There is experience, and there is expression. All of life can, at some level, fall into one of those two categories and then lead to the greater goal of enjoyment. I perceive that the movie on the screen is good (experience) and so turn to the person next to me and tell him I really like the cinematography or character development (expression).
This is how the enjoyment of the movie takes upon itself not only the face value of the film but also the social pleasure of the expression, becoming, in that necessary conjunction, something more.
That two-step process is formed into a memory – not the movie or conversation alone, but both at the same time… the positive action of experience and the contributory reaction of expression.
“Alright Jake, where are you going with this?” you might ask...
Well, I’m not really going anywhere with it. That little philosophization spelled out a rather obvious principle; anyone with an IQ over 75 could sit and think about it for a minute and reach the same conclusions I did.
But how often do we do that?
We spend so much time thinking about dumb stuff. I get it, though. Most of us are so busy that, when we have moments in which nothing is happening, we’re too tired to exert our mental faculties on some philosophical abstraction. We’re not all going to go into a Wordsworthian reverie on daffodils every time we get to a red light.
I will, however, ask you to challenge yourself to think deeper. Your brain is you most potent strength – don’t waste its power on irrelevance.
There is value in allowing your mind to think at meta-levels. For one, it reorders your worldview and paints everything in a different light. All of a sudden, the movie I’m watching looks different when I perceive and mentally articulate how exactly my members achieve enjoyment of something.
Challenging yourself to think with depth will lead to heightened mental acuity, even if you’re accused of daydreaming as a result.
Comically enough, I’m guilty of staring out of the George Fox library window for 35 minutes and thinking about how quickly our brain changes its perception when the grass is cast in sunlight as opposed with shadow when a cloud passes over. I stared out a window for 35 minutes before writing a single word. That was less than an hour ago.
It’s a beautiful day today; the wide world lies open before you, inviting you to breathe its air, see its people and experience what it has to offer.
Storm the philosophical heights – strike through the mask – see what lies behind the veil of everyday occurrences.
