Imagine going on a walk in the park, but suddenly a voice from a manhole calls out to you. Imagine a world where snakes weren’t long but rather high, rising straight up into the sky. Imagine a master chef that has an emotional connection to his knife, and gives it a name. Imagine that name is Salvatore. Imagine he takes that knife with him wherever he goes. These thoughts are all pretty bizarre, or so my acquaintances tell me. For as long as I remember, I’ve been really into coming up with interesting stories or concepts, sometimes even taking the time out of my day to put these ideas to paper. When I tell friends of ideas that I have, I usually encounter two reactions; first of all, most everyone says something about the weirdness of my thoughts, and secondly, some people actually counter with ideas of their own, or ask questions as to how some things that I suggest would realistically play out. I find great joy in these conversations, most of the time. Afterwards, however, is when I get a little sad, and that has one reason.
Not enough time
I could walk past a person on the street, and chances are that I’ll never see them again. One does not think much about strangers passing by, but I sometimes wonder what kind of unique ideas other people might have. Every person has their own specific way of perceiving and thinking about the world, and I think it is a great shame that there is just no way to ever hear, let alone think about every interesting idea that exists in the world. Furthermore, I can’t tell you how many ideas I’ve had that I’ve since forgotten – occasionally, they just fade away, never to be seen again. I get the same feeling when I enter a large library; there will never be enough time to read everything that I find interesting. This is why I find discourse of any kind so important – communication, experiencing different perspectives or viewpoints, these things shape people, or at least me. Even though there is nothing to be done about this, there is also something oddly endearing about the fact that everyone’s thoughts are unique in some way, shape or form.