Selfishness and Poetry -- How Poetry Can Impact Further
Updated: Feb 22
(For more on the subject please read this)
How to Find Value in Content Beyond Self-Expression
Imagine an art gallery filled not with masterpieces that provoke thought and inspire wonder, but with selfies hanged across every wall. It may seem narcissistic, doesn't it? In the ever-expanding realm of content creation, this egocentricity often goes unnoticed, and sometimes even celebrated. However, this obsession with self-expression risks overshadowing the other purpose of art: to connect, to challenge, and to contribute something greater than ourselves.
This isn't a personal grudge againt poets (AKA, those who write poetry, not necessarily live from it). But when personal narratives become the sole focus, devoid of any attempt to bridge the gap between author and audience, their content becomes little more than digital diary entries, lost in the endless scroll countless internet feeds.
Genuine emotion shouldn't be sacrificed. The heart, with its raw intensity, fuels powerful expression. But the heart, untethered by reason, can also be lack foresight. A truly significant impact, lies in harnessing that emotional fire and directing it outwards, illuminating something beyond the author's own reflection in front of a lake.
Take philosophy, for example. Stripped of its elitist aura, it's simply the pursuit of understanding, the relentless questioning of "why?". Anyone with the capacity for thought can be a philosopher, just as anyone with a pulse can write poetry.
But the mark of a truly impactful thinker is not their fluency in jargon, but their ability to translate their internal exploration into insights that resonate with others, offering alternative perspectives, challenging assumptions, and ultimately enriching the collective pool of understanding.
In this age of information overload, standing out from the crowd requires more than just self-exposure. It demands value, something that extends beyond the author's ego and resonates with the diverse audience.
When I visit an art museum, I don't seek to simply recognize objects – that's a given. I would seek art that provokes introspection, that awakens things within me, that leaves me changed in some fundamental way. A certain game revealed to me an emotion that is combined with Japanese culture. That is, in a way, not only art for me, but also something that offers me additional value, thus increasing the overall value, of that something.
Similarly, when I encounter writing, be it poetry, philosophy, or even social media posts, I hope to find a spark... some connection that transcends the mere exchange of information. Otherwise, why would I care as much as I could?
The "sad reality" of content creation is this: in the battle for attention, navel-gazing selfies rarely click, unless you foster yourself a followership of simps. The creators who truly connect, who offer something genuinely valuable to their audience, rise above the digital noise. They carve a space in our minds not by shouting "Look at me!", but by whispering something that resonates within the quiet corners of our own hearts and minds.
Let us move beyond the tyranny of the self, or escape from it, more precisely. Let us use our experiences, our emotions, our unique perspectives not as shields of isolation, but as bridges to connect, to enlighten, to contribute something meaningful to the world around us. Only then, will our content transcend the fleeting click, leaving a lasting impression that echoes far beyond the confines of our own egos.
From Heartfelt to Helpful: A Way of Redefining the Role of the Poet
We've all heard the idolized, pretentious image of the poet (and poetry itself): a solitary person, pouring their heart, crafting verses that capture the essence of human experience. But in a world flooded with content, where every fleeting thought finds an echo on social media, is there still relevance for such self-expression? After all, just about anyone good enough with writing and emotional intelligence can do just that.
It's not that personal narratives are irrelevant. The raw vulnerability of a well-written poem can be a powerful tool, forging connections and triggering the domination of love. But when poems become mere navel-gazing exercises, when verses are self-indulgent echoes of the poet's own ego, they risk becoming lost in the endless scroll of digital noise.
And writing is of course a written form of communication, delivered to other people, if not kept to ourselves. Appealing is key.
The true power of poetry lies in its ability to transcend the individual, and be used as a source of collective power, capable of building powerbases under shared pieces, which is also the overall way culture works. It's in the way words can paint landscapes that resonate across people and communities, in the way metaphors can illuminate hidden truths in insightful ways, in the way rhythm and rhyme can stir emotions we didn't know we possessed. Thus, poetry can be elevated from a basics of narcissistic vanity to a greater force, capable of altruistic contributions for the world.
This is where the poet becomes more than just a reporter of feelings; they become a meditator, bridging the gap between the inner and external world, offering glimpses of both ways.
Emotions are pawns. They can not only be experienced in an honest way, they can also be depersonalized. Most importantly for this article, they can be directed outwards, be used to create something that resonates with others.
Imagine a poem that doesn't just describe loneliness, but offers solace to those who feel the same. Imagine verses that don't just lament societal ills, but spark conversations and inspire action to handle said ills. This is the true greater potential of poetry in a rapid age of information: an age when we realize the true, diverse functionality of data (poetry included).
And that is also how any content creator can get his relevance beyond the ceilings of anonymity.
Think of philosophers don't just contemplate abstract concepts; they dissect them, question them, and offer new perspectives that can reshape our understanding of the world. Similarly, poets can serve as voices for the complexity of genuine emotion, helping us navigate the complex landscapes of our inner lives, offering words that resonate with the human experience under the growing universal culture formed by the virtual layer of reality.
Let us use our language as a tool, not for selfish power-seeking, but for connection, for understanding of reality, for making the world a little bit more beautiful, one poem at a time. Only then will the poet's voice rise above the digital din, leaving a lasting echo that resonates far beyond the confines of their own words.
