the purpose of reality

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I have signed up with the magical Meerkat Press to produce a two volume set entitled The Purpose of Reality: Lunar, a collection of poetry, and Solar, a collection of short stories, both with artworks.

The mellifluous Meerkat published the Love Hurts anthology, where my story Jacinta’s Lovers appeared, and it is a great pleasure to work with them again on The Purpose, which will be edited by the talented and thaumaturgical Tricia Reeks.

What is the purpose of reality? No-one has ever asked me, but quoting myself, a highly unreliable source:

“In Asunción or the Nullarbor, I blame reality.
What use is it? What good did it do him?
He was turned to birds, inside and out.
Reality is worthless.”

Ada disagreed.

“Always writing, writing,
how little you know of living.
The purpose of reality
is to intertwine our dreams.”

Unlike the solitary dreams of sleep, reality is common ground, a place where we share with one another, and intertwine the other kind of dreams: our plans, hopes, and visions for the future. That is its human purpose.

There is a little more about dreams here.

30 thoughts on “the purpose of reality”

    • Thank you, Nikita. I hope it all comes together. I’m sure it will. I have no concerns. Maybe one or two. But they’re very small, trivial. I must practice lying more convincingly. 😸

    • Thank you, Magarisa. It’s taken a while to organise the paperwork etc. It should be … er … fun? I spend most of my time making coffee or drinking it or thinking about drinking it or thinking about making it. 😸

    • Like watching flowers in the rain. I’m very much appreciating my vinyl these days, and getting up to turn the record over, or change it, is probably vaguely healthy.

  4. Congratulations on your publications.

    Reality gives dreams a starting point, something to climb above. A not entirely appropriate example: yesterday afternoon I was feeling drowsy and kept dozing off. I dreamed I was reading a website, just as I was trying to do in reality. The problem was that the dream website was so much more interesting than the real website, I couldn’t completely shake off the dream.

    Reply

    • Thank you. Yes, dreams can be very pleasant, depending on how our minds assemble the memory fragments that make them up. They can be very useful for creativity, and some would say it’s a gift to be able to drift into a liminal state and remember them.

      Salvador Dali used a mechanical method to wake himself up abruptly from sleep so that he could remember his dreams. I wrote something about it a while ago, here: the wheel of dreams.

    • Thank you, Margaret. Yes, you can. Meerkat is based in the US and sells internationally, but I’m afraid I don’t know how at present. Anyway it won’t come out until 2022, so plenty of time to sort that if you are interested.

    • Thank you, Paul. Various events through 2020 made me rethink my priorities, and do something. It has taken months to organise, and there is quite a lot ahead of me in 2021.

      I’ve recently been dealing with the university I used to work at, and where I still hold an unpaid position. It’s an administrative matter, and the comparison has made it very clear that having time for arting and writing is a privilege, and I have no complaints at all.

      Whatever you decide, all the best with it.

  8. Congratulations! That is a great step.
    It’s interesting that in a few last minutes, I read quite a few stories about reality and you mention it again. I mean, the reality which extends way beyond the visible and touchable matter.
    I was also trying to find a better description for my art website and I wanted to include “reality”, but so far, I didn’t come up with anything suitable.
    I’ve started to believe that reality can have as many faces and parameters, as well as definitions as many of us are. While we get what reality in normal sense is and use this term frequently, its meaning is extremely broad and probably not even perceivable using the standard assumptions.
    Wishing you safe, creative, healthy and happy New Year!

    Reply

    • Thank you, Inese. I agree, “reality” can signify many things. Very often it is used to mean the opposite of fantasy, for example, when someone is told they are not realistic.

      And as you imply, there are endless questions, ranging from how our changing assumptions and beliefs affect our perception, through to Plato’s cave, and on to the end of the universe and beyond.

      I wish you luck with your website description. For me, these things are very personal: I am sure you will find what pleases you.

      Wishing you success in your endeavors, and health and happiness in 2021, Steve.

    • Thank you, Sascha. Yes, I was impressed with the way they worked with me when my story appeared in their “Love Hurts” antho.

      Assuming no untoward events like a global apocalypse cause a hiccup or two, the Purpose will eventually appear. Glad you are still finding time to write strong pieces. My WordPressing is fading away to once in a blue moon. All the best for 2021.

    • Maybe your wordpressing will return strong for this year. Thanks for the compliment. 😀

      Let’s hope the world/people hold no surprises for us this year as we’re still getting over last year’s surprise.

      All the best to you! Happy New Year!

    • My pleasure. Friendly surprises would be okay. My wordpressing will be back when the Aurora Borealis and the Aurora Australis meet at the equator, and dragons and pterodactyls soar in the skies. Then I’ll have something to write about. 😸

    • Thank you. It’s a fair way off, I’m hoping early next year, assuming the apocalypse isn’t in full swing by then, which I fear it may be. *sighs*

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