Teach, learn or leave

 

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Arriving at two scores and ten, the older I grow into my genes or jeans, the more I contemplate the brevity of life and discover myself numbering the days left on the calendar, which is healthy to do. Now, when I utter the words that I communicate through writing and evaluate the possibility of a personal literary work, I have thought thoroughly about what I want to say. 

If you read others' works and struggle to adapt their styles, while observing and taking note of their writing processes, namely the structure of it, with the begining being an introduction and trying to capture the readers attention, then followed with the meat and potatoes followed by a recap, this is standard writing of which the elements contain in at least good writing your are not alone. Academic writing typically consists of the same components, including methods, tables, graphs, and charts, followed by a discussion, limitations, conclusions, and recommendations for further research.

Blog writing, on the other hand, has no set structure beyond the writer's preference. Why? Because it is not peer-reviewed, nor is it submitted to the rigorous requirements for published writing. That is why it is called blogging and precisely why I have an affinity for blogging. Although I occasionally attempt to maintain some structure in the blog writing process, I am at liberty not to conform in this way, and the joy of breaking rules and the freedom to write as one wants is a welcome relief.

Although I would never recommend writing a piece and claiming it as your own without recognizing and crediting source material and following the rules against plagiarism, which is increasingly becoming more challenging with the proliferation of language learning applications and the availability of AI, for instance, I follow the APA guidelines solely regarding those to whom I must give credit and to avoid plagiarism at all costs, which is considered literary trespass and author burglary especially if I ever seek to be guarded as a respectalbe writer, as it is now my bloging is strictly a place for the practice of writing, sort of like my gym time, daily training to stay in shape is blogging: staying in writing shape.

The reader of this blog will be disinterested if forced to digest these words. That I aim to write like the great literary geniuses seems preposterous. The least of my attempts is at best a virgin imitator and an unpracticed writer. I am probably a fool for taking the advice of a former professor who encouraged me to keep writing-pipe dream?

The numerous authors of the works I have combed over, from deceased poets and ancient Greek intellectuals to modern-day scholars in the social sciences that I have attempted to read, often leave me feeling hollow and thirsty. Still, they do encourage me to grasp and read a little higher than my ability. Literature that lacks soul-nourishing words is like reading the fine print of a guide for instruction on a piece of technological equipment, which is helpful as a resource but does nothing for a person's spirit. That being the case, that is my point.

I am ashamed that I was uninformed and delinquent for so many years before my formal education, although most of my education was skills-based training. It was not until my bachelor's studies that I was exposed to a more liberal approach to the theoretical nuances of complex healthcare delivery. My informal, nervous exploration of the reservoirs of knowledge has opened my eyes and helped me interpret the world around me, allowing me to make minor improvements in my knowledge and character development. Trying to further my current understanding is a sobering reminder of how lightweight my education is; rather than being substantial, it is paper-thin.

But I love the process of learning, and as such, I have been dissecting Joe Moshenska's insightful biography of John Milton, Making Darkness Light (Moshenska). The Latin phrase 'doce disce aut discede', found at one of the schools where John Milton studied, as used by one of the school's founders, who had it displayed on the walls of the building, translates to: 'teach, learn, or leave'.

I confess that I am not a teacher; at the bare minimum, I am a sharer, and I will never be credited with instructing, cultivating, or enlightening another human being. However, I can share where good teaching originates, and that is the home.

The Bible and William Cowper are referenced often in my home. They should be possessed and then all of the excellent writing of our time from Homer, Plato, Lucretius, Augustine, Chaucer, Machiavelli, Shakespeare, Francis Bacon, Pascal, Locke, Hume, Kant, Mill, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Tacitus, Aristotle, Thomas Aquinas, Milton, William James, especially his Varieties of Religious Experience which are canonized in the The Great Books of the Western World, these and others should be attempted with humility and courage by all.

Additionally, one should have on their shelf topics in psychiatry, psychology, disease processes, and medicine, as well as the plethora of spiritually inspired texts available for study, including commentary and other scholarly works, for quick referencing and frequent investigative browsing.

Furthermore, two recommended reading lists are strongly endorsed. The first is the recommended reading list, which continues to grow and can be found online by searching for Douglas Jacoby, who has compiled a growing bibliography. The second is the Commandant's Professional Reading List, also available online.

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I want to write for others and convey what needs to be said to benefit and uplift the reader. Therefore, whereas others have attempted to address topics of vulnerability in their writing style, I shall adopt a modest and self-effacing approach, building on where others have left off.

The reader must be made aware. I esteem those writers who have braved and navigated the turbulent literary waters of complex and abstract ideas and principles. But, again, I will refrain from contributing to the abundance of available knowledge to produce a prosperous life. Subject matter experts who aim to increase your financial nest egg or help you lose weight and achieve your best physical health by adding to the inundated treasury of words with unproductive rhetoric would misuse my strength and misplace my competence.

However, I recognize how difficult that will be as an unlettered and unpublished man. Nevertheless, some authors have inspired me to do the same and endeavor to accomplish a writing task, albeit an obtuse goal. Therefore, whereas I shall write the lettered piece of my liking, I will write, in fact, the words I want to read and, perhaps, contribute, in my assessment, and with humility, perform such a task where others have done so incompletely.

At this point in my journey, I have come up short of discovering that elusive text waiting on the shelf I have always wanted to read. After years of turning ink-filled pages and reading treasured words, with a sense of emptiness following such laborious scanning and research, I still find myself thirsty for more. I must write something, I most eagerly and desirably want to read. Before my time is through, I shall do it. The brief segments and chapters of my novice and unsofisticated literary exercises are what you are reading. Inside them, I want to tell a little of what the world is like and how I experience it.

