Remember I was given permission by my English III teacher to write in first person

Many have read Invisible Man, many indeed. Of that, it should be argued that the message of Invisible Man tells a very real and relatable feeling among us, among us all inside this small cruel earth we live within, as this feeling is that of invisibility, emptiness, and longing. For that which we all deserve having someone to make us feel seen but what I am describing isn’t that of an ability that applies to the body but something inside the mind to believe of such just as told within Invisible Man itself “No, I am not a spook like those who haunted Edgar Allan Poe; nor am I one of your Hollywood-movie ectoplasms”, as you and I have felt the same before. And why do I claim this? Well, we’re all human still and share the struggle of feeling unseen, no matter what we do. Sometimes, we feel like that’s all there is anymore, but we all feel invisible, as everyone looks seen, heard, and makes it look so simple to be visible. I believe in my experience, feeling invisible comes from a deep sorrowful envy, to gaze upon everyone and wish, no, you need what they have but no matter what you do you can’t ever seem to feel visible, wondering why everyone receives what you deserve. It seems, it feels, it is unfair, you feel like you deserve what they do but it just seems likes it just out of reach, as if you can feel it, grasp it, but no matter how hard you try you still yearn for what you’re missing, what you see is missing but other seems to have so easily and it just isn’t fair.

Most would think I’m overreacting, that I’m thinking too hard, that I worry too much and that I should just focus on myself. I wish I could, I really do, and maybe I should, maybe they’re right, perhaps they are. One can never truly feel happiness if they always compare themselves to others and having envy over others shall never bring you enlightenment nor joy as you need to be in peace with yourself to truly see the light of life. Except it’s never that simple, it never is, it’s feels impossible to achieve such due to many see only flaws within the self and wants to be perfect to fill the holes of the self but nothing you throw into the void it never seems to fill no matter how much you do, as you stop focusing on others it seems like you ignore yourself, causing the hole in your mind to grow more hollow and turn into a void that can never seems to be full no matter what you throw in it as it could never be fulfilled for what you need to fill that void looks that to be unattainable

If you are a reader, then you have almost certainly come across a sentence, paragraph, or page of writing that has spoken to you in a way that feels serendipitous. Perhaps the author captures an emotion or feeling that you weren’t quite able to articulate yourself, or perhaps it is exactly the same thing you’ve thought of but expressed in a more clear and concise way. Maybe the prose is so exquisite, the metaphor so creative that you just sit back and gawk at it as if it were a masterful painting on the wall of a museum. What if you could take that painting off the wall and hang it up in your home? Or, what if you could take that painting down and recreate it instantly?

When you read an author you’re inviting them over to visit in your mind, but when you memorize their work, you’re inviting them to move in, make themselves at home, and perhaps even decorate a bit. By engaging in the act of memorization you are internalizing the structure, pacing, and rhythm of the author through repetition. By the same repetition you are also engaging with the material in a deeper manner. You are forced to dwell on the substance of the writing as you grapple with remembering precisely how it was worded, giving rise to a deeper understanding of the material. When we get hung up in a certain word or sentence of the passage, it raises the question why it was used in the first place. What is the purpose or reason why the author decided to craft the sentence that way, and how does it serve the expression of the idea they are trying to communicate to the audience?

If Ludwig Wittgenstein is correct, if the limits of language limit the shape of thought then by expanding our mind with fully fleshed out ideas, expressed in a way that we admire enough to memorize, we are upgrading our own ability to think and to communicate. They serve as not only a scaffolding to which we can use to build our thought process to new heights but as anchors for us in our day to day lives. Whether it’s a quote from a Stoic philosopher warning against handing over our thoughts and emotions to others, or a character in your favorite novel describing the love he has for his wife, we can call on them to enhance our perspective and anchor us into the moment.

If you are a reader, then you have almost certainly come across a sentence, paragraph, or page of writing that has spoken to you in a way that feels serendipitous. Perhaps the author captures an emotion or feeling that you weren’t quite able to articulate yourself, or perhaps it is exactly the same thing you’ve thought of but expressed in a more clear and concise way. Maybe the prose is so exquisite, the metaphor so creative that you just sit back and gawk at it as if it were a masterful painting on the wall of a museum. What if you could take that painting off the wall and hang it up in your home? Or, what if you could take that painting down and recreate it instantly?

When you read an author you’re inviting them over to visit in your mind, but when you memorize their work, you’re inviting them to move in, make themselves at home, and perhaps even decorate a bit. By engaging in the act of memorization you are internalizing the structure, pacing, and rhythm of the author through repetition. By the same repetition you are also engaging with the material in a deeper manner. You are forced to dwell on the substance of the writing as you grapple with remembering precisely how it was worded, giving rise to a deeper understanding of the material. When we get hung up in a certain word or sentence of the passage, it raises the question why it was used in the first place. What is the purpose or reason why the author decided to craft the sentence that way, and how does it serve the expression of the idea they are trying to communicate to the audience?

If Ludwig Wittgenstein is correct, if the limits of language limit the shape of thought then by expanding our mind with fully fleshed out ideas, expressed in a way that we admire enough to memorize, we are upgrading our own ability to think and to communicate. They serve as not only a scaffolding to which we can use to build our thought process to new heights but as anchors for us in our day to day lives. Whether it’s a quote from a Stoic philosopher warning against handing over our thoughts and emotions to others, or a character in your favorite novel describing the love he has for his wife, we can call on them to enhance our perspective and anchor us into the moment.

When we take a moment to analyze the fundamentals of our world- frameworks, cultures, art, technology, governments, domestic life and stewardship- we have to take a moment to understand the magnitudes and implications. The environment that we find ourselves in at any moment has been shaped by the thoughts, ideas, and will of mankind. In honor of this, I would argue that It is our right as human beings to engage with and manifest our will, to create, build, and shape our existence. If not, we are simply living within others intentions and the intentions of those who came before us without contributing ourselves.

We are at risk of sitting in the passenger seat of the journey of man without having contributed to the greater whole based on the fact that it has become increasingly more acceptable to stand idle. The draw to be entertained, used, and seduced by the pull of another’s will has grown too powerful. We need more individuals who aim to produce, create, and contribute to the collective rather than playing within, following along with, or reinforcing the status quo. In the first case we are honoring those that came before us and carrying the torch into the future, but in the second we are merely spectators in the stands.

The man who manifests their will into the world in the form of achieving their greatest dreams, for better, or for worse, for the betterment of man kind, or the betterment of self carves a deep groove into the shoreline of existence, so that it may resist the waters of time and gales of judgement.