PP Behind the Curtain: Wax On Wax Off

This is an excerpt from one of the latest releases by PP Press: Be Like PP

Piecing together bits of information, ideas, and arguments as I do in Life in Eddie's Shadow is just like a puzzle or collage. Like Mr. Miyagi's unorthodox methods, so too can these processes help develop skills that you did not even recognize you were building. The act of compiling information into a larger whole, whether a single blog post or an entire book, develops a broad array of critical thinking skills.

The ability to sort a jumbled mass into a coherent whole is broadly useful. The confidence that comes with seeing the end result is something which you can use as motivation to propel you further along on your particular journey.

As a piece of non-fiction there is less of a pure creative aspect since you are not forced to build an entire world. But then again, if it's political non-fiction you may be attempting to build an entirely new world after all...

Sorting out a tangled mess is a good way to see where the contradictions and weaknesses in ideas lie. When you're attempting to lay everything out you'll ultimately find that you've contradicted yourself. Many see the creation of a book as a narcissistic act, a "look at me!" cry. And for some it certainly is. The more likely an author is to censor based on the fads of the day the more likely they are nothing but needy narcissists. But for those who are attempting to sort out something big the act of creation can be key to completing that process. You just may find that you learn quite a bit along the way.

The end result can never be perfect. There's always new information to be found. If you're discussing recent events then information will begin to grow stale and predictions will be nearing their due dates. The larger the work you attempt to create the more these problems balloon along with the time needed to complete the project. So you must always be balancing between brevity & breadth.

Though, even as the books grow stale they still can provide value. As a self-contained body of information books can act as stepping stones & shortcuts for those that come after or that were simply not paying attention at the time. Few are likely to read through articles & blogs from even mere months ago. But when placed within a larger framework like a book these works can continue on and effect other minds as their authors had hoped they would.

In a world inundated with information those who attempt to mold the cacophony into a symphony are key to achieving freedom for all. There are many people paid by the powerful to do this to further entrench the elite. I'm sorry to say that those who find themselves on the opposing side are unlikely to see much in terms of wages. But try to think of it as getting in on the ground floor of the most ambitious startup ever attempted. The rewards will come. If we succeed.

So don't fail.