Uncategorized | thehiddentrunk

In Kazuo Ishiguro’s “The Remains of the Day,” we meet the butler Stevens as he embarks on a road trip to meet a former employee of the formerly grand Darlington Hall. Along the way, we learn that Mr. Stevens’ relationship with the former employee may not be strictly professional…even if it cruelly avoids being personal. We also learn that Stevens may be experiencing a larger crisis of faith: did he misplace his faith in his former employer, Lord Darlington, and, if so, must he reweigh the dignity of his service against all else that he lost?

Stevens’ road trip through England represents Ishiguro’s challenge to the reader to examine their own trip through life, with the attendant successes and failures, joys and pains. What bedevils Stevens, ultimately, is not his misplaced faith in his employer, but, rather, that he abdicated the responsibility to define his life to someone else. It’s humility gone wrong, and it asks the reader to question how he or she may be abdicating that responsibility.

The dizzying pace of technological change and invasion, and our even more rapid integration of it, should give us pause. Our quiet moments are no longer quiet or solitary. We’ve solved the riddle of the long, boring grocery checkout line, but we may be answering the wrong questions. Technology and social media occupy our time, entertain us, even connect us, but is our faith, our time, our energy misplaced? Can we identify real, long-lasting gains to the value of our lives, or are most of us just more distracted?

The solution is not less technology or even less social media, for even if such solutions were possible, their absence still doesn’t require of us to identify and pursue those foundational, truly important aspects of our lives. Who and how will I love? What important work will I pursue? How will I cultivate my talents? Certainly technology and social media can assist us in these endeavors, but only when we live with intention.

Stevens has the remains of his days to define for himself dignity, value, and worth, but Ishiguro leaves unanswered whether Stevens has the capacity to do so. Luckily, Stevens’ mistakes can be a lesson for us all, and maybe, just maybe, we should post and tweet about it.

Welcome to my blog.

I’ve dabbled in social media for years — Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, but I usually walk away unsatisfied or, worse yet, frustrated. Facebook can be a great way to stay connected, but the majority of the user experience seems to be a great big waste of time. After seven years on Facebook, I can’t recall Facebook uniquely adding anything wonderful to my life. I can, however, recall the exact opposite. Twitter is great for links, bite-sized information, and funny posts, but it can’t help you with deeper, more substantive thoughts or conversations. Instagram seems to exist to make everyone feel like a professional photographer…without the talent, skill, or experience.

I’d like to see if blogging can answer what’s missing, at least for me, in the social media world. I’m not looking for “likes” or attention; rather, I want a forum to explore my thoughts in written form, some personal, some not. My academic and professional writing has brought me great joy, and I’ve dreamed about a significant writing project for some time. I recently encountered the quote that “we learn what we practice.” It’s true, and, if I want to exercise my writing chops one day, I need to start stretching those muscles outside an academic or professional setting.

So, what’s in The Hidden Trunk? A little bit of everything. I’m interested in literature, sports, political philosophy, fashion, and travel. Heck, I even build a terrarium now and then. What follows — at surely irregular but hopefully frequent intervals — is my take on anything that moves me. Well, at least that’s the plan. If you like what you read, comment. If you don’t like what you read, comment. I promise, we can still be friends.