Wired

I believe a lot of our lives are spent asleep, and what I’ve been trying to do is hold on to those moments when a little spark cuts through the fog and nudges you.
– Rufus Wainwright

Big guys talk small talk, small guys talk big talk and smart guys know how to talk. If you want to experience the thrill of a small guy (in stature only) walk the walk with no talk, check out the actualization of Philippe Petit’s high-wire dream The Walk. The ultimate suspension of disbelief.

So much of our lives exist in the pursuit of nothingness all dressed up as somethingness. Creativity allows you to transcend the numbing roundabout of chores, expectations, obligations and blah blah emptiness. Wainwright says, “Why be in music, why write songs, if you can’t use them to explore life or an idealized vision of life?” Substitute “music” with writing prose or poetry, plays or screenplays, painting, drawing, sculpting, photographing, performing – experiment with actualization i.e. wake up! 

What does it take? Well ok, you need to suspend a 140’ long high wire 1,350’ high (the height of the observation decks of the world’s tallest buildings in 1974, the Twin Towers) without a safety net and walk it 8 times in windy conditions occasionally shrouded in fog. Don’t forget to lay down on the wire during the stunt and bow to the throngs below. It will take about 45 minutes – not so long after hauling 2 tons of equipment (illegally) to the top that will require approximately 200 visits over 6 months. Even if you slip and accidentally step on a nail and incur a serious injury to your foot a few weeks before, and understand that you will probably be arrested but may get off if you agree to perform a tight rope walk in Central Park for children, you will receive a lifetime pass to joy and fulfillment. What are you waiting for?

As a boy Petit dreamed of dazzling crowds with his performance art. Defying the impossible he never let go of his vision. So forget the big talk. And please don’t resort to please with small talk. I’m not sure how the head and heart got so alienated from each other. Well actually I am. Our culture dictates and celebrates the head but dismisses the knowledge of the heart. Where’s the fire! Where’s the wire? Where’s the passion?

If you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head.
If you talk to him in his language, that goes to his heart.
– Nelson Mandela

So if you want to get your high-wire dream (whatever that may be) off the ground – sync to the beat of your heart. When the fog engulfs your vision give it space to clear. When the wind picks up, hold steady. Engage a team of experts (or unlikely recruits) for wing support and don’t underestimate the value of a wise man’s words. We all see things from a different angle. When the wire sags, stay calm – regain your balance. Be willing to change direction as many times as it takes, even at the last moment. Tackle one step at a time and stay light on your feet. When faced with an insurmountable barrier – improvise.

No, you don’t have to join Cirque de Soleil to string your wire – although that could wake you up – but this extended metaphor on creativity might make more sense if you were already a tightrope artist. Failing that option, treat yourself to a bird’s eye view of Petit’s daring feat across the void between the World Trade Center towers The Walk.

In the fusion of my head and heart I echo Canadian poet Leonard Cohen’s words.

Like a bird on a wire
Like a drunk in a midnight choir
I have tried in my way to be free.

So get wired – wake up to your dream. I hope Cohen will forgive me taking liberties with a line of his song because in the end ­– it’s all up to thee.