I was going to write something exceptional. I was, but plans have changed. Now what I write will be unexceptional.
Taking risks? That was something I used to do when writing, but not anymore. I might end up coloring outside the lines. I might begin to stray from my genre. I might do something unexpected. That won't do --that won't do at all. We have rules for a reason.
I want it all to harken back to an earlier era when everything was just so. I knew where I stood then. It didn't require so much thinking.
Life was easier.
Sure, where I stood was a bit lower than some people, but it was a bit higher than some people, too, so that was nice. I could always count on where I stood. It was safe. I was protected from feeling awkward because I knew my place, and as long as I didn't get uppity or make any mistakes, everything was taken care of for me. I knew what to expect because it never changed. The least I could do in gratitude is follow along with the program.
Exceptionalism is hard --that's why it should be reserved for only a special few, and handed down from generation to generation. There must surely be a genetic component to being exceptional, even if science is slightly frightening. If too many people are exceptional, that might attract the notice of ...you know, outsiders and the lesser folk. They might want to be exceptional, too. And if everyone is exceptional, then no one is exceptional. We couldn't possibly all be exceptional in our own ways, and all have something to contribute in our own ways. That would be chaos.
No, far better to be unexceptional with a single standard for all, set by our betters. Our betters then determine what's best for the rest of us, since we're just simple people who don't know what's good for us. Then, if it all goes down in flames, at least we have the comfort of knowing 1) the ones who can handle being exceptional will land safely because it was already predetermined that they were the ones with the golden parachutes, and 2) we followed the rules, so it was a nice orderly descent to the bottom. Someone else from one of the lesser groups may have had an idea that would have righted us and set our course upward again, but what are the odds of that happening? Derisive snort. We're only a majority of the population when added all together --an unexceptional majority, so we don't count as much.
Oh! Back to writing. I won't be able to use this blog post at all because I seem to have strayed from the point. It was supposed to be about writing. I'm so sorry! I'll delete this and start again, maybe with a template, so I'm not tempted to consider trying anything different. Whatever I write next will be orderly and boring and thoroughly unexceptional --don't worry.
Taking risks? That was something I used to do when writing, but not anymore. I might end up coloring outside the lines. I might begin to stray from my genre. I might do something unexpected. That won't do --that won't do at all. We have rules for a reason.
I want it all to harken back to an earlier era when everything was just so. I knew where I stood then. It didn't require so much thinking.
Life was easier.
Sure, where I stood was a bit lower than some people, but it was a bit higher than some people, too, so that was nice. I could always count on where I stood. It was safe. I was protected from feeling awkward because I knew my place, and as long as I didn't get uppity or make any mistakes, everything was taken care of for me. I knew what to expect because it never changed. The least I could do in gratitude is follow along with the program.
Exceptionalism is hard --that's why it should be reserved for only a special few, and handed down from generation to generation. There must surely be a genetic component to being exceptional, even if science is slightly frightening. If too many people are exceptional, that might attract the notice of ...you know, outsiders and the lesser folk. They might want to be exceptional, too. And if everyone is exceptional, then no one is exceptional. We couldn't possibly all be exceptional in our own ways, and all have something to contribute in our own ways. That would be chaos.
No, far better to be unexceptional with a single standard for all, set by our betters. Our betters then determine what's best for the rest of us, since we're just simple people who don't know what's good for us. Then, if it all goes down in flames, at least we have the comfort of knowing 1) the ones who can handle being exceptional will land safely because it was already predetermined that they were the ones with the golden parachutes, and 2) we followed the rules, so it was a nice orderly descent to the bottom. Someone else from one of the lesser groups may have had an idea that would have righted us and set our course upward again, but what are the odds of that happening? Derisive snort. We're only a majority of the population when added all together --an unexceptional majority, so we don't count as much.
Oh! Back to writing. I won't be able to use this blog post at all because I seem to have strayed from the point. It was supposed to be about writing. I'm so sorry! I'll delete this and start again, maybe with a template, so I'm not tempted to consider trying anything different. Whatever I write next will be orderly and boring and thoroughly unexceptional --don't worry.
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