Excellence, therefore, is not an act, but a habit"
I focus now on the first half of the quote. We are indeed what we repeatedly do. Not what we think, or speak, but do. Actions are solid, measurable chunks of realness that you can look at and point to. The baker is so called after he has baked, repeatedly, that such an action may then be linked to his character, and become a defining characteristic. And the same goes for the butcher and the candle-stick maker, obviously.
The corollary must also hold true. If I no longer do anything with regularity, then I cannot allow myself in all honesty to call myself anything that would imply otherwise. Therefore, today I realised that I am no longer any of these things:
Poet
Two poems in 6 months? Really?
Writer of Fictions
4 this year. Last 5 months ago. I was never that proficient, to be honest, but at least every now and then I'd come up with a story I would be happy to post. I have the stories floating around in my head, but if I don't write them down…
Graphic Artist/ Designer
More than 20 months since my last creation. The less said the better.
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It hurts to see this. It hurts to recognise this. It shouldn't, but it does. Like I'm stripping away layers of myself, which were close to my sense of being.
One day, maybe I'll stop blogging. This blog, which has been my outlet and my solace for the past four years, which I have only let a few handpicked friends see… maybe even this will be neglected. This realisation, even though it only exists right now in potentia, hurts me even more, even though it shouldn't.
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Of course, were I to start doing the same actions again, with regularity, then maybe I could call myself those things again. That option is always open. For now, though, I choose to let those labels fall from me.
Hmm.. Perhaps it's a good thing to be able to let labels fall, they are after all temporary and bound to be discarded sooner or later. The only set of labels which will last for eternity are: 3abid and (naudhbillah) the opposite: 3aasi.
ReplyDeleteLooking back at all that we no longer are is also a good reminder of the temporary nature of this world. Today we are Ahmad, Zahra, etc, tomorrow even those closest to us will simply call us 'the body'.
Imam Ali (as) also tells us "Those who compile wealth are dead even though they may be living, while the sages (who are endowed with knowledge) will remain as long as the world remains. Their bodies perish but their depictions will exist in the hearts." [Nahjul balaagha]
Good to see you posting again bro.
Does it not depend on the label? A poet may have that skill, and use it, but not weekly, or monthly. To be a poet, must you write poems often?
ReplyDeleteYou write poems, (plural), and you write good poems. This makes you a poet regardless of how often you produce a piece. If you were it write a poem on a completely regular basis, wouldn't that monotony take away from being a poet?
With labels such as "poet" or "writer of fictions" - the regularity isn't what's most important. You can't make talent like this regular.
So, to conclude, I disagree with what you've said here. I don't think the fact that you don't produce as many pieces of work as you think you should take those labels away from you. Writing isn't something dependent on regularity.
It's a good quote, I just don't believe it applies in all situations, especially situations like this.
I do not feel I have to write poems often, but I felt at the time that my skill at such had dwindled to nothing. I have since written a poem, so I guess I'm still one.
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