Not Alone

"We read to know that we are not alone." One of C.S. Lewis's students told him this, supposedly. I imagine this is a good place to start when we speak of writing, as well.

In Genesis One, God's first word of malediction was: "It is not good for man to be alone." He created woman, we are told, basically to address this problem. But, as we all know, the scourge of loneliness still plagues us as both men and women. Both as a race and as individuals (and in every kind of grouping in between), we find ourselves isolated, conflicted, dissatisfied, lonely, misunderstood, messed up and confused.

Throughout our lives, by our efforts of industry and creativity, we all seek to define ourselves and give our existence a sense of purpose and dignity. Our living spaces, photo albums, dens and trophy cases are testimonies to our hunger for both belonging and significance. On the one hand we seek acceptance and inclusion. On the other, we hope to stand out from the group and achieve some kind of uniqueness.

While we long to join ourselves to a noble, worthy cause that gives us a reason to be...we find in our souls an equally deep longing to become our own cause: someone who emerges from the masses and can inspire others to follow us. Writing is but one example of this longing and impulse.

When I write, I am seeking to follow and please and fit in with the millions of scribblers and readers who have gone before and presently exist. At the same time, my hope is that I might somehow add to or surpass what others have written, and thereby earn a level of special recognition and achievement. How does one best perform this balancing act--pleasing the demands and expectations of the crowd, while being fresh and unique, perhaps touching the hem of greatness?

As a believer, I accept as fact that a supreme, divine Being has authored this world, composing it of innumerable individuals, all of whom are unique in some way, each of whom has a unique story to tell. But every individual saga only finds expression as it emerges from, or enters into, the never-ending story of the whole. As each isolated life becomes a shared life.

It seems that the more I, as a writer, come out of my seclusion to sample and savor the shared stream of humanity, the more equipped I find myself to have a truthful, beautiful, beneficial impact on others--approaching greatness in what I write.

If it is true that "I read to know that I'm not alone," can it also be that I write, because I already know I'm not alone?

MNA 7/8/13