Our mental toolbox

Really, anything can be analyzed to death. We have a tenancy to analyze our behaviour... our thoughts... our dreams- to the point of exhaustion. This is natural, and this is what we do...we think things to death. So instinctive to our nature is criticism, theory, and personal philosophy, that we've cultured ourselves into exercising our analytic energy into a form of entertainment all on its' own. Like organized and thoughtful minds do, we search our mental rolodex for creative, applicable, and useful ways to systematically classify, divide, and separate ideas- people or things- in order to add layers of mystery, intrigue, and interest. All of us in one way or another, dip into this culture we've created. Whether it is criticizing a friend, discussing an article, contrasting reality shows, or merely looking out the window in wonderment of the changing seasons...we piece our thoughts and experiences together to form an unobvious understanding, because often, "the obvious" to us, isn't good enough.

Which, is good.

Being thoughtful makes us well. Being interested keeps us alive and full of spirit. In poetry and in writing in general, that element of 'obvious' is like a vial and acidic taste that we try so desperately to avoid. No one wants to be 'typical', or predictable, or even ordinary.

We are creative beings with absolute and great energy. Some of us harness this energy into profit-making markets; some of us pursue our dream jobs, some of us "work on the line", and some of us pursue the road less traveled. The one thing we have in common is the pursuit of ourselves. The allowance we give ourselves secretly or noticeably, the unspoken commitment that we are thoughtful human beings, creators, and cultivators, who will always have something to say.

This in mind, it only makes sense that we thrive within order. We keep our thoughts arranged in ways unexplained. We understand ourselves better than any, and that does not in any way, make us inaccessible. We classify what we intake, we have our personal systems which allow us to recall information or ideas, our memory abiding. We have set values and set goals, we know what is right and what is wrong, and we use these elements of our consciousness as the leading tools they are, to help us on our continuous interpretation of life and understanding.

We are constantly taking information and "putting a spin" on it. That spin, is our own idea or version of the information. Like broken telephone, you know the line, you pass it on, but you add a little flavour before you do...and so on...by the end of it, when the game is done, the message is usually radically different than it's beginning.

And so we continue to play with the mysteries of the world, we continue to play in theory. It is as entertaining as it is crucial. The only way to new knowledge is by believing in the mystery of the 'still to come'...we will always be thinking of the next thing. It's our human nature, it's what we do. It's what we do even if it's something we do, unsaid.

We are feeling and thinking human beings with alot to say, a lot to share, and a lot on our minds...

The beauty of thoughtful engagement is evident within our workplaces, our schools, our institutions...however, when it comes to analyzing literature or poetry, or any great works of creative art...this stringent aspect of ourselves becomes less attractive and somewhat vulgar.

You can classify to death. You can order yourself to death. The death of creativity, the death of - what was- art.

Now, that's a little strong. You won't actually kill-off a piece of art, or a work of literature, but you will kill-off the experience for yourself. The piece will still remain for the next person to consider, to ponder, to analyze, but you will have surgically removed its essence in the overkill of contemplation.

But then again, maybe that is the beauty you experience, not within the art itself, but within the process of your analyzation...that the act of thinking through the layers so intricately, so obsessively, was the necessary experience.

Either way, there exists that "overkill" element to classification of genres and systems. Yes, we do use these elements as tools to possess further understanding or to retrieve relevant information and ideas when necessary, however we can overuse these tools and wind up dissecting great beauty to the point of mutilating the experience entirely.