A change of tack

The dictionary will list one of the verb meanings of tack as to 'turn into the wind' and so it is that I am turning. Amending direction.

I've been musing over the point of electronic publishing since setting up this blog. As technology progresses our networks and connections seemingly broaden as our existence reduces; reduces to the pluralised reality of a parallel digital persona overlapping, imposing, and occasionally superseding our real selves. In the craze of self publishing espoused by Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, and the very many social networking tools, I feel the need to stop and qualify exactly what my existence is. Where lie the boundaries between my real and digital selves? And to what degree is my day to day existence qualified by said digital self. It is a core existential dilemma that has plagued mankind from the genesis of creation. The modern equivalent of Plato's cave and his shadows. I sense the allusions to T.S. Eliot's Waste Land in the line "I will show you fear in a handful of dust"; and I fear that internet publishing is but another form of fending of man's fear of impermanence.

It seems to be a core human desire to leave something of themselves behind after they have passed on. The nature of the point can be argued from many differing aspects. It can be viewed as as the biological need to procreate being expressed in the subconscious of a thinking mammal. Perhaps an ego driven delusion fuelled by fear of the unknown, of death, and the grasping need to exist on afterwards. Whatever the cause, be it physiological, psychological, even spiritual, it seems to be a need that exists to a degree in all of us. As a writer I am possessed of my own fair share of this sentiment, although it presents itself in a more specific form. That of the quest for meaning.

What is the meaning of my life? What am I trying to say with my writing? What is my reason? A man far wiser than I once wrote that there are three constants in life; rules if you will, and they are as follows: Paradox, humour, and change.

Paradox: Life is a mystery. Don't waste time or energy trying to solve it.
Humour: Keep a sense of humour at all times, especially about yourself. It is a strength beyond compare.
Change: Everything changes. It is a universal constant. Make peace with the fact and all will be easier.

Taking these to be true, at least in my own life, I have decided to try and stop searching for the meaning of my life, writing, existence. I am going to attempt a little faith. So with that resolution the content of this blog will change a little. It is still so early in the content of this blog as to mean there won't really be any form of transition. I intend to use this page as an exploration of my own art, and the process I take to create it, alongside the occasional academic contextual article. To frame it in terms most writers will be familiar with, this page will be a critical self reflective and academic monologue of my personal creative process. I hope that you find it enjoyable reading.