Lean on me

I'm trying to keep life balanced these days.


I apologize to any regular readers of "How Does It Sound" for the recent drought of inspiration. I've been flush with new observations and ideas but warping around the city between classes, appointments, and deadlines has robbed me of the time to organize them in any digestible form. So I'm going to start taking smaller bites.

Today I will start blogging from my phone. I'd like to be able to strike when the proverbial iron is hot wherever I am. I'd like to share interesting things outside of my apartment in San Francisco and exercise my skills in brevity. Typing on this tiny keyboard keeps things succinct anyway.

I have written about the potentially negative effects of social reductionism brought about by the indifference of digital communication. Short ideas from my phone might appear hypocritical in this light. However I don't mean for shorter posts to be any less considered than my longer ones. Think of these posts as an interesting note slid to you on a napkin at a dinner party (Yes, the punch is spiked).

Here is some fascinating rock art to get things started. Bay Area artist, Bill Dan uses no glue; only gravity and an intimate understanding of a rocks personality to build his sculptures. It's as if he tunes the stones to be in perfect harmony with each other, making quiet and balanced conversations between the pieces of rock. This takes him hours to accomplish and the work moves very slowly and carefully. He spends the majority of his time looking for the right stones to stack, those that fit into some kind of mental model that he's imagined. Sometimes he picks the wrong stone and his whole creation topples over. When he finally finds the right group of shapes, the sculpture stands perfectly still and unique.

I thought it was interesting to consider our interactions with other human beings like this. We stack all of our relationships on one another to create some kind of pillar of social identity. Every different personality we encounter is rock shaped, containing unique planes, crevices and edges both sharp and dull. Some friendships are solid and grounded, providing stability while we get to know the subtleties of the friendships that rest on top of them. Stacking and balancing relationships one on top of the other is a lifelong process.

This should offer solace to anyone who has felt the frustration that comes with friendships or relationships that have fallen apart. As your pile of life stacks higher, it's those with steady hands and a trained eye who can pick out shapes that fit best and balance them with focused consideration. If it falls apart, know that reassembling the friendships around you will bring an enriched understanding of the proper hierarchy and how to stay balanced. Build enough great relationships and you can retire to the shores of San Francisco Bay and build rock sculptures.

How does that sound?