Wise King Taken by the Foolish One essay no. 25 Preposterousness and the History of Creativity Dan Plonsey January, 2002 Keywords: Preposterous Preposterousness, History of Creativity (part 2), girls, death: appreciation for, idiocy: appreciation for, misuse of tools Go to: Wise King essays, home page, or one of the Wise King essays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, or Plonsey's "Kingdoms Diptych" home page, or Dan Plonsey home page.

Preposterousness and the History of Creativity

The history of creativity? Creativity begins historically with the misuse of any tool whose use hitherto is confined to two states: right and wrong. Then along comes the misuse, which is no more nor less than use, but in the service of a task not included among those to which the tool is dedicated. By "tool" of course is meant to be included: concepts, words, and methods. Thus, the teaching of "how to" do something is antithetical to the encouragement of creativity, yet it is necessary to know that one is involved in a misuse to know that one is being creative.
-- A. Fishio

What about Preposterousness? That is: acting preposterously, being preposterous, enjoying The Preposterous? Does maturity invalidate preposterousness? Or does it ever encourage it? Is preposterousness a countermeasure to maturity? Are the two at odds, even?

The beauty of being an idiot and knowing it is that you don't mind giving away your trade secrets. You're happy to.

And so I shall.

As a ``how-to'' sort of guide, a list of ``things you could properly do.''

1. When a word that sounds like another word substitutes itself for that other word, accept the substitution and carry on in that direction.
2. When a sixty-something British woman writer's voice is yours for a moment, by all means do write as fast as you physically can at that single charged moment.
3. There is such a thing as "ghosts." But not exactly dressing in white sheets, with or without holes cut for eyes and rounded heads. (But if you do go in that direction, remember that cheap Keds-style tennis shoes - black, blue, or red - visibly poking out from under the sheet while running - are indeed menacing, and do not subtract from the illusion, but rather, reinforce it.
4. Just so, a little bit of the preposterousness certainly reinforces the impression one has of oneself as truly an idiot.
5. You can be ``reckonnned with" at any time, but not so easily reckon with yourself.
6. Girls will love you if you shout their names in public, Marlon Brando-style, especially if you do not know them particularly well, especially if you know them at exactly the level at which you know the receptionist for your psychiatrist or accupunctress, noting in this context, that I employ neither a psychiatrist or accupunctress, though I do employ a receptionist at times, and she is ample.
7. In the final clause in the above sentence, I have employed and even emphasized a phrase which leapt into my head without reference to the reality of my life, not even as an expression of even the most mundane true thought.
8. You will appear a little less threatening than otherwise, albeit a little less attractive, should you opt to be minimally eccentric.
9. Although if you truly are eccentric, then maybe you will enjoy your own death, due to a sort of extra-mild self-deception which whispers in its own voice that you are indeed a genius, however much the rest of the world may deny it.
10. However, I do not want to expire any time soon, though eccentric I be.
11. But when I do, it will be cool; I won't look back with regrets because early on in the dying process I will be reassured that I will see you all again, with absolute certainty. That means that as far as death is concerned, it is less lonely, less betrayed, less betraying of loved ones than is life, for only life has in it that dreaded uncertainty, which is that which evolves into fear, and which we counter by maintaining a certain distance from one another. Thus, death is not only a certainty for us all, death is also a container for the only certainties that there are.
12. And all that (above) will cause the girls to swoon, and to utter swoonery, and to be swooned unto you, that is, they will fall asleep in your presence, or in preference to being in your presence.

-- Dan Plonsey, January, 2002, El Cerrito, California Go to: Wise King essays: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, or Plonsey's "Kingdoms Diptych" home page, or Dan Plonsey home page.