Adam Blatner

It seems to me that we have many dharmas, worthy paths, duties. Mainly my paths calls on me to be a loving man to my family. There are many other things to do, such as maintain my health.

Aside from those, though, my dharma or path seems to be primarily to witness to ideas, and people may be influenced as they are ready, or not. I entertain the image of my writings being like an immune cell that manufactures antibodies that may find their usefulness somewhere else in the body. Only some of the antibodies they manufacture will find good use. Thousands of other immune cells are doing likewise. It doesn’t matter whether credit is given: “A shout-out to Immune Cell Charlie 3410! Also 3412, 16, 24, etc.!” Doesn’t happen. They just do their thing.

I really can’t help it. I think and  write. It’s my play, my pleasure. If someone does my work better, more power to him–-or her. This is my mythos. I don’t claim that it would work for anyone else. If it does, fine. If it doesn’t, that’s okay too. I do my thing. The older I get the more the myth seems plausible that I couldn’t do anything else and be happy. Still, I do try to follow my wife’s encouragement to say it more clearly.

The older I get the more I can’t help but buy into the idea that I’m doing my thing, exactly what I should be doing, the only thing that I can realistically do. I can’t stop or I’d feel that I’m—well— not doing what I should be doing!