Oh, Definitions.

Being a person fully committed and in love with words, I often find the need to concretely define things limiting and frustrating. This frustration especially occurs when dealing with defining a person. Feminine. Masculine. What are those terms and where did they come from? Who created them? Why should they have anything do with me and how I live my life? No all countries look at this issue of gender in the same light as we, people of the United States of America, do. Many countries recognize multiple types of what we call gender, not just two.

This thought process leads me to concepts of the census, with prescribed options of defining ones self. I like to think I am more complicated than to define myself as an either or, a series of boxes to check off, laid out options of the person I'm suppose to be. Even with these two options (which I realize feminine and masculine are not questions they ask on the census, but its not like male/female is much better), I can only closely relate myself more to one than the other so I'll check Feminine. But, I certainly do not represent all the other people that will check off that characteristic.

To the right is Rene Magritte's painting La Clef des Songes. Below the briefcase Le ciel translates to the sky. L'oiseau translates to the bird. La table translates to the table. L'eponge translates to the sponge. I've recently fallen in love with this artists and I love his play with dreams, common concepts, and definitions. I encourage taking this painting and applying it to everything you see, stretch the common understanding you take for granted. And never, never take anything as a single entity or definition.