The Poetics of Space

As a class we are reading the work 'The Poetics of Space' which is a tough read but my favorite quote so far in the work is:

"-A being who does not want to melt away, and who, even in the past, when he sets out in search of things past, wants time to "suspend" its flight." (Page 8)

We are looking at past history and wish to draw from it and learn but also do not want to be lost in the past. To stare out into time and space, and make a small impact if not difference in the world. Which is by no means a new thought or idea but I believe this is summed up by a poem written by Ralph Emerson goes as the following: "To laugh often and much: to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived/ this is to have succeeded."

No one really wishes to melt into the masses in every situation and every aspect of there lives, to be left out in limbo for eternity. Having little or not impact on those that we come in contact with each day is no way to live. But to reach out and touch another person in some way or situation may very well change the course of history. By effecting how that person response to the next situation or experience they and/or you are thrust into. We each have to fight against getting pulled into the storm of life, and live separate from each other.