Welcome!
Lisa Simpson: “Cheer up, Dad. Did you know the Chinese use the same word for 'crisis' as they do for 'opportunity'?”
Homer Simpson: “Yes! Crisotunity!”
Welcome to the rebirth of ‘Crisotunity”! Lovely it is, to once again bombard the unsuspecting with tirades cobbled together from the occasional coherent thoughts that result from my misfiring synapses. Some of you will remember this column from my failed attempt at co-creating a new Melbourne street press; for some of you those memories will take the form of money-shaped voids in your pockets. Yes, the old print-form ‘Crisotunity’, while fun to write, involved me (and my supporters) getting financially fleeced - actually, I can think of a less wholesome, but similarly alliterate and possibly more accurate verb to replace 'fleeced'. However, thanks to the wondrous series of tubes known as the Internet, you can now be exposed to my dribble without the previous expense, pain, or nights spent weeping in the foetal position (this holds for me, at least).
‘Crisotunity’ (sometimes spelled ‘crisitunity’) is an outlook that can be applied to everyday life. ‘The Simpsons’, as quoted above, simply supplied a new, nerd-friendly name for an old concept - taking whatever is dished out by life and using it as a opportunity to propel yourself forward: to evolve, seize control, and create your own destiny. It is an idea evident in the work of many great thinkers. Schopenhauer (2004), for example, wrote that the afflictions we encounter during life serve a fundamentally positive purpose; “One can even say that we require at all times a certain quantity of care or sorrow or want, as a ship requires ballast, in order to keep on a straight course” (pg 43). Similarly, the concept of crisotunity holds some semantic correlation with Nietzsche’s ‘Will to Power’, and is also representative of the sickeningly sweet adage: ‘If life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!’ (I prefer Henry Rollins’ version: “If life gives you a lemon, say: (growls) Oh yeah, I like lemons; what else ya got?!”) My previous experience with ‘Crisotunity’, and its parent publication, was itself an example of crisotunity in action: The ‘crisis’ surrounding the situation created ‘opportunities’ that forcibly lead me to where I am today (That where I am today is sitting at my computer writing ‘Crisotunity’ is an incongruity not lost on me, smarty-pants).
But enough of crisotunity; back to ‘Crisotunity’. On this page you will find occasional rants (better this than me sitting home alone, yelling at the television), and bits and pieces of poetry and other writing. If history is anything to go by, most entries will be poorly edited at best, and should not be assumed to definitive versions. Take the second sentence of the first paragraph, for example: if shameless, awkwardly extravagant expression (and self-depreciating one-liners) are your kind of thing, then baby we gots ya covered.
So please read. Please return. Please leave comments. But remember that my ego is like a delicate snowflake – don’t stomp too hard.
*Schopenhauer, A (2004) Essays and Aphorisims Penguin, London.
Homer Simpson: “Yes! Crisotunity!”
Welcome to the rebirth of ‘Crisotunity”! Lovely it is, to once again bombard the unsuspecting with tirades cobbled together from the occasional coherent thoughts that result from my misfiring synapses. Some of you will remember this column from my failed attempt at co-creating a new Melbourne street press; for some of you those memories will take the form of money-shaped voids in your pockets. Yes, the old print-form ‘Crisotunity’, while fun to write, involved me (and my supporters) getting financially fleeced - actually, I can think of a less wholesome, but similarly alliterate and possibly more accurate verb to replace 'fleeced'. However, thanks to the wondrous series of tubes known as the Internet, you can now be exposed to my dribble without the previous expense, pain, or nights spent weeping in the foetal position (this holds for me, at least).
‘Crisotunity’ (sometimes spelled ‘crisitunity’) is an outlook that can be applied to everyday life. ‘The Simpsons’, as quoted above, simply supplied a new, nerd-friendly name for an old concept - taking whatever is dished out by life and using it as a opportunity to propel yourself forward: to evolve, seize control, and create your own destiny. It is an idea evident in the work of many great thinkers. Schopenhauer (2004), for example, wrote that the afflictions we encounter during life serve a fundamentally positive purpose; “One can even say that we require at all times a certain quantity of care or sorrow or want, as a ship requires ballast, in order to keep on a straight course” (pg 43). Similarly, the concept of crisotunity holds some semantic correlation with Nietzsche’s ‘Will to Power’, and is also representative of the sickeningly sweet adage: ‘If life gives you a lemon, make lemonade!’ (I prefer Henry Rollins’ version: “If life gives you a lemon, say: (growls) Oh yeah, I like lemons; what else ya got?!”) My previous experience with ‘Crisotunity’, and its parent publication, was itself an example of crisotunity in action: The ‘crisis’ surrounding the situation created ‘opportunities’ that forcibly lead me to where I am today (That where I am today is sitting at my computer writing ‘Crisotunity’ is an incongruity not lost on me, smarty-pants).
But enough of crisotunity; back to ‘Crisotunity’. On this page you will find occasional rants (better this than me sitting home alone, yelling at the television), and bits and pieces of poetry and other writing. If history is anything to go by, most entries will be poorly edited at best, and should not be assumed to definitive versions. Take the second sentence of the first paragraph, for example: if shameless, awkwardly extravagant expression (and self-depreciating one-liners) are your kind of thing, then baby we gots ya covered.
So please read. Please return. Please leave comments. But remember that my ego is like a delicate snowflake – don’t stomp too hard.
*Schopenhauer, A (2004) Essays and Aphorisims Penguin, London.
posted by Mr Crisotunity at 5:23 PM
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