I’ve always loved discussions with people.
In many a job interview, when asked about my English Degree (I work as an Oracle DBA), I tell people: Two plus two always equals four, but when you read a sentence, and talk about that sentence with twenty-five other people and get twenty-five different opinions as to what it means, that’s where you begin to find real answers.
That always meant something to me. The greater understanding. While getting my English Degree I joined a group that met up once a week, on Wednesday mornings, just to talk about anything. A professor started it, and it was called the Caffeinated Brain. The first time I showed up, everyone was talking about the most recent Gears of War.
The topics went everywhere from there. And I miss that. I don’t go to work and get a chance to talk. to hear, and to think about widely different topics. What I digest during the day is usually shoved at me, multiple times by multiple news stations, or on the same news pop-up on my phone every day. The chance at random knowledge, at the unknown discovery, has disappeared. Which means, unfortunately, the chance for me to learn something random about myself has diminished.
It’s these random thoughts where we kind learn a significant truth about ourselves. It forces us to think outside of our normal, pre-programmed days, and I find it helps me to discover what I truly think, especially if I sit back and digest what I’ve been told. If I write it down and go back and research what’s been said. I dig more, and think on it more, and it all stirs in the back of my brain in some kind of cocktail that – once sipped, is kind of addictive.
What’s more – I believe doing this allows me to see things from different perspectives. It adds more dimensions – different dimensions – to my characters. It adds more depth to my writing. Which means there is more at stake, in each story. Which ultimately means – to me – I’ve added a greater depth to myself.
So I miss those Caffeinated Brain sessions. I’ve tried to capture the spirit of them in Facebook posts, or conversations at work, or gatherings of friends, but it’s not quite the same. The freedom of expression is gone. I’m loathe to fully commit to discussing something at work when I’m unsure of how it’ll be received. My friends and family, we understand how we think, for the most part. And those I’m friends with, we know where we stand on certain topics and thoughts. There are little surprises (though some do exist), there is no randomness. And I want more. I want to continue to build dimensions to myself. To learn, to know. To … improve is the wrong word. I think grow is better. Evolve, maybe.
So I miss random discussions with people who were strangers, but became collectively something more. This blog – to me – is a chance to recapture that. Read it as you will. Post as you may.
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