[Michael Sherwood]

Reflections on Life
(excerpt from a letter)

Your message made me pause and ponder, which is already a good thing!
 
I think the main question revolves around this: once life is given to us, what is the best way to not waste it and to make the most of it?
 
Now there are two ways to consider life: in a "historical" sense at a personal level, life is a long project that spans from the cradle to the grave. It is made up of projects, each finding their fulfilment, with stages that are harmoniously arranged: school, high school, studies, marriage, job, retirement, and so on. But ultimately, this looks like everyone's life: everything falls into place in a carefully prearranged future; it has a statistical becoming (what happens to millions of people who have a past, a present - elusive - and a future).

Alternatively, another way to consider life is in an "eventful" manner; this time we are no longer facing a logical and harmonious whole, this long curve of projects and stages that culminate in death. It is the attitude of the Stranger (Camus): one thing happens, and then another; there is no longer a logical link between them, no historical depth. However, what is lost in depth is gained in the capacity for "wonder," the ability to live in a perpetual present and discover a new world at every moment, like a child. The warmth of the sun, the coolness of the waves, a breath of wind, the sun setting over a landscape – these eventful things and "accidents" of the historical world then assume extraordinary importance and depth. What you refer to as the onslaught of conveniences, comfort, and pseudo-necessities is, for me, an entanglement in the "historical" world. On the other hand, the ability to dream, to be astonished, to be absorbed in the present moment and savour it, without thinking about tomorrow, or domestic worries, or the money that needs to be set aside to buy the new TV, a washing machine, a car... that is the "eventful" life, rich in its accidents, unforeseen circumstances, and chance encounters.

You sense this conflict within you, how to reconcile the two paths, for one cannot constantly live in ecstasy: one needs be a realist and eat (bank accounts, taxes, social security, employment, all the social safeguards). While at the same time, one must not let oneself be entirely submerged by the system: one must try to preserve a sense of self, moments where the present is denser, richer in life, privileged instances that cannot be accounted for or recuperated by the system. The conflict is constantly present, and one must remain as conscious as possible. That is how I see things, in a somewhat schematic manner.

[Tellington]

Intéressant ! Cela m'a rappelé certaines réflexions de L'Insoutenable légèreté de l'être de Kundera, bien que je l'aie pas relu depuis bien longtemps.

Est-ce que tu peux nous en dire plus sur le contexte ? Est-ce une vraie lettre, une partie d'un roman épistolaire, un fragment isolé ?

Aussi : attends-tu un type de retour en particulier ?

[Michael Sherwood]

Hello Tellington,

Merci d'être passé par ici.
C'est un extrait d'une vrai lettre, dont l'original est en français.
Une amie m'a confié récemment les lettres que je lui avais écrite à l'époque, (il y a au moins 40 ans) pour que je les scanne.
Vu la nature confidentielle, je préfère écrire en anglais  !
Ces lettres décrivaient ou racontaient ma première installation en Tanzanie, mais de temps en temps il m'arrivait de jouer les intellectuels, comme ici.
Ensuite libre à moi de les utiliser comme je voudrais : écrire un roman classique, ou carnet de voyage ou même rien : juste se replonger dans les souvenirs, l'atmosphère de l'époque.
J'ai la chance de disposer aussi des lettres écrites à mes parents, que ma mère avait conservées. Donc matériau assez abondant.
Je me suis inspiré d'une de celles-ci pour écrire le texte : https://monde-ecriture.com/forum/index.php?topic=42435.0
(Texte qui n'a eu qu'une lectrice  , donc j'en resterai sans doute là et me tournerai vers d'autres sujets...)

Comme pour ce que j'écris en français, les remarques sont toujours utiles pour m'améliorer, et puis c'est toujours intéressant d'échanger  !