Incomplete

Incomplete. The world's simple sound pierces you like an arrow straight through your veins. It's truth is as blinding as the sun and nearly burns your senses because of it. Incomplete. The notion that there's something missing, something not in its proper place. Incomplete. To be incomplete is to be missing an important part of yourself that you on your own may not even be able to see.

The art piece 'Incomplete Open Cube' by Sol Lewitt is a simple piece that may not be considered special at first glance. It is only just aluminum painted white and formed in such a way that it appears to be a cube, but there are sides to it that are missing when you look closely. It appears to be just a simple optical illusion. However, I feel it can be taken in a variety of ways. I see it as a metaphor for people themselves who are incomplete and vulnerable because of it. After all, no matter which way you look at the piece, it just doesn't look right. It always looks as if there's something missing from the art, something slightly off-balance about the whole thing. This in itself is a metaphor.

Just like the artwork, life is nothing but an endless puzzle of shapes and lines, completely disarrayed but still fitting together to form the picture. When there's a missing piece to your life, it can rip you apart until you're a foundation of misery and despair. You'll just wander about, searching for what's missing, whether it be a person, a motive, or just simply finding yourself. When so much is missing, you can't see the full picture of life anymore. When the picture disappears, the meaning goes with it.

The metaphors and connections that this piece has for me are probably not what the artist originally intended. I believe it was just a creative way of organizing shapes, and there are many variations of this piece throughout various other museums. However, I felt the connection that I did because of what I have seen and witnessed in my lifetime already, and I know what it feels like to have a missing piece in my life as well as seeing the missing pieces in other people's lives. I think it's incredible that one simple piece of artwork can have that much impact on someone for being as unexciting as it may seem.

For all those people who are missing a piece or person in their life, don't worry! There are so many opportunities to get out in the world and find what you've been missing. Let life run it's course and you'll  be able to finish the puzzle in the end. You can't just sit by while time passes outside your window, you have to do something about it if there's something wrong. Don't let yourself be incomplete much longer- don't let yourself be missing something that you yourself can't even see.