The reader will not find aphorisms in these pages.
My brief sentences are the dots of color in a pointillist painting.
That is an interesting way to look at aphorism, and I think it holds true for what I have gathered, organized by subject, and shared over these last few weeks. By working through what I have written, I noticed themes developing. And for better or worse, the pointilist painting made from these quotes is a good snap shot of my philosophy spanning what (I sure hope) was the darkest time in my life.
Looking back over my work I see some patterns that reoccur. One is my fascination with beauty and in particular how it is in tension with what is interesting, so much so in our times that they are often enemies. Another is looking at the truest part of zeitgeist (in non-election years): people whining about spoilers. The spoilers thing was and is about living the era of content overload as well as narcissism. Quotes about these points, along with grappling with the wasteland that is American culture in general, show up in more than one section as I believe different spins support different themes.
If my plans have any control over the matter, which is a big if, I will be winding down my aphorism habit. In the future, if a short saying comes to me, I'll write it down in a journal and try to find a place to work it to a longer piece further down the line. After all, it is frustrating that aphorisms have been an art form I have spent this much time with [1]. They subtly push the reader away by forcing them to do all the work in building the context. An aphorism is a punchline without a set up -- or a set up that is . . . all of the world, and everything is just too much. The aphorism demands to be read deeply. And this is almost inexcusable in a world of content glut -- even if you think your ideas are important, there is an endless supply of content about very least similar ideas that is much easier to consume.
When I think of the times my mind was changed in big, important ways it is always some long form work. Also, I don't think incidentally, these works were often read late at night. It is like how infomercials work [2]. An endless supply of more is more persuasive than even the highest quality piece.
A great, long winded work can have an aphorism in it, that is true, but that is a punchline delivered with the correct set up, or perhaps as a nice piece put at the top of a section. Like how another Don Colacho quote is coming right up.
II)
Writing is the only way to distance oneself from the century in which it was one’s lot to be born.
Don Colacho again.
I have noticed in the aphorists of the modern era a certain love of older books, meaning ones before the invention of the printing press. This makes sense because those older books reflect a sense of scarcity of text. Paper was once rare and expensive, to say nothing of the labor costs involved in having someone copy a book by hand. Thus, one thing you wanted in a book was something you could read over and over, and so aphorisms did well in this environment. Going even further back, oral traditions relied on a set of sayings, and often the leaders of the community judged cases before them based weighing the implications of different sayings.
To love what is old is to be exposed to the art of aphorism. It is easy enough to see how that would rub off on a person. I don't really think the causation runs the other way in most cases other than my own -- and it is an insult if it did. I wrote aphorisms in the past because my attention span was so poorly developed. I think the greats of the art form are classicists.
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I leave you with a list of better aphorists than I.
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Marcus Aurelius
Nietzche
Nassim Taleb (read The Bed of Procrustes, then prefer other early work. Ignore his social media behavior.)
Don Colacho, oh, ¡por supuesto!
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[1] But it is an art. It has stitched my time together in a meaningful way, and has given something for people who loved me to enjoy after I am gone. Something of where I was is preserved in those sayings, especially when they are put together in pointillism.
[2] To think that because of the growth of streaming and cord cutting the number of people who know what an infomercial is will only shrink during my lifetime. . . How odd to feel nostalgic for the infomercial.
