I first read this poem in high school. Since then I remember it at odd times, not always knowing why.
Not Waving But Drowning
Nobody heard him, the dead man,
But still he lay moaning:
I was much further out than you thought
And not waving but drowning.
Poor chap, he always loved larking
And now he's dead
It must have been too cold for him his heart gave way,
They said.
Oh, no no no, it was too cold always
(Still the dead one lay moaning)
I was much too far out all my life
And not waving but drowning.
-Stevie Smith
New Years Resolutions are bubbling out into January.
Last year, a guy named David decided to whittle down his personal possessions to only 100 items. Among other things, he gave up his hiking boots, yoga mat, and nose hair trimmer. He kept underwear, a mechanical pencil, and a camera. In 2009, he will chronicle his adaptivity to the new, simplistic lifestyle.
Simplicity. A sigh of relief. The more distractions we have around us, the less apt we are to see the things that matter. Resolutions take this into account. Losing weight, spending less, seeing anew, caring more…all signs the ethereal trumps the tangible.
It is a paradigm that the more things we have, the less life we experience. The interactions with others and ourselves in the absence of such things creates life beyond the inane. The act of being from the synergy of the world and our own minds.