Possibilities And Necessities

"We admit possibility only when we grant necessity." 

So says Goldberg as he and McCann interrogate Stanley Weber in Harold Pinter's inscrutable-yet-indelible The Birthday Party. Increasingly, I find myself returning to this quote again and again as I go forth in my various activities and ventures. Goldberg says this statement merely to contradict poor Stanley (who, like viewers and readers, struggles to answer the progressively absurd questions Goldberg and McCann bombard him with), but I cannot shake the idea that there is some element of truth to it.

Perhaps the quote's resonance lies in it's applicability to any number of situations in real life. Indeed, the snarker inside me rubbed his devilish little hands with glee the first time I heard it, for I thought it might come in handy when a disagreement arose between me and others and I needed a potent quip to cast doubt on the legitimacy of their position.

"Oh you can't go with me to the 5 hour Philip Glass show because you HAVE to go to the circkle jerk downtown? Well, we admit possibility only when we grant necessity, so I guess if getting beat off by a bunch of strangers is that important to you, go ahead."

See what I mean?

But as I thought about it, I realized, horror of horrors, that it applies just as much to me. I am very much a creature of habit. I always have been, which to be fair, might be because I am autistic. I am not able to exactly quantify how being autistic makes it hard for me to move beyond boundaries I am accustomed to and adopt new hobbies and activities, but I would wager it plays a significant role, sorry as I am to say. I have missed out on countless opportunities because of my significant, in some instances even crippling propensity for the familiar, and every time I did, I justified it on the grounds that it wasn't possible. For a time, I bought such explanations, but eventually they would crumble as I thought them over and realized that if I really wanted, if I really needed to, I could have done whatever I considering doing. Case in point is this blog.

I have flirted with blogging before, but I lacked the discipline (I would have said time but that would irreparably undermine the point and spirit of this post) to carry through with such a project, so I stuck mostly to Tumblr, which is hardly a conducive environment to serious or even just consistent writing. For the majority of my short life, I have focused on school, whether it be in elementary school or UCLA, so everything took a back seat to my education. I am still in college at the moment, but unlike many of my fellow bachelors, I am pursuing a vocational certificate rather than a graduate degree. Thus, I have a lot more time on my hands than I did before, allowing me to spend more time on activities like writing and, hopefully, podcasting. During my undergraduate studies, I was, against all odds, involved with the campus radio station, UCLA Radio, so I found myself not only behind the mic when not playing music that I actually wanted to hear on the airwaves, but also interviewing figures who a couple years ago or even months before I never would have had the opportunity to speak to. It was the apogee of my time at UCLA, and I hope that this blog will not only continue that adventure, but also take it to new heights.

I look forward to writing for you - no, let me be honest, writing for me, because let's face it, deep down, bloggers write for themselves. We do, however, enjoy reader's comments almost as much as we do writing, so I look forward to reading your feedback.

To possibility, dear reader.