The Club

Club/Life Who are we; an assemblage of clones; Xeroxed human forms convinced we are seeking individuality yet exploiting its very existence? Are we simply, “Club goers”, attending the “club” of the moment, striving to be a part of the “in” group; a clique, attempting to carbon the look, speech, smell, and thoughts of others? Are we lost in a sea of conformity, adapting to anything familiar to feel whole, to feel righteous and accepted? Or are we just gregarious sheep, with a flocking instinct, that when separated from the group, we become agitated and require the feeling of safety, to avoid lurking predators who may challenge us or our character? Are we searching for the lead sheep to follow down the road, the ‘Road to Conformity’ or worse, over the cliff and to the death of our very own unique originality? NO, we are beautiful, uniquely designed individuals. We are the result of a recipe; a concoction of ingredients blended together to create a masterpiece of epicurious delight. Like a recipe, our ingredients and our process contain both habitual and fortuitous variables, making each and every decision, experience and moment, directly affect the core of who we become both internally and externally. These uncertainties and variables add the very flavour and texture to our souls and lives that make up who we are. The Ingredients to the recipe are drastically important to the end result. The accompaniment of spices alone, provide enormous contributions to the outcome, even though they are generally distributed in such insignificant, small doses, barely apparent to the eye. As the recipe is blended together the sight of the spices disappears entirely into the mix, regardless of its potency, yet the flavour remains. So whether we desire bland, spicy, sweet, sour or tangy, we most likely will not be able to see this with the naked eye. Our taste buds however will receive instantaneous gratification at the very moment of introduction. The minute dosages of spices will leave exaggerated and lasting effects to the outcome, making it unique and hopefully delicious. The particular ingredients and the mediums they have been exposed to, also play huge roles. Take vinegar for instance; determining whether we would use white, cider, malt or balsamic would be key. If it was balsamic, we would need to know whether we would pour it directly from a bottle in its, fluid and potent form or would we reduce it through heat so it becomes thick and sweet. The same ingredient in different states results in immensely different characteristics from the inside, out. The measurements play a vital role; a pinch, a dash or a teaspoon, all make highly exaggerated differences in taste. The abundance of an ingredient or lack thereof can ruin what we perceive as the expected end result. Who’s in the kitchen, a 3 Star Michelin Chef preparing avocado mousse with green pistachio oil and garnished with fleur de sel or is it Grandma, loving hands and warm heart fondly preparing her mother’s age old family recipe of roast beef and mashed potatoes? The temperature and how it is administered plays a drastic role. Are we using intense heat or low and slow, is the lid on or off, is it baked in the oven or charcoal-grilled on the bar-b-q with mesquite cedar chips? Is it sautéed or fried on the stovetop or simply served, cold and raw? The heat or lack thereof changes everything.Regardless of the methods, the resulting culinary dish is directly proportionate to not only the ingredients and form of cooking we use, but the quantities. Each of these elements plays a drastic and vital role in what will be plated and served to tantalize or terrify ones appetite at any given moment. And at the end of the day all we can say is ... Dinner is served, Bon Appettit! And so my story, and the philosophies that I have derived from it begin. We, as humans are full of a variety of ingredients, mediums, measurements, methods and so forth that make us both unique and the same. Within this uniqueness that we so crave, desire and often own we seem to conversely crave to “fit in” and become a part of a group; a “Club” that unifies us and brings us together in a harmonious and understanding manner, thus the “recipe”. The universal understanding of clubs comes decked out in the all knowing perceived costume of; book clubs, tennis clubs, rotary clubs, dance clubs, bike clubs, yacht clubs, even golf clubs. But the clubs in disguise that resonate in all of our lives each and every day are blatantly obvious yet not drafted and defined. These are the clubs of reality, the clubs of experience, the clubs of hard ache, sorrow, joy, bliss, danger, and courage, LIFE. These clubs build the foundation within us to erect relationships with others based on empathy and understanding of shared mutual knowledge and experiences. These clubs hoist us categorically into levels of sameness that ultimately allow us to relate to one another in a truly understood way. The clubs become a vast and endless springboard to deeper relations and understanding. The Club menu adorned in its new attire is decorated and large; lost a parent club, pregnant club, married club, divorced club, singles club, owned a business club, been an addict club, had a daughter club, had a son club, had a sister club, was abused club, lost a job club, went bankrupt club, made a million club, survived cancer club, chronic pain club, attended university club, wrote a dissertation club … I think you get the picture.