What is American Zen?

American Zen is a reconciliation.  The debate over what delineates substance from artifice continues to rage in thought as people strive to define our common era.  American Zen is a practice where vast consumerism is understood through a process of spiritual integrity.  Through the intentional expansion of consciousness, we are able to achieve a heightened state of awareness and overcome the disdain that erupts from our interpretation of environment.  In his book Simulacra and Simulation, Baudrillard explains,

There is no real, there is no imaginary except at a certain distance. What happens when this distance, including that between the real and the imaginary, tends to abolish itself, to be reabsorbed on behalf of the model? Well, from one order of simulacra to another, the tendency is certainly toward the reabsorption of this distance, of this gap that leaves room for an ideal or critical projection.

The distinction between oberver and Other breaks down.  The essence of illusion  dissolves and becomes as concrete as any other phenomenon.   All definition is a clumsy attempt to corral a thing into understanding, but yet succeeds in portraying a glimpse potent enough to initiate interconnectivity.  Whether experiencing the golden satisfaction of paella or the soundscapes of My Dad Vs Yours, each experience lends itself to a new formulation of reality.  One constantly in flux but nevertheless real.

Winston Dufaux moves into the Ionic Spell Collective.  He intends to collaborate with musicians who live there and create spoken word projects.  He must fix his unicycle.  The patch of weeds in front of his house reminds him of childhood.  He senses it but does not bother to tell anyone.  In a virtual environment, the wind is barely active.  He looks at his new surroundings and considers where to hang the paintings.  He picked up some digital art from a friend of his, also virtual.

The first meal Tracy Bayntay prepared for them contained all the elements of the excitement of new love.  She lifted a beef short ribs recipe from the web and as a result of her meticulous attention to detail and her culinary prowess created the best meal Winston ever tasted.  While she cooked, she listened to pet ghost project on her mp3-player-without-a-brand-name.  She made sure to add the additional pop to her dish.  Those familiar with the pop understand how important it is for tasty food.  The aroma from the dish wafted through the air and inspired Winston to work on his next project, his spoken mime performance of "The Great Hug" by Donald Barthelme.  His virtual friend, the painter (who is really me in this reality) showed him a video clip he made for rhetoric class.  It was used for a presentation.

And so the guy standing there explains how a sense of whimsy is inspired through a narrative appeal.  He uses notecards but is too nervous speaking publicly that his presentation is clumsy.  He pushes through by imagining that he is someone else in the audience watching the presentation.  This technique works and he finishes with flourish.  He is glad to inspire Winston.  It isn't often that a virtual fictional character creates something from such a presentation, but Winston does a fine job.