People think they’re doing just fine—then BOOM!
Are you completely willing to examine your defensive behavior? Can you take a deep, honest look at how you worry about what people think of you, what you think they think of you, what you think they may think you think of what they think, and so on?
You must be willing to be completely open. You must be willing to overcome mental blocks, even posthumously. You must be willing to take risks, to be unconventional, to achieve greatness. You must be willing to be an entire nation unto yourself. You must even willing to be a Frank-Lloyd-Wright-inspired stained-glass lamp on a lobby table at an exclusive resort on the California coast between Big Sur and—darn it, what’s the name of that town where Hearst Castle Is? Oh yeah—San Simeon, where movie stars check in to escape the unrelenting recognition and gladhanding they craved before they made it big.
Being a parent is a unique experience, much like discovering a free copy of one of those trendy ultra-thin fonts they use in department-store ads. As a designer, I feel it’s important to dress imaginatively, to pretend to drive a station wagon at all times, and, when meeting people at cocktail parties, to read them passages from I'm a Little Tugboat. For when you hear an announcer exclaim “The chase is on!” with the best false enthusiasm money can buy, you can be sure you’ll need a visa to enter the Paramount lot. And yet in many parts of the world it is entirely sunny.
But don’t be so quick to say, “Go figure.” Stop. Pause. Enter a period of inactivity. Have some coffee and realize that caffeine is odorless, tasteless, and swears no allegiances to secret fraternal organizations. Put on a happy face and a Wackenhut security-guard uniform. Put your feet up on a coffee table. Let off some steam. Enter a carpet-cleaning competition. Enjoy your life in a way few people have who have come before you. Put other people’s interests before your own. Revile paste. Engage in deathmatch politics. Admit that the translucent parts of Ikea furniture are usually the cheapest. Embark on a bold, naked journey of discovery through Belgium’s most exclusive neighborhoods, then leave three printed, bound copies of your findings with a shopping-mall Santa in Akron, Ohio. Give tapioca to the next homeless person you meet. Don’t look at gold letters on buildings except letters made of wood, plastic, or other materials, that have been added separately; don’t look at any that have just been painted on, which anyone can do. Don’t use medication to suppress a productive cough (one that brings up mucus), as this is one of the body’s natural ways of keeping your entire family up at night. Wear hose.
