Monday, October 02, 2006
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
Vis a' Vis
In my first year of college, I was challenged by a certain English professor to take off my blinders. To see the world through as little filters as possible. At that time, I was made aware for the first time in my life, I was viewing Reality through filters. The histories, the religion, the ethics, the psychology, all inherited and all acting as filters.
Being stubborn, I clung to my inherited worldview. I was going to have to learn the hardway.
And sure enough, not till I reached my late thirties, did I have enough catastrophic experiences to shake me out of my preferred perception. Through experience, I learned that my way was one way of viewing the world, and was tenuous, shaky and in some facets, downright fairy tale and ephemeral in nature. I experienced the reality of day to day suffering that many on the planet have grown accustomed to and have learned to take for granted, as gratis.
I think of the violent and brutal exposure to the realities of day to day life taught me to be first, compassionate, then tolerant, then more spiritual and less religious, and finally a little wiser, a little more courageous, and far more temperate.
I had to learn the hardway. By experience. Perhaps you can learn from my example prudentially. Be kind to others. Know that people around you are suffering. Show them compassion daily. Don't argue religion, this is what wars are made of. Same with politics. Your way is not the only way of doing things. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained by other people from all walks of life. People, if not well read, then by and large are well experienced. We all have made mistakes. Be kind to yourself. Learn to forgive yourself! Give yourself a break! As a wise philosopher once said, 'we live forwards, but learn backwards'. We all are constanstly thrust into a future we do not remember, so we should at least remember the past and learn from it! This sounds arcane, but I've found it to be true to seek 'the harmonious balance of opposites.' What this means is, much of life is merciful and severe. You are taking the middle path by being moderate in your thought, desire and action. Be mild with others in your speech and in your actions toward them. Be humble with self confidence. Treat others with dignity, and expect the same for yourself. We are all in the same boat in that man poses endless need and endless danger. Desires are the neverending hallmarks of our hearts and we can be so dangerous in obtaining them!
Finally, to date, I would say the saying we've all heard a million times before is worth repeating here one more time.
The best things in life are free.
Sunsets, sunrises, waxing and waning moons, orion belt stars, milky ways, summer breezes and winter winds, the chirping of crickets, all this wealth continually surrounding us deserves our reverence and thankfulness, so that it will not all be taken for granted!
Peace!
In my first year of college, I was challenged by a certain English professor to take off my blinders. To see the world through as little filters as possible. At that time, I was made aware for the first time in my life, I was viewing Reality through filters. The histories, the religion, the ethics, the psychology, all inherited and all acting as filters.
Being stubborn, I clung to my inherited worldview. I was going to have to learn the hardway.
And sure enough, not till I reached my late thirties, did I have enough catastrophic experiences to shake me out of my preferred perception. Through experience, I learned that my way was one way of viewing the world, and was tenuous, shaky and in some facets, downright fairy tale and ephemeral in nature. I experienced the reality of day to day suffering that many on the planet have grown accustomed to and have learned to take for granted, as gratis.
I think of the violent and brutal exposure to the realities of day to day life taught me to be first, compassionate, then tolerant, then more spiritual and less religious, and finally a little wiser, a little more courageous, and far more temperate.
I had to learn the hardway. By experience. Perhaps you can learn from my example prudentially. Be kind to others. Know that people around you are suffering. Show them compassion daily. Don't argue religion, this is what wars are made of. Same with politics. Your way is not the only way of doing things. There is a wealth of knowledge to be gained by other people from all walks of life. People, if not well read, then by and large are well experienced. We all have made mistakes. Be kind to yourself. Learn to forgive yourself! Give yourself a break! As a wise philosopher once said, 'we live forwards, but learn backwards'. We all are constanstly thrust into a future we do not remember, so we should at least remember the past and learn from it! This sounds arcane, but I've found it to be true to seek 'the harmonious balance of opposites.' What this means is, much of life is merciful and severe. You are taking the middle path by being moderate in your thought, desire and action. Be mild with others in your speech and in your actions toward them. Be humble with self confidence. Treat others with dignity, and expect the same for yourself. We are all in the same boat in that man poses endless need and endless danger. Desires are the neverending hallmarks of our hearts and we can be so dangerous in obtaining them!
Finally, to date, I would say the saying we've all heard a million times before is worth repeating here one more time.
The best things in life are free.
Sunsets, sunrises, waxing and waning moons, orion belt stars, milky ways, summer breezes and winter winds, the chirping of crickets, all this wealth continually surrounding us deserves our reverence and thankfulness, so that it will not all be taken for granted!
Peace!
Sunday, September 24, 2006
These are the times
The Sun has moved to the south
And the breezes are now winds
The Moon takes it's place in the sky
and the Stars move in their paths through the night.
These are the times
When I am separated from you
my mother, my father,
but now I am Father who has his son.
From six to three, my new family,
Husband Mother Son
The primal three who honor you in our Peace
Who remember you in the blood of our veins.
Over the piano your picture hangs
but most, your image is completed in our hearts
How could I ever forget your face?
Your loving arms, your kind advices?
