An Awareness of Self

　　To live an aware life, the individual must ‵begin｜with an awareness of self. He ‵must conduct a running examination｜and periodic reexaminations of the self - in language, the medium of farthest reaches, deepest diving, and most complicated windings. The ‵sorting might well begin｜with the ordinary, everyday experience of life. A diary or journal｜enables one to ‵examine｜and evaluate experiences, as well as to come to ‵understand them｜and their significance - or insignificance. Most of us ‵do this examination｜and evaluation in moments of dreaming｜or in that state of mental wandering｜‵just before sleep. There is ‵some｜(even great) advantage, however, in ‵subjecting ourselves to the discipline of written language, in which the ‵vague and the confusing｜and the poorly defined give way to the specific, the ‵firm, and the clearly formulated.

　　For ‵writing｜is discovery. The language that ‵never leaves our head｜is like colorful yarn, which endlessly spins out multicolored threads｜dropping into emptiness, momentarily compacted, entangled, fascinating, and elusive. We have glimpses that seem ‵brilliant｜but quickly fade; we ‵catch sight of images｜that tease us with connections and patterns｜that ‵too-soon flow on;① we ‵hold in momentary view｜a comprehensive arrangement｜(insight) that dissolves rapidly and disappears.

　　Writing｜that is ‵discovery｜forces the capturing, the retrieving, and the bringing into focus｜these stray and random thoughts. ‵Examining them｜we form ideas｜that are as much about the self｜ ‵as about language. Indeed, writing is ‵largely a process of｜choosing among alternatives from the images｜and ‵thoughts of the endless flow, and this ‵choosing｜is the matter of making up one's mind, and this ‵making up one's mind｜becomes in effect｜the making up of one's self. ‵In this way writing｜that is honest and genuine｜and ‵serious｜constitutes the discovery｜of the self.

　　写作--认识自我之捷径

　　人要想明白地活着就必须从了解自己开始，他必须用语言这种影响最大、寓意最深、关系最复杂的媒介对自我进行不断的审视及定期的再审视。这项分析可开始于普通的日常生活。一本日记或记事录可以使人检查和评价自己的经历，也可以去了解它们以及它们的重要性或者不重要性。我们中的大多数是在臆想中或在睡前的思维漫步中进行这项审视和评估。然而，用文字表述的某些好处(或最大的好处)在于可让我们把摸糊的、含混不清的和未能很好地定义的东西变成具体的、明确的和定义清晰的东西。

　　因为写作就是发现。未离开过头脑的语言仿佛彩色的细丝，不断纺出色彩缤纷的纱线，坠入渺渺虚境，只有短暂的聚合，而又纠结不清，令人迷恋却又捉摸不定。我们常体验到辉煌灿烂的灵感，但它总是转瞬即逝；我们常看到令人浮想联翩的影像，而它总是捉弄人般地飞速流逝；①我们也曾短暂地拥有深邃的思想，但它又每每消失得无影无踪。

　　作为发现的写作迫使人去捕获、寻找，并专注于这种零散和随意的想法。通过仔细思索，我们既形成对语言的构想，也形成对自我的见解。的确，写作在很大程度上是从不停流动的影象和思维的多种形式中进行选择的过程，而这种选择就是确定想法。而确定想法实际上也就是确定自我。这样，诚实、真正而严肃的写作就构成了对自我的发现。