William Saroyan, a man of profound wisdom, once imparted words that resonate with the essence of existence: “Experience life to the fullest. Try to learn to breathe deeply, to really taste food when you eat, and when you sleep, really sleep. Try as much as possible to be wholly alive, with all your might, and when you laugh, laugh like hell and when you get angry, get good and angry. Try to be alive. You will be dead soon enough.”
These words are not just a call to action but a manifesto for living. Saroyan challenges us to engage with life’s full spectrum, to savor every breath, every bite, and every dream. He urges us to embrace our emotions with fervor, to laugh with abandon, and to channel our anger into passion and change.
But Saroyan also acknowledges the paradox of creation: “The making of anything really worth making calls for an isolation. Isolation and necessity for intense concentration over a prolonged period of time make the artist almost anti-social.” Here, he speaks to the artist’s journey, one marked by a ‘majestic loneliness’ that is both necessary and transformative. It is in this solitude that the seeds of creativity take root, away from the cacophony of the world.
This ‘majestic loneliness’ is not a plight but a privilege, a space where the artist can commune with their innermost thoughts and feelings. It is here, in the quietude, that masterpieces are conceived and brought to life.
Saroyan’s words serve as a reminder that to be truly alive, we must be present in every moment, and to create something of lasting value, we must be willing to retreat into the depths of our own minds. It is a delicate balance between living outwardly and reflecting inwardly, between the joy of community and the sanctity of solitude.
In embracing Saroyan’s philosophy, we find a roadmap to a life well-lived and art that speaks to the soul. Let us then breathe, taste, sleep, laugh, and create with all the might of our being, for in doing so, we honor the fleeting nature of our existence and the enduring impact of our creations.
Based on the Armenian-language essay "Երևանը տոն է. Արատտայից Երևան" ("Yerevan Is a Festival: From…
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