the margin

On a piece of paper, the margin is the space between the writing on the sheet and the edge. It is there to allow for extra notes and details to be added, but that is not its only purpose. It's also a space for doodles and idle speculation. It gives the eyes a context within which to work, a break between lines. It is a space that marks and imposes a boundary between work and play, between noise and silence, between something and nothing.

Here, "margin" is my formal way of saying that people are not perfect and can not operate at maximum capacity at all times. Call it breathing space, headroom, margin of error, literary ambiguity, or just plain Slack: the idea can extend to all our works and activities, whether physical, emotional or intellectual, whether corporate, cultural, or personal. This is commonly forgotten in our 24/7, always-on, always-working world, with its drive for greater efficiency and maximized profits, at the expense of time to question just what we are doing, and why.

This blog is dedicated to exploring this concept as deeply as possible, with examples from fiction, ideology, and the real world.