Simplifier (found at simplifier.neocities.org) stands out to me as an aesthetic and technological exemplar. I am drawn to the vision, and part of me thinks "this is what I should be doing." The "About" page challenges me, seemingly tasks me:
Before developing any other skill, I enjoyed programming. To some extent, I still do; each program is its own universe, built from scratch, and the ability to create these on a whim is fascinating. However, the more time I spent programming, the more I became aware of the fact that software depends on hardware, and hardware is constantly changing. A program is not like a book or a painting; it requires constant upkeep and adaptation to remain in existence.
Simplifier goes on in brilliant fashion, but I leave the rest of his "About" as a footnote[1].
So I feel I must defend myself for my IT ways[2]. And the best way I can do that is to appeal to clutter -- my hatred of it, and my problems with it. To jump to the conclusion a bit, modern, portable computing offers me the potential to have a little bit of the universe that is clean, organized, and filled with things I find beautiful and desirable.
Which is the exact opposite of clearing out my in-laws house, as we are currently doing. My wife's father passed a bit over a year ago, and her mother is now in assisted living. The house has been unoccupied for about a year, which means keeping it insured is about to be more difficult, along with the pure waste of passing utilities and taxes on the property.
I don't really want to say harsh things about loved ones, even if they are honest, so let's just say it was no model of organization, and that my wife comes by her problems with a) setting up organized spaces and b) holding on too many items "just in case" naturally. Clutter, even filth, is not some hypothetical concern for me. It's an urgent problem that wears at my soul.
And while I am good at organizing, I have to fess up to frequently lapsing into untidiness, particularly when I am stressed out or depressed. So I am often part of the problem, and I find it best to carve out spaces where I can organized, try to protect those, and then if they lapse, start back with them and radiate out (hey, it beats despair...)
Case study: clay.
Turning back to "making," more than once I have been intrigued by the idea of harvesting local clay and getting into pottery. Naturally, one of the pieces that most pulled me in that direction was written by Simplifier, in which he presents the key materials of his simplification as
Fiber, Wood, Metal, Clay, Glass.
Adding:
The above materials are inherently simple. They are time-tested, with all five being known since antiquity. Their associated skills are well-documented and contain significant overlap. They are reusable and environmentally benign, being derived directly from natural substances. Their strengths and weaknesses complement each other, and all are mutually compatible. In combination they provide a unified aesthetic, yet are versatile enough to support a wide variety of decorative styles. They are widely available in all parts of the world, and do not rely on complicated or proprietary manufacturing processes.
What's not there to love? Couldn't I move from the only material of these I consistently work with, wood, and take up clay next? Well, I could if I wanted to start filtering out dirt, storing the clay as well as the piles and piles of wood I'd need to fire it... But all of that represents square footage and upkeep time that I won't do consistently enough. Instead, it is better to accept my limitations, even if I see Simplifier as practicing craft in a way that aligns to my values to an extent I see as near-holy.
So it is writing and computing for me -- this very piece was written on my dad's old laptop, which I have set up for Linux (Arch btw, but soon enough I will switch over to antiX as I find it very easy to set up for everything I currently need that way). Woodwork and various repairs that I can do are rare treats that I get to savor when they come up, rather than try to make up new projects to engage with. For example, I cut up a 2x4 pieces to make a rectangle to hold the laptop up so it fits between my couch and end table without flopping over. It now feels like the laptop just belongs there, and I have a new work station.
Will the work I have done today be durable? Define durable. But it's better to have done than the work than not.
[1]Simplifier's About Me, continued:
Initially, this drove me to learn about hardware, so that I could develop a stable platform to build upon; but this too was futile. Components inevitably fail, and there is no guarantee that replacements will be available in the coming years or decades. Essentially, permanent work cannot be achieved on a computer, as the hardware is fundamentally out of the control of the user. No matter what world is created inside of a program, its foundation will always rest on sand.
At this point I left programming entirely, and began searching for other meaningful work to do; but the problem had followed me! No matter what skill I intended to learn, I found that its permanence had been eroded by the chaos of technology. Materials were replaced by brands, techniques replaced by accessories, and craftsmanship replaced by consumerism. Clearly, this was something that needed to be fixed. Clearly, this is what I had to do.
Fundamentally, my work here is about creating a stable foundation of technology that is reliable, understandable, and practical for an individual to build for themselves. As of writing this, I believe I have done this on a conceptual level, but I intend to continue this work to the highest level of technology that I can achieve on my own. I encourage readers to utilize anything here which they find practical for whatever purpose they see fit, and to consider adopting a mindset of simplification in projects of their own.
[2] Another way I could approach this is to reengage my running battle against eternalism, which has been mostly dealing with how its child monism wasted so much of my time -- with hindsight I see that in monism I was seeking a backdoor to the eternal. But I am still compelled aesthetically by Simplifier's vision, and I'm not one to deny that, at least not during my "self-expression" time.
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