“We are a species that needs and wants to
understand who we are. Sheep lice do not seem to share this longing, which is
one reason why they write so little.”
Anne Lamott, author
Interesting
thought, don’t you think? Nice to know sheep lice don’t write much. I don’t think they’d find a market anyway.
On
the other hand that first bit, the statement that we are a species that needs
and wants to understand who we are, that’s food for thought.
I
admit, every once in a while when I’m writing I get to contemplating why I do
write. I enjoy it for sure. I like creating other worlds and stories about
them. But at the core there seems there is more. I’ve been writing since I was
barely 12, and I mean seriously so with the goal of publication. So why? What
was it that spurred me to do that at an early age?
Throughout
history, since man has been able to think and process information, stories have
been exchanged, first verbally, passed from one to another, passed down through
the years, then via the written word (whether actual words or illustrations). (And
now you know the origin of the graphic novel and comic books and movies). Well, maybe. Seems logical to me.
If
you’re a writer, or a reader for that matter, think about it. Her statement
that we want to understand who we are. I have to agree. I grant you we can’t
read other animals’ minds and they can’t talk to us directly, so we can’t be
absolutely, 100% positive, but it appears we’re the only animals (or insect?)
on the planet who are self-contemplating. Who give thought and story to who we
are and where we’ve been and where we are going.
Again, one has to
wonder why that is.
Writers
write to explore new worlds. Readers read pretty much for the same reason.
Together we’re creating those worlds, wandering through them and in that
journey questing to understand a bit more of who we are, why we’re here and
what the heck we’re supposed to be doing. The confusion can expand to large
proportions.
That
exploration, in fact, IS part of who we are. Our explorations and storytelling
will no doubt give us even more answers as time goes on. They’ll probably raise
a whole lot of other questions as well.
So
who is this Anne Lamott who gave us this quote? You can read a bit
more about her by clicking on her name. She
does a lot of biography, some novels and some non-fiction. She’s also the
author of many books, one in particular that’s a great read for writers. BirdBy Bird. She’s on twitter too if you want to follow
her - @AnneLamott
Explore
yourself – go write – or at least go read.
