Optimum and Tmesis

   Similar to my classmates, our conversation on the "optimum" seems to have left a lasting impression on me over the course of this week. This coupled with our discussion of Barthes and the idea of tmesis made me wonder how strongly the connection between these two ideas could be and what other aspects of life they may affect other than the texts we read.
   The "optimum" is seen as this unreachable idea; something that a person strives to become or strives to withhold. Tmesis, on the other hand, is the act of interjecting meaning into something. Barthes describes it as a tendency to fill in the "gaps", specifically found in text, but could it be that our tendency to fill these "gaps" in books may propel this idea of an "optimum" in society? We are constantly looking for bigger and better improvements in our lives and the ideas of what will make our lives bigger and better stem from tmesis; we tend to fill in the gaps between our current lives and the ones that we want to live. Where would this drive for the best come from were it not imagined by someone? The imagination that we humans use to interject dream and create meaning in our minds is the creation of the optimum and the basis for tmesis; there would be no optimum way of life if we did not imagine greater ways of living. Rather than filling in the "gaps" found in texts like Barthes discusses, we are instead filling in the "gaps" between what we currently have in society and what we would ideally want. The problem with this is that, once we have these "optimums" or feel that they have been reached, there is always the chance that a new one can be created just because our imaginations exist. As Jack described it so well, the optimum seems to constantly be rolling down a steep slope in front of us, and no matter how hard we try or how fast we innovate, the optimum is very rarely met.
   What kind of life does this allow us to lead? Some could say that it leads to a life that promotes growth and passion for innovation and for living as efficiently and profitably as possible, while others would argue that this may lead to a constant feeling of under achievement; there is no feeling of pride or success produced from the accomplishment of goals because the goals for the "optimum" are always heightened as soon as they are met. So then, do we realize the vicious cycle that is the "optimum", or do we somehow separate our imaginations from the "gaps" in society?