Bundles of Impression
Oh boy…there’s a lot happening in my head today.
I’m not sure where we’re going….
Let’s fasten our seat belts, okay?
Jim
Jim Farina
The writer I met at Lion’s Den Gorge…
Oh wait!
Let’s start with
Karen
Karen Debonis
Another writer, a friend.
TO WRITE
means more than putting
PRETTY WORDS
on a page;
THE ACT OF WRITING
is to share
A PART OF YOUR SOUL
with the
WORLD.
Karen sent me a note after reading Born Free’s story Crash, about my meeting with Jim Farina at Lion’s Den Gorge. In our exchange, I asked her how things were progressing with her memoir. Karen is sharing the story of her son Matt’s brain tumor, her family’s survival, and resulting growth.
I’m curious how Karen’s family feels about the book. From my own experience, it’s impossible to write a story about others and have your perception match their perception of events. I asked…
How does Matt feel about the book? Does he say things like, “No mom…it happened this way!”
When I write about people or experiences, I often wonder how close my interpretations are to the other humans involved.
I wonder how Jim might have written of our meeting...
When Karen replied she said…
It would be interesting to know what Jim would write. Have you asked him?
And I replied…
After emailing you, I sent an email to Jim. He's planning to write about our meeting and post it to Medium. :) I will link it in Born Free when he posts. Sometimes I just have to say things "out loud" to spur myself into action.
Souls on the page…connecting…
Here’s the story of our surprise in the flesh meeting…from Jim’s point of view:
Coming Face-to-Face With a Familiar Stranger by Jim Farina
It was like one of those montages that filmmakers use when a character has a sudden revelation. A flash-series of connections were made — pow pow pow.
Yes! Love the way you said that Jim.
Dear Readers,
Read on if you’re interested in philosophical wandering….
In another conversation this week…
Buber posited that we humans were given the gift to be able to communicate in order to make the space between us holy.
Martin Buber was a German philosopher who in I and Thou proposed two ways of looking at human existence: (From Wikipedia)
The attitude of the "I" towards an "It", towards an object that is separate in itself, which we either use or experience.
The attitude of the "I" towards "Thou", in a relationship in which the other is not separated by discrete bounds.
Then this morning I read No Absolute Time—told you this might get a little convoluted. The article references Hume—another philosopher who divided perception into impressions and ideas. From the article:
The difference between the two is a difference of degree, not kind. Impressions are more forceful and lively than ideas. For instance, I remember that as a kid I put my finger on our living room’s fireplace window. When I had my finger on the glass, I felt pain (impression), and now I have a recollection of that perception (idea). All simple ideas resemble some simple impressions. Ideas are copies of impressions.
Impressions imprint on our subconscious, and translate into conscious Ideas?
I am who I am because of impressions that in turn form my thoughts?
Really…I’m asking. Anybody?
We’re all a bundle of impressions—from a mix of similar and varied experiences? We shape each other—create each other—through our connection? If I am who I am because of who you are….
Are you thinking beyond yourself when you speak or act? Thou, not it?
Taking responsibility for the world we create—together?
If you made it this far, you might enjoy a book by Jerry B. Harvey: How Come Every Time I Get Stabbed In The Back My Fingerprints Are On The Knife
I think I need a nap! :)