I often struggle to make decisions. Too many options become overwhelming, and I don't like it when doors close. However, I discovered something about five years ago that made decision making much easier:
Oblique Strategies.
Originally released in 1975, Oblique Strategies is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. Each card has a sentence or a few words, or perhaps even only one word. The statement is cryptic, but is intended to serve as a platform. By leaving us to interpret the statements, we are force to think for ourselves.
The fifth edition cards, the most recent retail for about $65, though I found a PDF of the original edition online today. I printed it and glued it to cardstock, which I will cut out tomorrow.
Right before writing this, I had my roommate pick a random number, which chose a card. Then I set a timer for six minutes, which was the time I gave myself to write a poem about that card. The card said, "How Would You Have Done It?," which is resultantly the title of the poem. It is not autobiographical, though some would disagree. Either way, enjoy.
It was never really
an option,
and no one asked
my opinion,
which is obviously why
it went wrong.
I of course foresaw the problems
and circumvented them
entirely.
And let the record show
that I voted
for the other party,
and if anyone asks,
I can tell you how to do it.
But for now,
I'll sit back and complain
about why everything is wrong,
and no one has ever
asked me.
I often struggle to make decisions. Too many options become overwhelming, and I don't like it when doors close. However, I discovered something about five years ago that made decision making much easier:
Oblique Strategies.
Originally released in 1975, Oblique Strategies is a deck of cards created by Brian Eno and Peter Schmidt. Each card has a sentence or a few words, or perhaps even only one word. The statement is cryptic, but is intended to serve as a platform. By leaving us to interpret the statements, we are force to think for ourselves.
The fifth edition cards, the most recent retail for about $65, though I found a PDF of the original edition online today. I printed it and glued it to cardstock, which I will cut out tomorrow.
Right before writing this, I had my roommate pick a random number, which chose a card. Then I set a timer for six minutes, which was the time I gave myself to write a poem about that card. The card said, "How Would You Have Done It?," which is resultantly the title of the poem. It is not autobiographical, though some would disagree. Either way, enjoy.
It was never really
an option,
and no one asked
my opinion,
which is obviously why
it went wrong.
I of course foresaw the problems
and circumvented them
entirely.
And let the record show
that I voted
for the other party,
and if anyone asks,
I can tell you how to do it.
But for now,
I'll sit back and complain
about why everything is wrong,
and no one has ever
asked me.
Oblique Strategery: How Would You Have Done It?
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