There are, of course, pieces of work that I have yet to read in other literature, mainly nonfiction, and my current knowledge base of different ideas and theories is limited and incomplete. In the absence of such novel and or perhaps antiquated concepts, I should consider what I might like to say when delivering a message to help formulate my thoughts by considering up to the point what I know or reflect on what current, albeit limited, knowledge I possess.

First, what has genuinely not been done before would appear, at the minimum, a conjecture; that would be impossible to estimate, as I have regrettably not read all that has ever been written. Nevertheless, I have acquired a humble library of knowledge that informs my thinking. 

Let us consider, as an introduction, Stephen Pressfield's writings; three of his unsophisticated books, "Do the Work," "Turning Pro," and "The War of Art," collectively have an extraordinary force on the reader. His unfeigned ability to articulate and describe, as evident in his definition of overcoming resistance, enables him to write and express words easily.

Furthermore, his work captures the thoughts orbiting the idea of prevailing over life's adversity. And quite briefly, he adds commentary on what he has covered in his prose thoroughly; I suspect it would be a wasted effort on my part to attempt to embellish what he has already produced. I would only be reiterating his writing. He happens to be, and I want to bring to attention his veteran status, as he is also a product of the brotherhood of Marines.

It has been my experience, perusing the shelves of our local brand-name bookseller and online, that what appears to be hanging from the branches of the publishing industry tree are the low-hanging fruit of the self-help genre. In addition to the self-improvement subtype of nonfiction, a plethora of other personal empowerment literature exists. 

You can feast on philosophical, religious, and spiritual compositions and dive deeply into the social sciences. The abundance of published literature from the health and wellness cognoscenti is also accessible. With multifaceted intelligent flavors, you can strategize, philosophize, and exercise your mindset, behave your way to a name it, and claim it life.

Moreover, some books, such as the "look-at-me-now" titles, are strategically marketed and positioned to capture the reader's senses. Or consider the nicely bound manuals and guides in the business section on how such an individual, famous or financially savvy and connected, accomplished Warren Buffett's financial independence. Then we have a buffet menu of personal empowerment variety to meet your how-to demands! They include, but are not limited to, pursuing your passion and achieving the physique of a fitness model, or taking a course to earn financial freedom, as I mentioned before. 

Finally, to help you fill your pockets and stock your cupboards to overflowing, various options are available as long as you subscribe to an email list or take a course with the many experts on standby. You may be familiar with the successes of a noteworthy film actor, actress, or fitness model, and have discovered their New York Times bestseller. Suppose you follow their methodology and approach their tactics systematically. In that case, all one has to do is subscribe now to the opportunity, making a small donation equivalent to three months' rent, and we can achieve a reproducible success story. 

These are old-school telemarketer strategies camouflaged in new technology on our smart devices and computers. It is evident and commonplace, especially in the podcast sector today, to employ motifs of the motivational "horse and carrot" strategy. By luring subscribers, creators seek to secure a monetary commitment, stuffing their pockets and lightening yours and mine. The user often receives a free downloadable e-book and is encouraged to enroll in courses taught by the author or architect. And, as mentioned earlier, geared to help you, again, achieve your best self now through online virtual courses, more often than not given by their followers and devotees. A hint of multilevel marketing with a new theme comes through if one is astute.

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Of course, how can one forget to mention the prominent celebrities' subtle, sublime, and captivating book covers? Included among them are now, since 9/11, celebrity heroes, who are stockpiling in the ranks, on the shelves right next to the Tony Robbins of our time, with their most unique battle-tested soldier stories wrapped up and bound on recycled paper. They aim to win you over with Jujitsu techniques, marksmanship instruction, stealth mode, and night vision concealment tactics, so that you can overcome the enemy within and without with the precision of special ops as they coach you on becoming a business, fitness, or family warrior and how your resilience will manifest in your favor if you apply their techniques. Victory is guaranteed, all the while capitalizing on their cash cow and printing paper faster than you can say "the only easy day was yesterday". All will submit to your might and foremost importance; you will possess the courage and force of William Wallace himself if you put their training into action, maybe at least theoretically.

But, lest I forget, and to refrain from standing on a soapbox, not all books are self-help; you can learn how to cook like the Iron Chef and prepare meals that would make Wolfgang Puck quiver at your kitchen table. And with the unlimited how-to books, anyone can learn anything at any time, with limitless information available.

Notably, the spiritual genre and the sections in religion and philosophy are not immune to the industry's antics, I suspect. In a market designed to sell books, those collecting dust on the recommended reading list that do not sell are a poor business model, regardless of the genre. Likewise, books that fail to capture and engage the emotions and senses of unsuspecting readers are a terrible business. 

Although I consider this, I consent and do not find fault with the methods of printing the written word, although I believe it is a secret society accessible only to those in the inner circle. Who would fault someone seeking to derive monetary benefits from consumable marketing items, such as books? That is the genius of a free enterprise market and capitalism; just as car manufacturers are in the business of selling cars, great publishers need to sell books to keep the printers rolling.

Nevertheless, and by the same token, I do not fault a writer or author for being compensated for their work. Monetary compensation for the distribution of an author's work is prudent, but the onus for my writing is not motivated externally in the hopes of financial reimbursement. Actually, and quite honestly, in the hopes of removing the hard-to-connect attributes of distant writers or the more famous authors, as I am a commoner, the motive for writing is to help serve and meet the needs of another traveler on our shared terrestrial globe.

Works Cited

Moshenska, Joe. Making Darkness Light: The Lives and Times of John Milton. Basic Books, 2021.