The Struggles Of Writing From Scratch | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Politics and Activism

The Struggles Of Writing From Scratch

Your blank slate awaits.

13
The Struggles Of Writing From Scratch
Gift of Writing

It all starts here. The blank slate stares back at me. The ideas lie stalemate in my head. "What can I write?" I could do one episode where I discuss how humanity is slowly entering a repetitive state of denial of law, or I could write a list about all the daily struggles I have as a college student. I cannot do either. This blank slate expects more than a series of rambling thoughts and confessions. I can write about what is familiar or I can write about something foreign. Foreign is always the best option for learning. Let's start with Hawaii.

Ahh, yes. The glorious oceans of Hawaii... In Hawaii, there are some people who can navigate the vast ocean by the feel of the currents on their fingertips and the sun's position in the sky. They can travel from island to island without worrying about losing their position on a map or whether they should consult a compass of whether they are heading east or west. I met a man like this who could tell the location of the island by the birds in the sky or the tides in the water. These brilliant navigators understand the complex mathematics of the natural world without using a single calculation. They don't have to face the blank slate in the middle of mathematics class. They don't have to stare at a bunch of numbers, variables, divisions, exponents, logarithms, and roots. They could just work it out without staring at this blank slate.

In college, we read about ancient societies who are built off the backbone of agriculture. They developed large cities with population of thousands, hundred thousands, and eventually millions. They never had to go to school and learn to read and write. Most importantly they have not stared at this blank slate. They didn't have to be thousands of dollars to understand that you can make money off of the product you create. We, now, can create a whole world off the backbone of a blank slate. We divide the ideals of this world from the realities. We give those ideals priority over that which is only temporal. We ultimately define life and its meaning by using a few choice words to describe our theories and hypotheses. We don't just dip our fingers in the water or plant thousands of seeds to learn. We submerge ourselves into that water and plant a giant seed within ourselves. We learn by seeing the world as a blank slate. A blank slate that we fill with words, calculations, chemical equations, theories, and testaments. We enter an inescapable contract with this world. "Fill me," it may say and we must do its will. Now, I filled my slate with the testament of the inescapable contract.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
Entertainment

Disney magic for New Year!

The "Happiest Place on Earth" has a lot of characters with some pretty great advice.

4845
Disney magic kingdom castle on new years
StableDiffusion

Disney movies are well known and very popular in today's world. Although many people appreciate the plot and the storyline, not many people appreciate the wisdom these characters possess. Every Disney movie has unique advice that can be applied to everyday life. Here are 11 Disney quotes to help start your New Year off right:

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

40 Gift Ideas for the Indecisive

It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. But also a time of stressing over the perfect gift.

119174
Christmas gifts around a tree
StableDiffusion

It's officially December. There is less than a month of 2024, and I still feel like yesterday was summer. Now comes the merriest time of the year, the Christmas season.

Everyone has been waiting for this time of year since mid-October (which is way too early, in my opinion) or before. It's a time of love, family, memory-making, and gift-giving. A lot of times when I ask friends and family what they want, I get a lot of "I don't know" or "I don't care."

Keep Reading...Show less
Lifestyle

Bucket List To Live In The Now

Find excitement in your life and start exploring wherever you are right here, right now.

1126
mu bucket list

I was sitting at my cubicle, now that I am an adult, looking at the rain pouring down on the windowsill, bumming on life, wishing for the rain to just stop for a full day.

There are moments where we count down the hours until work is over and how many more days till the weekend, and this many weeks until something exciting. Or something like that? Well, I was bumming because my next day off from work is not until Memorial Day weekend, which is not until the end of May. And since this is my first year out of college being a “real person,” I am totally missing the winter, spring and summer breaks. I am sure all of us have felt this way even if just for a hot minute…

Keep Reading...Show less
Entertainment

11 Ways To Survive Finals As Told By Leslie Knope

Because you know you're going to be stressed out, and Leslie knows exactly how to survive.

809
Everything hurts and I'm dying

So finals are on their way. That's right everybody, finals are about to start.

But hey, don't panic. Start getting your affairs in order and prepare for a week of hell. Here's a few things Leslie Knope wants you to do to make your finals week just a little bit less stressful:

Keep Reading...Show less
Student Life

10 Signs You Go To Kent State

You know you're a true Kent Stater when...

878
Kent State University
Great Value Colleges

If you go to or went to Kent State, then more than likely you have done or will do some of these things.

1. You’ve slipped and fallen on the ice at least once.

The winters at Kent are brutal, and while the heated sidewalks and some great snow boots are always a help, there’s no chance you won’t bust it on the ice at least once in your four plus years at school.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments