United To Meet The Challenges Of Tomorrow

→ U • Fall 2000 → United To Meet The Challenges Of Tomorrow

this is the front of the free shirt which is further described below.

Explanation

Donor,

Donor,

Receiver, & AUX

Proofreader Adam*'s Commentary

I like the mystery of a shirt like “United to meet the challenges of tomorrow” because it seems to reveal something of the contingency of meaning. Presumably it had a necessary context and its life beyond the walkathon or whatever sort of fundraiser it may have existed for simply wasn’t considered. It retains something like a genre of meaning in a shell-like form so that we can easily recognize what mode of message it is, yet the necessary alibi fails to appear and this message reveals nothing more. This nothing-more is a void where we may find the wonderment that is the joyful wisdom we should be entertaining after the death of god and collapse of meaning, rather than some attempt to bring anything like a mono-meaning back.

Today’s Mystery

FSA Donor Phil* informed me that he had no idea as to the meaning of or how he obtained this shirt upon donation as we were talking on his front porch. All he knew was that he had the shirt in his possession for an extended period of time, and that he no longer wanted the burden of ownership.

Over time, I have sought the truth to no avail. Who is joining with who? My running hypothesis is that, based upon the design within the spiral of the U, this shirt was commissioned by a civic-minded group in some city somewhere. What challenges are to be addressed? Omnibus ambition is usually a sign of naive civic boosterism. Why exactly was this shirt printed? My thoughts wander through infinite ideas.

Projecting Imagination Unto The Unknown

The mystery of this shirt is probably more interesting than the intended reality. As other dossiers available on the Free Shirt Archive prove, most free shirts are commissioned with obvious and banal intentions. To not know for a change is refreshing considering how often reality is reconfirmed throughout everyday life. Possibility is far more empowering than probability.

Now, I know that projecting imagination unto the unknown is fun, but only within one’s own mind. This website is less boring to read and more effective in fulfilling the mission when analyzing the known. I would be remiss, however, to not mention the sparks of imagination that this and other shirt of unknown provenance inspire.

Do It

The challenges of tomorrow will consist of the unresolved challenges of today and yesterday mixed with some new unforeseeable challenges. There is no better time than right now to deal with the known problems. The past has already been spent not dealing with these issues. Those motivated to do something should feel the obligation to give their utmost effort with the hope that the solutions that they decide to implement do not introduce new and unintended challenges.