Notes from Above the Ground (Zane Mandell)

I can honestly say that I have thought long and hard about what to say in the post. I personally believe that some questions should be left unanswered. This sense of mystery gives me the peace of mind that some things can simply not be known. Still, every person with a true consciousness will choose to believe what they believe and accept that is all they need to know. This apparent paradox allows man to function, it allows us to act. I in fact subscribe to both of these ideas just like everyone else. There is in fact a choice in this matter, as the narrator shows one can choose simply observe and not act at all. But if you look at the essence of how we function I believe we must act because there is nothing else to do. I find that there is no point in dwelling on doing nothing. The best way I can explain this is my writing right here; I am currently acting. If I subscribed to the idea of observation then you would not know what I think, simple as that.

Therein lies the dilemma I find with a book such as this one; a true Underground
Man does not act. This cannot be credited to his humanity as he does for his desires to fit in with those he despises. Dostoyevsky leaves this major problem untouched. He tries to answer it through his narrator by expressing a sense of rowdiness where the narrator can no longer hold it all in. Sorry, that just does not cut it. A true Underground Man would not say anything, because it is against everything he believes in, at least that is by my perception of this type of person. The true Underground Man goes underground and stays there, watches, stews, but he never returns, it is against his established nature.

If you’re still reading, waiting for answers to the questions at hand, you are sorely mistaken. While I find this hard to explain I will still try. If there is not reason, if there is not a point, then why is it important to ask ‘was it worth reading’? I will submit and say that discussion has value simply because it is acting as opposed to doing nothing. But what will I remember? The most important question of them all, yes? Ha! Thanks for reading, but that will be all. Now, on to whatever comes next…