Poem 002

Poem 002

"In order to stay true ourselves, we all will have to lie That we are happy where we are and aren't afraid to die. If life's a game, how can we win unless we can adapt; Our will to live will drain from us and be completely sapped. But if I change, then who has won? The me who started, or the me who's done? Am I the same Or have I changed? Even my name Becomes rearranged; I know my heart and mind and soul have grown and broke and hardened, But if they hadn't then I would not have lived and become ardent. Maybe who I am and who I was are the same person, But if I hadn't turned the page my story would have worsened." I was reinvigorated into writing more by someone's very polite and encouraging messages, so here's what I came up with. I'm definitely going to try writing a little more often and we'll see if it doesn't improve. Constructive criticism always welcome.

Ikigai

I love other languages so much. They allow us to express the same thought in multiple ways, communicate with people that have a different perspective on life, and provide an opportunity to expand our own perspective and understanding of the world around us. Particularly, I love that in some languages we find "holes"; thoughts and feelings we have no words for, but feel the need to communicate regardless. It can be a terrible feeling to be unable to convey your thoughts or feelings when your language is too limited, but there are two solutions: explain yourself as best you can by looking through the lexicon of your chosen language to explain what you mean, or look to other languages. There are some words in other languages that I wish we could add to English (as I am a native English speaker,) such as the infamous Dutch "schadenfreude". Of course, we could always say "entertainment at another's expense," but "schadenfreude" is not only easier as it is a single word conveying the meaning of a sentence, it also shows that languages (particularly English, I feel) are extremely limited when someone only knows one language. Of course, there is the spread of "Globbish" (an amalgamation of English and other languages, developing due to the globalization of English) which could in theory make communication easier because everyone will use the same language, but it would also destroy linguistic diversity and accentuate one of my biggest problems with language: it is STILL limited. More so if there was only one of them. The impetus for this discussion on language could not have been more innocuous; I was reading something and came across the Japanese word (and idea) of ikigai, or roughly translated as "what gets you up in the morning". This isn't meant to be as literal as an alarm clock, of course; it is the poetic question that asks us what-or who- it is that gives us the will to live. I think it is a beautiful question and an interesting word, and it gives me something to think about as I avoid sleep again. As I contemplate this, what is *your* ikigai? Do you find language as interesting as I do? Leave a note with your thoughts on language or anything else, I'd like to hear how others feel about it

"Departing"

My psychologist said I have issues making friends... I don't know what they're talking about