"We survive as fragments of memory in the bodies of others, blurring into atmospheres. We survive in the act of forgetting."
Something about these two sentences ... first it feels like a reference to the afterlife, the idea that we go on existing and comingling with others until we pass out of living memory, but then, at first glance, this is seemingly upended by the second sentence, which also feels like it's about forgetting as healing, and also about loneliness, how people can still be alive but already have passed out of living memory ... complex and rich and intriguing ...
It was inspired, I think, by a friend who spoke that way about encountering works of art — that we are implicated by them and changed by them even as we turn away, even as we forget.
ah! yes! i was talking to a writer friend yesterday who said she, too, often couldn't remember the contents of books she'd read, even quite recently, but that she had faith in the fact that everything in each book would be there, safely stored away somewhere inside her head, doing whatever it needed to do ...
I love your writing Sal. What is difficult for me is to slow down and make space in my mind for it to enter fully. Yours is restful writing, and I'm restive. Substack is so full and also crowded. I'm realizing that to appreciate pieces like yours I'm going to have to add many minutes around the edges of reading it, white space you might say. Before and after time. It will be worth the time and conscious effort.
“ At the same time, noticing the mechanics behind it all, by which I mean the conscious effort. Can we ever be relieved of the dissatisfaction of life?” I appreciate that insight of our ‘noticing’ thus casting the cloud of dissatisfaction…
I went to see the movie Perfect Days this afternoon (very highly recommended), and the director, Wim Wenders, said that it was inspired by the Japanese concept of "komorebi" or sunlight playing through the leaves of trees.
"We survive as fragments of memory in the bodies of others, blurring into atmospheres. We survive in the act of forgetting."
Something about these two sentences ... first it feels like a reference to the afterlife, the idea that we go on existing and comingling with others until we pass out of living memory, but then, at first glance, this is seemingly upended by the second sentence, which also feels like it's about forgetting as healing, and also about loneliness, how people can still be alive but already have passed out of living memory ... complex and rich and intriguing ...
It was inspired, I think, by a friend who spoke that way about encountering works of art — that we are implicated by them and changed by them even as we turn away, even as we forget.
Lovely to hear from you!
ah! yes! i was talking to a writer friend yesterday who said she, too, often couldn't remember the contents of books she'd read, even quite recently, but that she had faith in the fact that everything in each book would be there, safely stored away somewhere inside her head, doing whatever it needed to do ...
I love that. Maybe all of life is like those books in its way.
well said, beautifully said, expansive.
Ah, thank you! & it was a pleasure to see you the other day.
I love your writing Sal. What is difficult for me is to slow down and make space in my mind for it to enter fully. Yours is restful writing, and I'm restive. Substack is so full and also crowded. I'm realizing that to appreciate pieces like yours I'm going to have to add many minutes around the edges of reading it, white space you might say. Before and after time. It will be worth the time and conscious effort.
That's a beautiful thing to say, Maj-Britt, but someone told me recently that they read these fast and headlong, and that seems just great too.
The balance - the subtle balancing:
“ At the same time, noticing the mechanics behind it all, by which I mean the conscious effort. Can we ever be relieved of the dissatisfaction of life?” I appreciate that insight of our ‘noticing’ thus casting the cloud of dissatisfaction…
Thank you! All that dukkha.
Thank you to all for the encouraging comments — it was a crazy day today but I’ll send replies tomorrow. More soon!
I went to see the movie Perfect Days this afternoon (very highly recommended), and the director, Wim Wenders, said that it was inspired by the Japanese concept of "komorebi" or sunlight playing through the leaves of trees.
https://www.morethantokyo.com/komorebi-japanese-word/
See also this substack post from Untranslatable: https://untranslatable.substack.com/p/komorebi-sunlight-filtered-through
Hearing this was the most restful part of my day. Thank you.
Wow, thank you, Kathy!