Unexpected Connectivity

During my freshman year in college, I was sitting at a cafe, Kohlberg Coffee Bar, reading To the Lighthouse. An elderly couple approached my table and sat down. They were just passing by, the older woman was an artist and her husband was accompanying her to see her exhibit at the school’s gallery. They saw that I was reading and asked me what I was studying at school.

"English Literature."

"Do you write at all?"

"Well, I’ve tried before. But every time that I’ve tried, I’ve never been able to put together more than a couple of pages. So I’ve written some vignettes, but I don’t think I’ve ever been able to wrap my head around an entire story."

"Unexpected connectivity."

"What?"

"Yeah. Have you ever listened to Beethoven’s fifth symphony? Well, it is the perfect example of unexpected connectivity. Each movement in the symphony stands on its own, seems different from everything else. But by the end, you’re made to recognize the unexpected connectivity in it all. Keep on writing, and you’ll find unexpected connectivity."

There is something so beautiful about the idea that no matter how one wanders through life, how incongruous the different stages of man may appear, some thread weaves through it all, a running stream through which all of life’s experiences may be reflected, that brings life into one coherent whole.

I tried listening to Beethoven's fifth symphony and finished listening to it none the wiser.