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Lasting Power of Intent
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Mar. 3rd, 2007 | 12:12 pm
I was talking on the phone last night to my friend Dennis--this great man I met a few years ago while I was in college. He was talking about a concept, well, more an idea or observation, that he has been obsessed with for a few weeks now. I guess he thought it was like the tape in the The Ring, if he tells me, his burden is lifted.
He tells about how there is a certain beauty in simplicity, in how one note, one word, one action can yield so many results. This, I told him, wasn't exactly news to me--we've been told for years that we need to get back to basics and to free our lives from clutter and complexity. Dennis goes one step farther--saying that it is the intention and purpose behind the simple act that is truly astounding.
Not quite sure what he means, I ask him to clarify. "You play guitar, don't you? Well, that one intentional act of hitting a string results in a simple, singular note. But unless you react, that note continues for some time--and even when it because inaudible, the string still vibrates, right? There you go...now it's not the chaos theory, that crap about a butterfly flapping it's wings in Mexico and a guy in Europe gets a blow job, no. It's about the lasting power of intent."
Okay, so that was as close to verbatim as I could remember, but it's the last sentence that struck me: the lasting power of intent. Does that mean if I mean to do something, as opposed to an accident, that it lasts longer and has more meaning and power? If I were to accidentally set off a nuclear bomb, does that mean less than if I did it on purpose? Does the outcome change? No, the bomb still goes off. Does how the act is viewed change? Perhaps. Does my guilt change? I'm not so sure. One could argue that if I set of the bomb on accident, that it wasn't my fault and I would not be to blame. One could even say that the act itself takes on a different meaning, a tragic meaning, since it was not intended.
And what if it was? Does that mean I am suddenly to blame? I'm not sure---I mean, wouldn't people be ready to blame my religion (or lack thereof?)? How about the current governmental system, or my parents for not seeing the warning signs?
I think Dennis' concept of intent and simplicity struck me, sure. Otherwise I wouldn't have written about it. However, I don't know if we can sit and mull over intent when nothing is being done in the first place.
He tells about how there is a certain beauty in simplicity, in how one note, one word, one action can yield so many results. This, I told him, wasn't exactly news to me--we've been told for years that we need to get back to basics and to free our lives from clutter and complexity. Dennis goes one step farther--saying that it is the intention and purpose behind the simple act that is truly astounding.
Not quite sure what he means, I ask him to clarify. "You play guitar, don't you? Well, that one intentional act of hitting a string results in a simple, singular note. But unless you react, that note continues for some time--and even when it because inaudible, the string still vibrates, right? There you go...now it's not the chaos theory, that crap about a butterfly flapping it's wings in Mexico and a guy in Europe gets a blow job, no. It's about the lasting power of intent."
Okay, so that was as close to verbatim as I could remember, but it's the last sentence that struck me: the lasting power of intent. Does that mean if I mean to do something, as opposed to an accident, that it lasts longer and has more meaning and power? If I were to accidentally set off a nuclear bomb, does that mean less than if I did it on purpose? Does the outcome change? No, the bomb still goes off. Does how the act is viewed change? Perhaps. Does my guilt change? I'm not so sure. One could argue that if I set of the bomb on accident, that it wasn't my fault and I would not be to blame. One could even say that the act itself takes on a different meaning, a tragic meaning, since it was not intended.
And what if it was? Does that mean I am suddenly to blame? I'm not sure---I mean, wouldn't people be ready to blame my religion (or lack thereof?)? How about the current governmental system, or my parents for not seeing the warning signs?
I think Dennis' concept of intent and simplicity struck me, sure. Otherwise I wouldn't have written about it. However, I don't know if we can sit and mull over intent when nothing is being done in the first place.