This past week in school has taught me something, not just educated me in a scholastic manner, but has also given me some life lessons. If you know me at all, I am a paranoid, worried, over-achieving student who cares more about getting good grades than having the admiration of other students. And I have tons of actually good friends to help me through it anyhow. But this year, something was up. The beginning of the year in high school, is as chaotic and mentally-toxic as ever, but something else hit me. For once in my life, at school, I was happy. Now, you may not know me, but as Woody Allen says "If I don't get at least 13 hours (of sleep), I'm a basket-case." and I've always hated school, but I've done extremely well, which is always a very hard thing in my mind to cope with. I had planned to be as happy as possible this year, and to enjoy every second of my education, even through the tough stuff like research papers and falling grades when I am really putting forth a true effort. But I am not sure what is happening to me. The new teenage phenomenon is to be struck by happiness, I suppose. Many kids don't realize that life is worth living and ingenuity and uniqueness create the balance of it. And as I sit, listening to Imada, On a Chill Pill http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjd42J0RpjE , one of my favorite "city" songs other than some Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Chick Webb, Harry Connick Jr., and many other beautiful jazz musicians you can think of, I wonder what book I will read tonight, I wonder about my future, I think I should practice my guitar and banjo. I wonder... who will I be in this throng of the universe? In this mysterious blip of a life that may not matter? Here is a shot by Margaret Bourke-White, also one of my role models in life:
I want to be something. I want to be someone... just like everyone else hopes for themselves. But how must I achieve this? I was reading Three by Annie Dillard last night, and in particular of those "Three" I was reading Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, one of the most insightful, philosophical, and beautiful books I have ever read. If any of you have children you want to grow up to be wise and raised in the right way, have them read these books. I kid you not. Read these books yourselves. I highly recommend them for those lost and weary souls who have to go down without "one more cup of coffee a'fore they go to the valley below" to quote Bob Dylan in one of my newly favorite songs. You may feel that you never have had that one cup of "coffee" before you go. I definitely have that feeling when I wake up to go to school at six a.m. every morning, for sure. Not joking. I don't drink coffee before school, however. Makes me crash. Only the philosophical and metaphorical espresso, and mostly in the evenings do I drink Lavazza and Greek Coffee. Anyways, back to Annie. She questions, as she wanders through the wilderness for kicks (this book is a true story, by the way) , why people just can't be satisfied with the simple things in life. She characterizes it as when she hid a penny for someone to find when she was a young thing, just for the thrill of making someone's day. A penny can't make someone's day, is the belief of today's greedy, Wall Street society. But I decided it could make mine. If you can't have something that you want that may be out of your reach, learn to settle for something less, but less in someways, can more beautiful and righteous. Try talking to everyone for a day. Try smiling at someone. Listen to everything as Hemingway said. You can learn a lot just by thinking in a righteous way. You can learn a lot about the value of a photo for instance. "An example?" You ask. Well, shoo! I thought you would never ask. Here you go, one of my most favorite controversial shots by Margaret Bourke-White (again. You noticing a pattern yet? :) ) :
This photo portrays how society treated others a long time ago. It's time to change. And we still are changing. I hope I haven't offended anyone. But we must unite. And I am not just saying this to sound patriotic, but people really need to realize that they are blips in time and millennium, and they will not matter one day. What are they going to do to be remembered? Margaret Bourke-White has captured the essence, prejudice and pitiful beliefs of a basically good society. I think that that is very deep on her part, seeing that she lived in that society. And we still live in that. Capture the moments. Capture what may be important to you. You can never please everyone, so try your best to please yourself and those around you. Respect your art.
So, here's a funny thing. You know how on my previous post I put a clip from David Lean's Lawrence of Arabia? I just discovered that they are showing it, newly restored in theaters, October 4th. I am going. I have to go to see one of my favorite flicks on the screen for the art of it. I have watched this four hour adventure many a'time. And I want to see it in the theater. I thought I would just let those who shared that enthusiasm know. LONG LIVE 'AWRENCE!
Reporter: "Why do you like the desert?"
Lawrence: "It's clean."
Signing off,
this has been Camille Elaine Craig, reporting to you life and liberty for the well-being of your art.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."
-Henry David Thoreau
My belief is he was the gardener of literature. :) ;)
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