Writing and Stuff . . .

Self-Expression is Self-Freedom. Collective Expression is . . .

Why do we do this? Merely a living?

What makes people write stuff? Instead of screaming it out loud, writing seems so mild-mannered. Yet some are offended by words on a paper that they have to engage to read. Don’t get me wrong - I love to hate-read -

Steven Beschloss

lookin at you!

Agree or disagree with an author’s perspective, ingesting information for information’s sake is just plain smart. But as much as reading imposes costs upon readers, in time and treasure, writers pay a price as well - in task and turmoil.

---

When I mention that I’m a writer to people that I meet, they’re surprised. Scriptophobia is a real thing that describes the fear of writing. Glossophobia is a close cousin. The fear of public speaking affects more than 75% of people according to surveys. Combined, these fears facilitate functional illiteracy.

Which is foreign to me, as I fear neither. But both have root causes in criticisms of early efforts, for writing or speaking. Which, as a Gen-Xer, I had plenty of. Instead of specific phobias, the Gen-X cohort refused to fear anything. Not because we’re super-human, just because we been through it. All of it.

Shall we even cross the Mageiricophobia bridge? So imagine a Chef that has written a cookbook and is now on tour promoting that book. Giving demo lessons from the recipes within the book to an afternoon audience at the local Sonoma’s. Conquering multiple phobias simultaneously. Feeding the bellies and beliefs of the passionate and the passerby.

Gen-Xers have been adults since we were like seven years old. We were never asked to do something. Actions were expected and results were judged. No nannies to makes snacks, no cookies baked by grandma. We were screwed.

Latchkey Kids
From 1960 to 1980—smack-dab in the middle of Xers’ formative years—the divorce rate more than doubled. There were also more women in the workforce than ever before. With one or both parents trying to clock in their 40 hours of work (at least), many Xers were left to fend for themselves after school. As many as 40% of Gen Xers were latchkey kids. They sported a key on a cord around their necks and let themselves in while their parents finished out the work day. At home and unsupervised, Xers became pros at organizing their own time. They learned to be independent early on—letting themselves in the house after school, microwaving Pop Tarts for dinner, getting their homework done—and no one was hovering over them or giving them a gold star for a job well-done. Naturally, Xers learned to be extremely self-reliant and independent. As they’ve entered adulthood and the working world, they have quietly rebelled against their childhood experience and committed to crafting a different reality for their Gen Edge children. For Xers, time at home with their families is sacred, and to protect their family time, Xers demand work-life balance and workplace efficiency.

My motto in life is “Everyone Can Cook!” which I believe to my core. Especially those people that swear that they cannot or will not. The same is true with public speaking and writing. This country was founded on both. I posit all three. If one seriously thinks about it, cooking was at the forefront of civilization growth. Taverns and Alehouses provided space for all three to thrive, and America grew.

Here is my opening statement almost three years ago as I started my Substack

Why Me?

Probably the most asked question of all time. Twice in my life, I have been in lockdown. Once of my own doing, and the other not. When a person has over eight months to muse on that question, many potential answers surface.

I will explore that question in this space. I will write about the confluence of the elements of life that create culture. I express that confluence with this formula

Life / Food + Music + Art + Craft + History = Culture (L/5e=C)

I believe that each person lives a truth that is unique but also universally shared. Tensions arise when one values their own truth more than that of their neighbor.

I will share my truth here, and my hope is that by doing so, others will come to understand the common nature of our collective existence.

My goal when embarking on this adventure was pretty high-minded. I have lived in so many cultures and been accepted into each one. I didn’t appropriate as much as integrate. I learned that people like to teach. I also realized that people like to teach things that they are experts at. And teachers like enthusiastic students. I have learned at the stoves of so many talented chefs, both professional and home-cook. They are experts. They love to share.

Aside from water, which technically could be lumped in with food, the need to eat is the most basic and common similarity amongst us human beings. The capture and control of fire allowed us to cook our meat. Cooking meat allowed us to spend our days thinking and doing instead of foraging and chewing. It grew our brains. It elevated us from the apes.

I contend that five elements create culture, and they are universal in scope. All human beings have an intimate connection with Food/Music/Art/Craft/History. All cultures have these elements. And now we are being told that we cannot participate and share in another’s culture. That is a bad thing.

I am pushing back against that concept. And I am asking you to join me.

Regular citizens throughout the history of America have done irregular deeds. In the furtherance of freedom. Writing is freedom. Speaking is freedom. Cooking is freedom. Think about the spiritual and physical manifestations of the three.

Human Beings cook, read, and speak. To survive. Not as a disposable choice. So why do so many not like or fear one or all of them? Maybe my friend Valentina the super-smart emotional sleuth knows these intricacies. You should check her out -

In the meantime, I’ll continue to cook, write, and speak. Enjoy yourselves by practicing all three.

I remain,

Ric