Who is Elliott James Griffin?

We are told to remember the idea, not the man, because a man can fail. He can be caught, he can be killed and forgotten, but 400 years later, an idea can still change the world.

The easiest place to begin is here: my name is Elliott James Griffin. Our names seemingly mean so much, but in the end they are so meaningless. My mother almost named me Dennis, Rocky, and a myriad of other names of the time. And what if she had? Would that have changed what metaphorically stands before you? No. A name is simply that, a name—a label, a brand. I carry, as we all do, the patriarchal mark of our histories. It defines me, but it is not me.

In actuality, I am many things. Human. Citizen. Son. Brother. Friend. Lover. Writer. Each of them defines me, but still none of them are me. Deeper than my mere labels, deeper down the rabbit hole of my humanity, there is more than words can handle. I could tell you about the circumstances, events, and choices that have created the man who writes that which you currently read, but in the end I would fail to convey the depths of my existence, and even if I could, you would fail to realize it.

A man far wiser than I once wrote that without order nothing exists, and without chaos nothing evolves. Who is Elliott James Griffin? He is order; he is chaos. I am order; I am chaos. My vessel is the brilliant organization of atoms forming cells, which in turn form organs, which in turn form systems, which in turn form me. Yet within this vessel there exists the greatest of chaos: a mind, irrational and illogical, unbound by the confines of time and space—producing thoughts that race from automatonic instinct to god-consciousness. I, as well as you, am therefore the great paradox. We possess the two governing forces of the universe within ourselves, the yin and yang of all things on two feet (if you’re lucky).

How is this relevant to a description of myself, you may ask. The truth is this isn’t about me at all. Nothing is, and nothing ever will be. It is about you, me, us, all in this together. Humanity, whether you believe in divine intervention or magnificent blunder, is the perfect storm of creation. We encompass every force of higher existence—order and chaos. Yes, we exist, yet we evolve…

I evolve.

Did you see it? I just did.

Yes, I have a name. Yes, words define me. But no one can ever know me, including myself. We are the product of an infinite set of phenomena that shape our perspectives, biases, prejudices, and beliefs. But the beautiful thing is that we are here, together. Who is Elliott James Griffin? He is no one. I am no one. But I believe in you, your gifts, your terrible vices, and everything that no one will ever understand about you.

These pages are not about me. They are about us. About our lives, our world, our feelings.

I exist only because people believe in me and I believe in them. Without you, I would have no reason to carry on. Without each other, there is nothing else.

Read, think, repeat. Who is Elliott James Griffin? He is an idea, nothing more.