What is Prolix?
A gentle introduction to my Substack ft. David Foster Wallace
“There are these two young fish swimming along and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way, who nods at them and says “Morning, boys. How’s the water?” And the two young fish swim on for a bit, and then eventually one of them looks over at the other and goes “What the hell is water?”” 1
Many of you will recognize this anecdote as the opening to David Foster Wallace’s famous 2005 commencement speech. It is very similar to a joke that the media savant Marshall Mcluhan frequently deployed as an illustration. Mcluhan would say something to the effect of “we have no idea who discovered water, but we know it wasn’t the fish.” 2
Fish apparently make for good teachers (they do, after all, travel in schools). The aim of these two jokes is to remind the listeners about the tendency that we have to lose touch with even the most fundamental elements of reality. The environments we immerse ourselves in, the habits we adopt, and the systems we submit to often slip into our blind spots, resulting in a cognitive and existential malaise. While this malaise may not be terminal, its symptoms are felt near ubiquitously. These symptoms are the flattening of our experience of the world and a slow lull into the unexamined life. 3
That’s why I am beginning Prolix. To aid me in refining and recording the instants where I catch a glimpse of “water.” Whether I am traveling on the subway, drumming away at work, or simply reading a book - I am aiming to become attentive to the texture of the present. When a moment grabs me, I make a note and take time to contemplate it later. These pages are meant to be a gentle but relentless examination of those moments.
With such few parameters and loosely defined goals, there is no guarantee how these pages may evolve. It may take some practice before this bricolage brain can transform its scraps of philosophy, spirituality, media ecology, and pop culture fascination into something truly edifying. Yet my instinct is that by resisting the impulse to effortfully steer towards a narrow mission, the possibility of discovering a more beautiful end is preserved. In the spirit of Simone Weil, I am looking to solve some problems “by attention and not by will.” 4 This means surrendering a bit of my tendency to control and instead leave space for surprise and novelty. After all, you cannot control for what you don’t know. You can only prepare yourself to appreciate it. 5
If my interests, rabbit holes, experiences, and musings can bring even a modicum of goodness into your life, I will consider these newsletters worth their while. So here is to hoping that these pages add some texture to your life, expand your curiosity, and help restore that wonderful feeling of awareness.
Sincerely,
Bradley Andrews
P.S. - Oh, and despite the name of the publication, I promise to try and keep the writing succinct without compromising the richness in thought.
Notes:
This is Water by David Foster Wallace
Marshall Mcluhan’s Interview at NY MoMA - @ 7:50
The entire interview, along with all of Mcluhan’s work, is highly recommendable.
“The unexamined life is not worth living…” - Socrates, Plato’s Apology - 38a
Gravity and Grace by Simone Weil
“Be prepared to appreciate what you meet...” ― Dune by Frank Herbert