Kafka’s Aphorism 109 is something I hold very dear to my heart. I like it the way I first saw it, as a variant translation: “You do not need to leave your room. Remain sitting at your table and listen. Do not even listen, simply wait, be quiet still and solitary. The world will freely offer itself to you to be unmasked, it has no choice, it will roll in ecstasy at your feet”. Somehow, I make an effort to follow Kafka’s words every morning. After sprinting down the stairs and devouring my breakfast, I sit in my car and listen to classical music for the duration of my drive to school. I usually pick Beethoven or Chopin, Rachmaninoff being too complex to absorb at the hour. While it can be difficult not to worry over last night’s calculus homework or rehearse for my upcoming Latin presentation, I am able to do nothing but sit, breathe, and listen.
This is the complete…show more content… Listening to classical music is one outlet I use to support a greater belief I'm urged to reiterate to myself every day: The world is very rough and relentless. However, it is also very breath-takingly beautiful, with so many characteristics to explore and discover that boredom is an unachievable state of mind. The pursuit of knowledge is infinite - there are endless opportunities, but it is not easy; learning is never easy, and I've come to realize that this is the point of it all. The countless hours of investigation and reading are as tedious and tiring as they are for a special reason. You have to literally immerse yourself in the surrounding world and take in as much as possible. But before you embark on that monumental journey - before the world can "freely offer itself to you" - you will need take one deep breath. If you really relish in that final brerath, then you know you love to learn. So before diving in, I sit in my car and
