Monday, February 15, 2010

Universal Foolishness

This is a little silly, but it's something I've been wanting to post about for a long time. First, I just wanted to remind everyone that our Genre Wars Anthology is now available! There's a link over to your right. I really am proud of this, everyone. I love that we get to showcase stories from several great writers and that we can also donate money (100% of our profits) to WriteGirl.

Now, on to the post.

About a year ago, a friend of mine directed my attention to this:

I started watching this and thought it would just be a good laugh. But, when the video got to the halfway point, I started to choke up. Here I was, at work on a Monday morning, and by the time the video was over I was weeping. Somehow, as silly as this video is, it managed to reaffirm all of the dreams I ever had as a writer. This video reminded me that, no matter what you choose to do, no matter how stupid it is, if you do it with passion, joy, and love, other people will be able to participate in that dream.

So often, I manage to remind myself that the stories I write are really just pointless. I'm not setting out to save the world. I'm not trying to rebel against some dictatorship like so many other writers are willing to do. I'm just writing because I love it. And, sometimes, that's enough. Sometimes, people will find my art and connect with it. Even if they see that it's foolish, they will understand that it is part of a universal foolishness, an opportunity to just let loose and feel alive.


  1. Nice.
    And I never feel more alive than when I am immersed in a novel, a stanza, a word. Writing triggers something in my brain that I can't describe because I don't know what it is. But it's there and it is huge. I'm proud to be part of this universal foolishness. And if only one person in a thousand connects with what we write that's enough.

    Thanks for this.

  2. I'm hobbit-like (just try and drag me from the shire) so watching Matt is a delightful curiosity.

  3. Thank you so much for posting have no idea how much I needed it...

  4. Davin, that video made me choke up, too. Talk about inspiring. I think that even if we reach a small group of people, it's still a group of people. Every individual counts - and if I touch even just one person, that's a connection I wouldn't have made otherwise. I've already done that on many levels. That is why I keep writing. Dancing. Creating my foolish ideas and sharing them.

    Thank you for sharing this.

  5. Thanks so much for posting this video, Davin. The shear number of places visited and people that experienced a truly joyful moment in the making of it gives me a feeling of pure happiness. It certainly makes me feel alive and ready to conquer my dreams. :)

  6. That was such a fun video. Thanks for posting it. So really, we should just go with what we've got, do our best with enthusiasm, and dream big.

  7. Yvonne, I agree that even if one person connects with us, it's meaningful. I feel so satisfied whenever anyone gets something out of something I've written.

    Rebecca, for sure. I'm not a good traveler either, and I really admire him for doing something like that!

    jbchicoine! Wow, well, I do hope it helped you in some small way! :)

    Michelle, stuff like that keeps me going too. It's hard, and I think we need constant inspiration, or at least every once in awhile to pick us up again!

    Erin, it really is magical isn't it? I love it when the other people appear and everyone is just willing to make a fool of themselves and have fun.

    Lois, go with what we've got. I like that. In the end, we don't really have a choice, and we should just embrace that!

  8. That really is a great video and it made me choke up a little too, especially when I think that I may never get to some of those places. But if I did ever get to them, I'd probably just find some quiet corner where I could sit and watch people. Matt is definitely making better use of his time there .

  9. I LOVE wherethehellismatt. It is so full of joy and wonder and shedding of barriers. Someone sent me the link about a year ago, too, and it made smile and tear up. Thanks for bringing it back for all of us to remember the joy that's all around.

  10. Beautiful; and I'm glad I wasn't the only one who cried during the smile. This made me feel like anything is possible!

    Thanks Davin; you always have such remarkable.


  11. Lovely. And truly made everyone who watches it have tears in their eyes. Thank you Davin. I'm glad I decided to unplug tomorrow. If not, I would have missed this.

    See there IS a reason for everything. And I love my foolish ideas. (^_^) They do make me feel alive.

  12. I forget when it was but I saw a news program about this guy, and at the time I thought why would you want to spend a fortune traveling to all of these places just to dance in a mildly repetitive manner. But, now I look at the video, and I understand why.

    I've always hoped that my writing would be able to do that one day. I've always told myself, I'm doing what I can to better humanity through writing. And, seeing this is a justification of that belief. I hope I connect with people the way Matt did in each place that he went to dance.

  13. Mary, I've had the chance to go to some pretty exotic places, and just as you said, I ended up observing much more than participating. But for me, the writing becomes the participation, it's the active part of my creativity.

    Tricia, Yeah, I've known about this for a year too, and I've always wanted to say something about it. To me, it just captures something that resonates very well with me.

    Donna, I like what you said about feeling like anything was possible. This video makes me feel that way too. :)

    Loren, Thanks for mentioning it here. It's a cool contest! You should offer to autograph it!

    Robyn, glad you stopped by. I admit I always get just a little sad on unplugged week since it feels like a lot of my friends are gone! :)

    Ryan, and I think that the connection doesn't have to be preplanned. I really believe that if we just do what we love, if we are true to ourselves about it, someone out there will be able to connect with it.

  14. I had the same reaction. It's really when all the people start coming in that it hit me, especially the kids. I think it's the pure joy and that it can connect us all over the world.

  15. Tracy, I know! It's just so goofy and happy and non-judgmental!

  16. Thank you. That was amazing.

    Now please explain to me why something so joyful made so many of us cry. I timed myself. One minute to misty eyes. Two minutes to sniffling. By the end, tears were rolling down my face.

    I'm linking back to this post. I need to share that video!

  17. Deb, my answer is to why I cried is because this joy is all I've ever been trying to accomplish, and it just seems to easy and so possible here.

  18. Post Script: Tag, any of the three of you are it.

    Post-Post Script: Giveaway is still going on!

  19. This is a really neat video. My first thought was how the heck were they able to afford traveling to so many locales. But as I watched, my next thoughts were how awesome it is to see human beings having fun together. No separation of men from women from different races. Just a bunch of human beings laughing, dancing, and generally having a good time. Thanks for sharing this. It brought a warm smile to my face.

