4.13 Strangism

I recently had the revelation that every time in my life that has seemed really worth living and interesting and that made any impression on me has, at the time, seemed really strange to me. And I thought, well, of course it seemed strange. It seemed that way precisely because the times that are interesting and that feel like you are really living are going to be so because they are filled with sights and sounds and feelings and events and situations that are novel to you. So at the time they seem out of the ordinary and strange. Which leads me to the obviously unhealthy conclusion that the degree of strangeness in life is a measure of how well you are doing and an indicator of how to organize your life. Strangism, you might call it. A new religion.

From an email to Steve Clarian
2004.9