Number 2

According to Wikipedia, the internet’s virtual Tower of Babel (or the internet is a tower of Babel) Helvetica filled the need for, “A neutral typeface that had great clarity, [and] had no intrinsic meaning in its form…” It has become something else – a signifier unto itself. Helvetica is now a clean typeface that makes us feel good. There is even a documentary created to discuss what Helvetica means to people around the world. It is the unifier of people in coffee shops, typing on their laptops, and waiting to see the next indie band.

The Helvetica life then strives to appear clean yet meaningful, like the typeface itself. It holds hope to be part of a unified front of people who value music in parks and inspired, fresh art.

People who believe a zip-up hoodie can be a year-long protection from all weather. Some of these people were once punks, some were hippies, and some were even jocks. It never matters where a journey starts; where they are on the path is … where they are. There is no certain way to live this life and many of the people living it would hate to be lumped together. (They would buy into the part about lack of intrinsic form.)

My point on the path is a detour or possibly a bridge. However, this detour looks more and more like the path every day. While nice weekend breakfast is not an option, there is still indie rock, fair trade coffee, and even low-grade sushi. Ira Glass’ formulaic awkward voice still plays in my iPod once a week and I still read pitchfork for the number at top of the page.

The hoodie is locked safely in mother’s basement and my clothes are all digital. I can’t just call anyone sir and even saying sir shows respect in my world rather than polite disregard. My eyes open at 5am most days and I remember everything from the night before. I can live without the things that I thought were so key to life.

I find myself becoming a sort an eco-friendly Jon the Baptist, proselytizing on the benefits of organic foods and music not heard on the radio. I am probably just waiting for one greater than me who also listens to NPR. Someone whose carbon offset is much less than mine, whose record collection I shouldn’t even touch because they are too vintage and expensive.

Even so, I realize that aesthetics aren’t all there is to life. They just add definition, that is their intrinsic value.