Do we matter?
As humans, we like to sit up late into the night and watch the rain. We stare at the moon and the stars, listen to the sound of the world go by, and contemplate. About life, feelings, and emotions. But, sometimes we sit there. Observing, lost in time to watch the world go by. We wonder why even the stars have each other, when we are alone. The moon is just like us. Alone in the sky where no one understands him. We wonder, is this even real? Or are we just cogs turning in an old clock, unable to stop the passing of time? Our time on Earth is short. When you look back at it, will you wonder if you even mattered at all?
Much Ado About
Does nothing exist? I would argue that there is always something, even when one thinks there is nothing. An empty box has air inside, which though invisible, is something. Oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen molecules are present in the empty box. The great vacuum of space in all its vastness has small amounts of something even though light years may separate one something from the nearest something else. In fact, nothing as a quantity is still a quantity it is simply the very least amount of something, (whatever category of something that may be) one can have.
So, what is the closest approximation to true and total absence, or nothing? I would argue that the closest state of nothingness that exists in this plane of existence is the unique state of mind the male of our species is able to achieve when it's at rest. This state is difficult for the female of the species to fathom which causes no small amount of frustration. For example, let's say a female of the species asks a male of the species, "What are you thinking about?" The male's response of, "Nothing" seems to be either an attempt at deception or simply impossible.
To the male of the species he really isn't thinking of anything. This doesn't mean that his brain has entered a state of total stagnancy. It simply means that nothing on the conscious level is within male's flickering and dim intellectual spotlight. Of course, the neurological processes of breathing, maintaining a heartbeat, digestion, and the countless other biological processes the brain is responsible for are engaged, but to the male such mechanisms aren't worth considering out loud and therefore qualify as nothing.
How is this possible you ask? Simple. The male of the species has a less sophisticated brain than his female counterpart. It has been scientifically confirmed that less evolved thought processes of the male remain much like his prehistoric Neanderthal ancestors and are primarily focused on procuring food, shelter, fucking (procreation is rarely a conscious level motive here), entertainment, and the size of his penis. Now, it is nearly impossible for the male of the species to think about more than one of these limited categories at a time. One area of focus may inadvertently assist in the achievement of another area of focus, but this is a result of one simple drive being complimentary to another and not an intentionally thought out part of a larger plan in which another goal is achieved.
Let's say that the male of the species wants to fuck something other than his hand. While self-pleasure provides release for a biological urge, it can also lead to carpal tunnel syndrome which reduces the male's ability to provide for himself and thus hinders his chances for survival. Coincidentally, the male has worked to provide for his basic biological needs. He has obtained suitable shelter, a consistent food source, and the means to maintain both beyond the short term. A female of the species observes the male's efforts and acknowledges his capabilities and the characteristics that allowed him to be successful, both of which meet her qualifications for a suitable mate. As a result, the male has unintentionally made himself fuckable. He would've obtained shelter and food in order to address his basic biological needs without considering the female. The female's reaction to his efforts are simply a bonus. So, with a limited number of categories which require thought to focus on, the male of the species is able to reduce his thought processes to the biological minimum to continue living.
In comparison to her male counterpart, the female's brain is a natural multi-tasker capable of complex planning and problem solving in the short and long term. This advanced ability to think beyond the basic need to survive allows the female to improve higher brain functions such as emotions, ethical responses to adverse conditions, the ability to nurture, and empathy. All this activity means that the female brain is in a constant state of thought. Consequently, the female of the species cannot fathom how the male of the species can achieve a state where thought is idling simply waiting for the need to obtain the basic necessities of life, attend the next monster truck rally at the fairgrounds, spend money on a raised pickup truck (or to be Freudianly honest, treatment for being phallically challenged), or watch the movie where the lead actress is topless. So, when the female asks the male what he's thinking his response of, "Nothing" seems absurd and dishonest. Sadly, 99% of the time he is telling the truth.
In short, it is difficult to say that a complete and total absence of anything, or nothing exists. The closest thing to nothing is the mental holding pattern the male of the species is able to achieve when he's not working towards a very finite number of goals using an equally finite number of methods. It is the limited capability of male thought that has been the bane of human advancement for centuries. War, discrimination, masogyny, and a constant need for more demonstrates the male's less than advanced ability to think, analyze, empathize, and nurture. A brain too complex to achieve a state where it can think about nothing should be given the chance to run things for awhile. Too bad our management or potential management choices are two old corrupt men one of whom has no moral qualms about grabbing a lady's, your daughter's, your wife's, your sister's.....while being worshiped by, "Good Christians." Frankly, I think even Neanderthal man's brain would defy its evolutionary limitations enough to be ashamed.
Yes Things and No Things
He admired her for her beauty. Yes, things were important to him, yet she was tired of being his sweet, young thing.
"What's wrong, my love?"
"Nothing."
"Really? Nothing?"
"No, nothing."
"Nothing at all?"
"I said nothing. Let me put on my makeup, OK?"
"We don't have to go, you know."
"No. You said you wanted to go. They'll all be there."
"I know you don't like them. We really don't have to go."
"I said I would, so I will."
"So everything's OK?"
"Yea."
"Nothing's wrong?"
"Are you starting again?"
"No, Nevermind. Nothing."
"Nothing? Really? That's what you think?"
"Something's wrong, isn't there?"
She didn't hear him, because she was no longer there. Of the things he still had, she was no thing.
Why Do I Create?
Why?
Why does a blank page
beckon me,
compel me
to mar the unblemished
with writings embellished
or serious or amusing
or one of my sundry musings?
Why?
Why do figures of speech
seek me,
call me
like an eager schoolboy
who wants an attaboy
for using his way to pass
or be recognized in class?
Why?
Why does theprose.com
intrigue me,
entice me
to enter a challenge
or write a word salad?
Do I do it for a few likes,
to test my literary pipes?
Why?
Why do the answers
elude me,
puzzle me?
Is defining creativity
the stuff of subjectivity?
With nothing in sight,
I guess I’ll just write.
The one I call NOTHING!
Maybe if there is a black hole somewhere in my mind I could name it NOTHING!
I could put inside all the times I got hurt by bullies,
the time I got lied about love,
the time I cried and still cry for him,
I could add the fake world I live,
So I name you NOTHING!
Because love,sadness,fake means nothing
Nothing without having a chain reaction.
I add my memories as little one,
Cause I feel nothing.
I add my failures,
The times I trusted people,
The time my heart broke more than once,
But mostly time,
Because of the word time,
Because all lasted like it was never there!
So now I name you NOTHING!
I never knew time could take all like it was nothing!
So now you are in the little black hole,
The one I call NOTHING!