Like the old Robin Williams quote, “Reality… What a
Concept!”
In our society, there is this concept called REALITY. Except
the more science learns about this World, the concept of this thing called
“reality” keeps getting called into smaller and smaller bits (quanta is the
term if you will). According to the most cutting edge science, “reality” is
more and more the Illusion/Maya of the Ancients (who of course knew a lot more
on more subtle levels than Modern Man thought they did).
In “reality” there isn’t One Reality to Rule them all, but
some Seven Billion Realities happening every second (or even more frequent)
every second of every day. If many
of those who are fiercely fighting tooth and nail against any kind of ‘change’
much less “CHANGE” were to realize this, the quanta would hit the fan.
In my ‘reality,’ there is this thing popularly called ADD,
and it’s partner/sister diagnosis ADHD. It’s a condition that more and more of
our society are becoming subject to (and those mentioned above are railing at
the concept of). It’s (depending on the persons and their politics involved)
‘the Government,’ or ‘The Psychiatric Establishment/Drug companies (/conspiracy),’
or, the really popular opinion, ‘just plain bunk.’
In other words… No One Knows. In my knowing, it is a very
real set of conditions. But back to that concept of “reality.”
In each of our lives, in every second of every day, we are
being bombarded by sensory input or stimuli. It comes in the form (for most) of
the Five Senses. We are bombarded by touch, feel (heat, pressure, etc), sight,
sound and to a lesser extent (for most of us – the real Foodies excepted here),
taste.
In My Reality, ADD is not a ‘can’t pay attention to
anything’ condition, but a ‘pays attention to EVERYTHING’ one. I (and all of
you Others like me), did not receive the neural chemistry to block out external
stimuli to a sufficient extent that we can focus on ‘only one thing.’ This is
most often what leads to that other associated condition (to a greater or
lesser extent) called Creativity. The Creative takes in external stimuli and
outputs Art (or Dance, or…). Paying Attention to Everything is the central core
of the Creative. The Creative takes All of the stimuli and coalesces it into their
interpretation of ‘reality.’ In ‘reality’ Van Gogh probably did see the “Starry
Night” as he painted it. Which brings me to…
In the Greater Reality, there is not just the physical Illusion
of ‘reality’ but also the Energy that Created it. That takes ADD to a whole ‘nother
level of complication in the already complicated mess of stimuli. For those of
us who are even less able to block out External (and internal) stimuli, the
constant flow of Energy on the Meta-Physical level ADD’s to what we’re already
receiving.
In my head, I hear all of the objections from those of you
who think this is careened into Extreme Woo Woo territory, but a number of
those probably stopped reading after the Robin Williams quote (if they even
decided to come and read this in the first place. And further into the Woo Woo
is that I ‘feel’ many of those thoughts in the day to day moving through and
amongst the Rest of Humanity.
In conclusion, (everyone giving a ‘lecture’ always says that)…
I experience what most people experience, but manage to block out – through daily
rituals like going to work and eating at usually highly specific time, watching
TV/films and listening to music. You block the Madness out because you can. I
can’t. For me, it comes out in Creativity and the constant influx of Ideas BIG
and small. It’s always been like this. I work on one Idea and then another one
comes crashing/barging into my consciousness in the next instant. This is why
the Daily Rituals and I don’t really work. And it makes it hard for me to find
someone else who is both similar to/but different enough to make a relationship
work with.
In the end, it’s not that I ‘can’t pay attention to
anything,’ I’m always paying attention to, and developing/creating Art, from
that Everything. It’s not that I ‘can’t focus on one thing and do that well’ as
I have Creations in just about every creative form that I can. Some call that “Genius,”
others call it “Madness,” and still others call it ‘just an excuse.’ You should
be so unlucky.
Very profound especially the part about artists
ReplyDeleteif I may use your line: The Creative takes All of the stimuli and coalesces it into their interpretation of ‘reality.’ Are all artists slightly mad or are they seeing the only real truth.