Importance of Reflection

In “Writing from the Center” by Scott Russell Sanders, Sanders worked hard to enlighten the reader into the life and trials of being a writer. He believes that a writer has it tough in trying to combine the aspects of human life and finding the much needed time to devote to writing. The ordinary person knows that the real world brings families and housework, bills and chores. This can be a lot to handle when the person is not trying to devote hours a day to writing. Although, many writers prefer to stay isolated, Sanders believes that it is important to stay connected with the real world. He describes how all these extra responsibilities of the real world complicate the mind by comparing the clouded mind to a jar. “The jar is cluttered with frets and desires, with calculations and calendars, with the day’s doings and the night’s fears” (Sanders 166). It is no wonder that a writer feels the need to isolate himself in order to concentrate on his writings. The world is a stressful place and its is hard sometimes to get five minutes alone to reflect on the given day; let alone the hours a writer requires to create masterpieces. Sanders continues by explains that it is the writers’ “…task is to open the jar, or let it be opened, so that a greater reality may come streaming in” (Sanders 66). It is the writers’ job to take the stresses and responsibilities of the real world and combine them into something that allows the real world people to witness their lives.

This is not only true for writers but also for everyone else. If one were to go through life focused on the things that can only cloud up the days, nothing will ever get accomplished. Rather one needs to learn how to take the struggles and hardships and stresses of the daily life and turn it in to a deep understanding of oneself and one’s place in the world. Although Sanders hoped to give readers an understanding of the trials that writers face, he may open up more. He shows how important it is to take time out to reflect and from this careful reflection, writers can create masterpieces and ordinary people can learn things they would not have otherwise.