When I was younger– late teens, I used to follow this website which featured a collection of personal essays, works of fiction, think pieces, reviews, and guides to navigating everything under the sun. I would check in regularly, mesmerized by how these diverse writers converged to a singular space to sing into a sort of void, somehow managing to piece together a fragmented world in a way only thoughtful storytelling could. It was a refreshingly human space within a digital world. I remember the coming of age stories of which I could cozy up with in relatable comfort and the stories far removed from my own where I could still participate as an interested observer. I also remember when the site started to change.
At first it was fun. They made interesting additions to the already diverse content they provided. More lists popped up. And I now know the perfect gift according to my zodiac sign and 10 reasons why I should leave my job. It was fun until the change started taking over. The type of content that had originally drawn me in was overtaken by a monotony of listicles. And if you aren’t familiar with the term listicle, it is an article that is presented in list form and what probably makes up the majority of content on the internet right now due to them being easily digestible and often entertaining. But it wasn’t just the lists. Posts became a lot less personal and what once seemed to be a broad spectrum of thoughts, became noticeably more narrow. Eventually I stopped visiting. But out of curiosity, nostalgia, and honestly just a deep need for such a space again, I checked in to see how they were doing, much like an ex lover hoping all is well. But as stories like that often go, the space was unrecognizable.
That’s ok though. One, because after some good ol’ cathartic bitterness, I eventually accepted the change for what it was. Sometimes I have to remind myself that change is natural. It’s to be expected, really. Second, it had been 10 years since I was introduced to that site. In those years, I, myself, had changed so much. I had grown to the point where I no longer expected every space to reflect me and my wants. I’ve learned that I could create exactly what I want to see in the world. And the truth is I’ve had so many experiences since then, that I’m in a position to be one of the voices I sought for 10 years ago and what I’ve been needing now.
So here I am starting Unphased; a space by my design. For now, I would like to use this blog to share stories – personal experiences, essays exploring ideas/topics in real time, and fictional stories because, as the author LLoyd Alexander once said, “Fantasy is hardly an escape from reality. It’s a way of understanding it.”
And I want to open this space for interaction and discussion. Please do share your thoughts on posts, or even share a story of your own. This is an mbongi.
Mbongi: a house without rooms, walls or separators; learning circle. The first time I heard this term was my freshman year of college. One of my Freshmen Seminar professors, Dr. Carr used it to awaken us to the idea of collective knowledge. Formally, this could look like a town hall, a think tank, or an interactive classroom. Informally this could look like telling stories around the campfire. Like when my dad was a kid. He and the other kids of his village would meet around a particular tree at night and trade stories. And although I want this space to grow organically into whatever it is meant to be, I do hope to maintain a similar spirit.
Sincerely,
Cynthia