I like seeing things, so I keep my eyes open (usually). As a consequence, I let signs into my life. Some signs are very helpful, some are not. While I don’t know what makes a “good” sign and what makes an “evil” sign, I do know that all signs— whether a billboard or a street sign— don’t ask my permission before invading my thoughts and forcing information upon me.
Without permission, a sign tells me things about the world— but what if I don’t want it? Why do I need to know the name of every street, bank, pizza shop, or corner store? Why does a sign have permission to make me think (and sometimes do or not do) things?
What would a world without signs be like? Surely there was a time, maybe before writing appeared, where we did not have signs. And who thought of the idea of a sign in the first place? Abstracting qualities of something physical into short written words or visuals that carry big meaning— that’s so profound! Was it nice to not have signs, or were people always yearning for signs but didn’t have the tools to make them?
Currently, these are my thoughts on signs. I’ll add more thoughts if I have them