Why Did I Write A Man of Silence?

***WARNING: SPOILERS***

I essentially wrote A Man of Silence as a way to describe what daily gratitude looks like in slow living, while also coming (somewhat) to terms with my own divorce.

The idea of a cathedral (which then became a monastery) came to me when I began college. I think I noticed for the first time just how sheltered I had been and this new, fast, hard lifestyle made me vulnerable. I learned that I ached for my time alone and in silence.

Could I live happily without religion? Could I be a moral person without religion? Those were my main concerns throughout college as I was still unclear about how vital secular morality was to my life, even though I had already found Objectivism. I had yet to truly delve deep into the philosophy.

Brother John escapes from his former “normal” life in search of the one he desires—the monastic one. However, he is an atheist. So, the main conflict for me was to show how religious people blindly follow their passions or what religious leaders tell them or the Bible, while the rational, secular Man follows his own mind and his own interests. The picture leads to one that paints the religious as more often “sinful” than the nonreligious.

Though, Brother John is not without his own demons either, since he is searching through his routine and rituals for some ultimate standard of “Truth” and “Beauty,” as a poet might, all while denying his passions entirely. It makes for a man who is oftentimes struggling with himself. Still, I find his behavior less reprehensible than the religious men in the story who have sex with prostitutes, or flagellate themselves just for suffering’s sake, or call upon students to hurt other people for political gain.

Secular morality has to be learned; it is not innate. And I believe that as long as a person is trying to learn something honestly, even when mistakes are made, they are still morally perfect. But those who are living dishonestly and are never truly bettering themselves, such as the other monks presented in this story, well, they are imperfect human beings who will never find peace.

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Views Expressed Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies, or opinions of American Wordsmith, LLC. Please also know that while I consider myself an Objectivist and my work is inspired by Objectivism, it is not nor should it be considered Objectivist since I am not the creator of the philosophy. For more information about Ayn Rand’s philosophy visit: aynrand.org.

On Gratitude and Attention to Detail Using a Writer’s Microscope

I have been highly sensitive to my surroundings since I can remember and this contributes to my writerly perspective. There has always been this kind of narrative voice inside my head, which comes out whenever I focus my eye on something for a while. As a child, car trips often threw me into a state of contemplation all before sleep won over my heavy lids.

Though being sensitive to everything has contributed to my struggles with anxiety, I do believe that most people could benefit from trying on the writer’s perspective on the world from time to time. I truly believe that savoring moments in life comes from being more sensitive to little, everyday things. After all, I consider that “this is it” so you may as well suck all the pleasure you can get from life’s marrow. Go look outside at each uniquely designed snowflake when it snows in winter, breathe in heavily the cool spring’s morning air, caress new buds blossoming in summer, traipse through the crunchy leaves as they fall in autumn.

I like to think of my writing as using a microscope to look at daily life. Everything I do throughout the day is not just “boring chores” or “simple cooking,” rather it’s being surprised by new spider webs to dust away or being gently warmed by the oven baking some potatoes for dinner. Life is so much richer when you open yourself up to it. Become as vulnerable as a poet or, as the metaphor stands, a priest. Learn gratitude through a writer’s perspective of the world and live more slowly.

Ayn Rand taught me to look at the world benevolently with a sense of life that worships Man. In reality, I find that my sentiments look a whole lot like many of the “slow living” and “cottagecore” and “romanticize autumn” videos out there online, only my work does not end with a biblical quote. For I do not believe that a god creates things, you do.

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Views Expressed Disclaimer: The postings on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent the postings, strategies, or opinions of American Wordsmith, LLC. Please also know that while I consider myself an Objectivist and my work is inspired by Objectivism, it is not nor should it be considered Objectivist since I am not the creator of the philosophy. For more information about Ayn Rand’s philosophy visit: aynrand.org.