Clear Enough?

One of the most important goals in writing, for the screen to science fiction, from a white paper to journaling, is to make your point clear for the reader. Easy to understand. Unambiguous and unmistakable. That is (one of the many) reasons what we love so much about Vonnegut, Hemingway, Morrison and McCarthy. Crisp as a Winesap and clear as a cloudless day in the mountains. Certainly subject matters, but whatever the story and its arc of character development, dramatic conflict and eventual resolution, the requirement for clarity outweighs them all. Am I making myself clear? 

With this in mind, something bothered me yesterday most of the afternoon. It was simply this: Had I made my point? Was my ‘message’ received in the same light in which it was offered? Had I contributed to a positive result? Was it necessary? Was it true? Was it important? Did it prod someone towards the intended action? Did it inspire, motivate or educate? Failing these, was it humorous, did it offer a brief distraction from the workaday stress and overt pressures we all endure on a relentless basis? Was it a message of love, hope, faith, friendship or compassion? Did it tell an interesting or heroic story? Was it compelling and accurate? Did it adequately represent a portion of reality, debunk a myth or dispel a rumor? Was it just the facts or was it wildly embellished with unnecessary rhetorical verbiage gleaned from the thesaurus? Was it the truth?

Or, one could argue, does any of that really matter? If one (looking straight into the mirror) is spending valuable time in this practice, taking the path of introspection and sharing the results of regular analysis in order to present them, share them, for consideration, streaming consciousness warts and all, do specific formatting rules even apply? If I report a headache and spell-check edits it as heartache, am I still whining? Do you really care about (,) or ( ). ? 

I share this with you because yesterday I went to a place that was very uncomfortable. I don’t like to complain, I see no need to echo the obvious and pointing fingers at high-profile celebrities is the last way I want to spend my time. Yes I did it yesterday and paid the emotional price almost immediately afterwards. Not because I felt slimy about publishing gossip or that I may have too casually spit a vulgarity, but because I may have failed to express my thoughts adequately. Important and timely thoughts having to do with the fate of our planet. Did I get my message across? Did you hear what I hear? Will we act before it is too late? My voice here might be as important as my vote. At least it is to me. 

It is difficult for me to accept that we are not up in arms, marching in the streets and united in objection to the fascist corruption taking place in broad daylight in literally our own backyard. Someone is stealing our democracy, it is covered on the evening news and our response is to vilify a 16 year-old girl from Sweden for telling the truth? 

We as a country, the UNITED States, absolutely suck. This president is the King of Corruption. He is aided and abetted by a cabal of complicit criminals, all on the take, and all silent in this sinister plot to destroy our democracy and install a dictatorship in its place. A new puppet government of America where money is the God in which we trust. Judges are appointed, hateful walls built, tariffs raised, children caged, raids increased, journalists murdered, bribes sanctioned, eco-systems burning, wars started, land confiscated, oceans polluted, domestic terrorism ignored, media controlled, jails jammed, coverups launched, guns locked and loaded, women assaulted, education curtailed, gerrymandering increased, gaslighting turbo-charged, white supremacy meet-ups, and brutal treatment of everyone not a cracker conservative and fifty rich. Hunter Biden I will now quote: Fuck you Mr President. 

This has to stop folks. I am looking at you Nancy. Initiate impeachment proceedings TODAY. Step up Jerry. Keep after it Adam. And the rest of us?

MAKE YOUR VOICES HEARD and MAKE THE MESSAGE CLEAR. 

Clear enough?