Rebirth: A ‘Write of Passage’

Serendipity is magical, isn't it? Unfortunately, serendipitous moments are gradually slipping from our lives as we become consumed by rigid schedules and routines. On the bright side, these increasingly rare moments are even more enchanting. 

In just a few days, I’ll begin an online writing class called “Write of Passage.” At first glance, I thought the name was just a clever play on “rite of passage,” an apt title for a course guiding aspiring writers on their journey to publication. However, an encounter in an unassuming book transformed my perception of this class into something more profound.

Tonight, I opened a book I purchased at a dusty used bookstore in London, titled "The Metaphysics of Ping-Pong." What can I say — I’m a sucker for delightfully odd mashups. I’ve always enjoyed a friendly game of ping pong, and questions about existence and reality fascinate me. This book was irresistible.

In the opening pages, author Guido Mina di Sospiro describes his initiation into the world of ping-pong, from “basement king” to a bona fide player. He explores the concept of initiation through the lens of three types identified by 20th-century scholar Mircea Eliade: collective, secret, and vocational rites. As di Sospiro writes:

“The overriding motif of initiation is the death of one’s former self, and it represents a dying of childhood and an awakening to adulthood. Our very life ‘initiates’ with death and rebirth: as we struggle to be delivered from our mother’s uterus, we feel that its contractions are strangling us…but once we’re out, and breathing for the first time, we’re in fact not only alive, but born, though if we had any recollection of our previous state, we should more correctly say reborn.”

Damn. 

This description made me realize I had underestimated the potential of "Write of Passage." Seeing myself as an analytical person dabbling in creative pursuits, I initially viewed it as a chance to polish my skills. But a true rite of passage is more. This class provides the opportunity for my old self — the person who merely writes — to die at the hands of editors and peer reviewers, making way for the birth of a new identity as a Writer with a capital W.

In our digital age of information overload, there is a need for rich storytelling. I hope “Write of Passage” will equip me to craft narratives that connect with readers more deeply. Just as Di Sospiro illuminated the transformative nature of initiation, this course offers the chance to transcend the limitations of my former self and emerge anew as a fully realized writer, one who breathes life into words and stories. 

What a serendipitous discovery within those ping pong metaphysics pages!