stopped me from doing anything about them. At this point, I would settle for some good fragments!  However, I sabotage my efforts by thinking that I am not good enough, that my writing doesn't deserve to be published, that I will get sued and shamed by someone whose story is similar to mine, that I will be overwhelmed if the book does well and I will have to do book signings. I basically killed my writing before it ever got started.
 
 Thanks for all of your positive comments.
 
 
 
 
 
 

13 years ago 0 223 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Sally:
 
Yes! Your quote from Rollo May absolutely hits the nail on the head.
 
I am in total agreement with your view of art - thank you for articulating it so well. One term you use I'm not familiar with - asemic writing (see, I'm not as catholic or cultured as I like to make out!). Can you explain what that is?
 
I dislike trite quotes for similar reasons to yours.They make me think of the self-help books written by parasitic charlatans which proliferate in bookstores and of the so-called motivational slogans that get displayed in workplaces.
 
One thing my depression does seem to have done for me is to increase my ability to be affected by artistic expression, along with my need to be so affected. Though I do feel like a vampire sometimes - feeding vicariously, taking energy, from the ideas and expression of others and giving nothing back. I just wish that the depression had also had a positive effect on the quality of my own writing, but it hasn't : my reduced ability to concentrate and apply myself and my hyper levels of self-criticism mean that all I can write these days is fragments.
13 years ago 0 121 logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo logo 0
Hi Pete,
 
Yes, I love all these:
Marcel Duchamp (especially the urinal Fountain), Dada, and Surrealism

I also really enjoy and am fascinated by:
dystopian and apocalyptic fiction, found art, and asemic writing
 
I also like black humor and existential writing. One would think that it is the depression talking, but I have enjoyed those for many, many years before ever becoming depressed.
 
Thank you very much for the recommendations. I will head on over to my local library and see what I can find. I also have access to the local University library. I usually borrow the books first, try them out, and if I think I will reread it, then I will purchase the book.
 
Here is another quote I really like:
"Good art wounds as well as delights. It must, because our defenses against the truth are wound so tightly around us. But as art chips away at our defenses, it also opens us to healing potentialities that transcend intellectual games and ego-preserving strategies."
     ~ Rollo May
 
I do find art (unique and surprising art like the urinal Fountain) very healing. I like art, writing, and movies to surprise me, to make me think. I think this somehow distracts me from the depression or anxiety that I feel. It serves as an intellectual diversion for a short while. The best art (movies, etc) are ones that stay with me for days, making me ponder and figure out a puzzle. I particularly like art that turns my own truths upside down, that challenge my preset way of thinking.
 
I also consider quotes that move me and make me think or ponder as art, a healing type of art. Anything that causes me to pause, wonder, and turn over and over in my mind is helpful, healing, and serves as a distraction for me.
 
I think this is why I don't like trite quotes on happiness or self -love. There is no depth, no challenge.


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