Some say lifting weights is
Boring: take a stack of heavy plates
and send them soaring
To and from,
to and from,
to and from …
(Some see a hand laying bricks,
Not “building a wall” or
“Making a home.”)
Some say they do work
For money: subjugating their skills
For a portion of someone else's plenty
By hours and pay,
hours and pay,
hours and pay …
(Poor hearts pour out words
On words, instead of
Walking away.)
Some say offering hopes into the sky
Is folly: trusting a life's course
And dreams out-calling?
Sounds reasonless,
reasonless,
reasonless …
(Spooked minds inch wide around the
Sick, sad, and low, rather than
Smiling “God bless.”)
As someone who is about to make several important choices regarding my future path in life, this poem was very relatable to me; it served as a reminder to pick a path in which I can personally find meaning. I need to make sure that, when I am “laying bricks,” I can see the home that will result from my efforts.
ReplyDeleteThis poem reminded me of the 1942 essay “The Myth of Sisyphus” by Albert Camus, in which Camus describes how Sisyphus is condemned to forever repeat the task of rolling a boulder up a hill, only for it to roll down every single time. Camus connects this predicament to the human condition in general, in order to demonstrate the absurdity of the reality in which we live. Camus argues that, while we may imagine Sisyphus as being utterly anguished by the meaninglessness of his task and his fate, we can also imagine him as having found some form of happiness through his acceptance of his task’s meaninglessness.
While there may not be a meaning inherent to life in general, I personally believe that one can find meaning in their own individual life, and one that is deeper than simply the acquisition of material wealth. How the accompanying collage connects to all of this, I’m not quite sure; perhaps it is comparing a religious figure that one might worship with a votive candle to mere pop culture icons, thereby illustrating the impossibility of finding meaning in life through religion? That doesn’t quite explain the eye in the background, though.
The first time I read this poem I remember laughing out loud because of the first stanza. My dad and I will go to Crossfit in the mornings sometimes and every time as we wake up at five a.m. to go lift weights we think to ourselves about how absolutely stupid this is. What is the point of waking up in the morning crazy early to go workout with the energy we do not have? Yet, we continue to go, and with each “rep” and “to and from” we get stronger. While neither of us go solely for the health benefits, we find that afterward we feel refreshed and start the day smiling about our accomplishments. The ironic part about Crossfit in relation to this poem is that Crossfit comes with its own stereotype. “Some say” it is for insane people who have little regard for safety and skill, and while that may be partly true it is also a community of people who support each other to become better people mentally and physically. Instead of listening to the naysayers and “build[ing] a wall” against trying something new, we take the opportunity to improve ourselves and take the chance of finding our next passion.
ReplyDeleteTo me, this poem seemed to represent the negative connotations associated with certain activities and its nature to take away from the actual good coming from the hard work. The scattered placement of the words resembles the reducing and echoing characteristics of gossip and how it almost consumes the complex thoughts and determination of the speaker. In the end, the things that “some say” are merely limiters that scare away those who take the opinions of others instead of taking the time to make their own opinions. In life, it is an important lesson to find meaning in what you want to do and have the ambition to try new things, regardless of what everyone else thinks.
May you have many years of seeing the joy in exercise, in food, menial tasks, relationships, and everything else that life drops onto your plate.
DeleteWe've all gotta eat what the world serves :) it's up to us how we view the meal.
What I have learned, especially through the many people I have worked with over the years, is everyone has an opinion on things they personally view as “reasonless.” I think there is beauty in the fact that the purpose of life is individual, unique, and self-defined, and absolutely no one has answers about what is truly purposeless. Many people find weightlifting to be a waste of time, while others think writing, painting, reading, etc. are pointless. I have met many people who think it is ridiculous that I spend so much time working and I have met many people who think it is ridiculous that I spend my free time reading, taking long walks, or making art. Who really is to say any of it is meaningful, but none of it is purposeless if it makes you feel fulfilled.
ReplyDeleteAs absurd as it may seem, I feel fulfilled in working, because I know that my dreams are to get an education and build a career for myself. So when I give my time to other people in exchange for money I see it like building a wall because that is another small contribution towards the money I will use to put myself through college. However, other people might see it as just me aimlessly laying bricks, so I choose to live my life not caring about what “some say” and instead live by what I say.
Your words do remind me of the absurdity in that it is virtually impossible to escape the expectation and requirement to work making it so necessary to evaluate what makes one happy. I grew up in a community where I saw everyone around me working multiple jobs to barely make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, and sacrificing everything just to live in the most undesirable part of town. I could tell they were miserable, but even as I saw my own parents juggle 2-3 jobs, I would also see moments of genuine happiness like when we would go to the park or cook dinner together. For me, it was a given that I should work and when I was young I started small—babysitting, dog walking, house sitting—then it became working in the service and restaurant industry, and soon it became working white collar jobs. Before I realized it my own life resembled those whom I had watched struggle as I too learned how to balance multiple jobs. My parents always forced me to make time for the things I loved and now as 17 years old with three jobs I’m very grateful they taught me that lesson. I feel content knowing that I have a direction in life, but on a day-to-day basis still have time for my hobbies and passions. Still, whenever I see reminders, like your poem, that life is larger than just work, I always take them as a sign to stop and evaluate how I truly feel. I think it is scary how easy it is to fall into the “reasonless” things consuming your life in our society, so I thank you for the reminder to stop and think.
I'm glad :) I hope that one of the things you think about when you stop, is how to make the "necessary" things feel more reason-full. A lot of jobs can feel really meaningless ... but there's usually at least some small part of them that makes a positive difference in the world (people at restaurants need to eat, a tired mom at the checkout could really use a smile and a "hope you have a great day - I like your necklace").
DeleteThat doesn't mean that you should love some shitty job with a crap boss, lol. But at least looking for the meaning, makes life feel more connected: everything together, instead of divided into separate boxes of "things that [do/don't] matter."