In an excited rush to discover this new continent, of Ivan Illich's writing, I'm caught up by a desire to stop and write about the implications of what I'm reading or even simply to celebrate what I'm finding! At the same time, I want to devour the writing so I can gain a perspective on it as a whole, or at least as a wide swath. I think its important to do both. There is, if not reason to hurry, reason not to waste time, and get on with communicating and moving ahead; there is also value in a preliminary acquaintance. There is a power to call forth, out of myself and my own thinking, that arises from the first reactions and insights I get from reading a new voice I find compelling. The collision, and an amalgam of intuition and even misunderstanding, may call into being a fresh perspective. There's even a power that arises from chewing on someone else's writing, as a voice, as a way to string together words and to lay out thoughts and emotions, turns of phrase, and ways of speaking; that generates a craving to try it on myself and see where I can take it. This can vary from a specific desire to create an "impression," as when someone does an "impersonation," or as subtle as just wanting to enter into conversation with that newly acquainted voice. If we wait for a more deliberate digestion to occur, all of these opportunities are left behind.
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the innovation of poverty
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In an excited rush to discover this new continent, of Ivan Illich's writing, I'm caught up by a desire to stop and write about the implications of what I'm reading or even simply to celebrate what I'm finding! At the same time, I want to devour the writing so I can gain a perspective on it as a whole, or at least as a wide swath. I think its important to do both. There is, if not reason to hurry, reason not to waste time, and get on with communicating and moving ahead; there is also value in a preliminary acquaintance. There is a power to call forth, out of myself and my own thinking, that arises from the first reactions and insights I get from reading a new voice I find compelling. The collision, and an amalgam of intuition and even misunderstanding, may call into being a fresh perspective. There's even a power that arises from chewing on someone else's writing, as a voice, as a way to string together words and to lay out thoughts and emotions, turns of phrase, and ways of speaking; that generates a craving to try it on myself and see where I can take it. This can vary from a specific desire to create an "impression," as when someone does an "impersonation," or as subtle as just wanting to enter into conversation with that newly acquainted voice. If we wait for a more deliberate digestion to occur, all of these opportunities are left behind.