Making sense of reality

Who am I? Really?

I am nobody. Nobody important. Nobody noteworthy. I am not a world leader, a religious icon, and certainly not a celebrity. Nobody is calling me up to ask my opinion on world matters. I am a human being, a member of the species Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

So what should it matter what I think? And why would I feel compelled to share my thoughts with anyone else? Statistically, there will always be a few who agree with anything I might say, others who will vehemently disagree with my ideas— and be willing to call me names to underscore their contempt, and yet others who might ponder a sentence or two before they realize they have little or no interest in what I might have to say and let their eyes drift to other more interesting concepts, perhaps something illustrated.

But (and ‘they’ always caution against starting a sentence with the word “but”) … I repeat, but, because I am human, I have a compulsion to make sense of the reality of the world I see around me. Part of that comprehension comes from describing it aloud, perhaps offering others a chance to compare their understanding with mine. Perhaps I am borderline personality disorder. Perhaps I am perfectly in sync with the mood of my environment — be that my generation or socioeconomic demographic or my nationality.

I find I have a lot to say on a variety of topics, perhaps too much to say at times. But (and there it is again) … but I am a part of an interconnected world. I may be physically constrained to occupy one seat in front of one computer, but I am reaching out across the ethernet to connect with each and every individual who chooses to read these words and share, for a moment, my thoughts. It is an amazing concept.

This is my first formal contribution to Medium (being the message, thank you fellow Canadian Marshall McLuhan for predicting my entry into this brave new world, this global village.) The premise for this contribution is that participation is a necessary component of engaging with reality.

I would say more but I don’t want to burn out too quickly.

Hello. My name is Mark, and I am pleased to meet you, whoever and wherever you are.