I see the echos of mannerisms, of words
spoke from the fathers heart, the son's soul,
repeats your actions to me in time.
Is there any difference from son to father?
What you began continues in me and in him
and will continue on from this generation to the next
the same actions, stories, myths and truths
transmitted by voices over the times
And I then will be grandfather, one in the great chain
I will look to my son and see the man you see now in me
And I will say 'it is good' and most, will know it's good
And the memory will continue on in it's Peace.
The Sun has moved to the south
And the breezes are now winds
The Moon takes it's place in the sky
and the Stars move in their paths through the night.
These are the times
When I am separated from you
my mother, my father,
but now I am Father who has his son.
From six to three, my new family,
Husband Mother Son
The primal three who honor you in our Peace
Who remember you in the blood of our veins.
Over the piano your picture hangs
but most, your image is completed in our hearts
How could I ever forget your face?
Your loving arms, your kind advices?
I see the echos of mannerisms, of words
spoke from the fathers heart, the son's soul,
repeats your actions to me in time.
Is there any difference from son to father?
What you began continues in me and in him
and will continue on from this generation to the next
the same actions, stories, myths and truths
transmitted by voices over the times
And I then will be grandfather, one in the great chain
I will look to my son and see the man you see now in me
And I will say 'it is good' and most, will know it's good
And the memory will continue on in it's Peace.
Friday, September 22, 2006
This is my song, baby
And I'm gonna sing it out loud
maybe off tune from time to time
and I may let you join in with your harmony
you can lip sync or let it ring
the choice is yours
this is my song, baby
i was born to a moonshot
and two shots that rang 'round this little world
jfk and martin luther
you both died before you could teach me
but you each get a verse
or maybe on to a chorus or refrain
this is my song baby
when i wore army jackets in the seventies
and you, my brothers were at the war
fought a long, long, long way away
and you came back all melancholy and messed up
but we went to beech bend and saw the car races
and collected the empty steel beercans 'neath the bleachers
this is my song baby,
your mother fed me dinner and gave me hugs and advice
and we built our skateboards and fixed up our bikes
and played our older brothers' records on Realistic stereos
black sabbath, yes, jeff beck and the rolling stones
were our soundtrack as we crashed in the streets and bummed our knees
this is my song, baby,
and you can sing your own
and mine may harmonize with yours
where our parents were shared
and our families were one
this is my song, baby,
I went to Florida and Cave In Rock and California
and I camped in the cool Wisconsin Fall weather
all the airstreams had their lamplights out in the night
and we ran from camper to camper cause we were all One
and in the day, we dove in the cold clear waters
and got free icecreams from your sister at her stand
and then iceskated at the town center rink
this is my song, baby
I saw the New Mexico sky and the Arizona Desert
and that huge meteor crater out in the middle of nowhere
and I drank it all in to my little body and was big with the pleasure
I was on Pacific Coast Highway when the mudslides careered houses
through the cars and we waited in traffic for hours,
me skateboarding serpentine through the opened doors
this is my song, baby
and the tune is still playing
it just goes on and on
sometimes a happy melody
sometimes the saddest refrain,
and i'll keep singing it 'till the day i die.
And I'm gonna sing it out loud
maybe off tune from time to time
and I may let you join in with your harmony
you can lip sync or let it ring
the choice is yours
this is my song, baby
i was born to a moonshot
and two shots that rang 'round this little world
jfk and martin luther
you both died before you could teach me
but you each get a verse
or maybe on to a chorus or refrain
this is my song baby
when i wore army jackets in the seventies
and you, my brothers were at the war
fought a long, long, long way away
and you came back all melancholy and messed up
but we went to beech bend and saw the car races
and collected the empty steel beercans 'neath the bleachers
this is my song baby,
your mother fed me dinner and gave me hugs and advice
and we built our skateboards and fixed up our bikes
and played our older brothers' records on Realistic stereos
black sabbath, yes, jeff beck and the rolling stones
were our soundtrack as we crashed in the streets and bummed our knees
this is my song, baby,
and you can sing your own
and mine may harmonize with yours
where our parents were shared
and our families were one
this is my song, baby,
I went to Florida and Cave In Rock and California
and I camped in the cool Wisconsin Fall weather
all the airstreams had their lamplights out in the night
and we ran from camper to camper cause we were all One
and in the day, we dove in the cold clear waters
and got free icecreams from your sister at her stand
and then iceskated at the town center rink
this is my song, baby
I saw the New Mexico sky and the Arizona Desert
and that huge meteor crater out in the middle of nowhere
and I drank it all in to my little body and was big with the pleasure
I was on Pacific Coast Highway when the mudslides careered houses
through the cars and we waited in traffic for hours,
me skateboarding serpentine through the opened doors
this is my song, baby
and the tune is still playing
it just goes on and on
sometimes a happy melody
sometimes the saddest refrain,
and i'll keep singing it 'till the day i die.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The Great Divide
In his little book 'The Undiscovered Self', C.G. Jung describes the problem of science vs. religion. For modern man, science has become the preferred language of experience. Every thing must be measured by length, mass, charge and time to be useful, and what falls outside these categories becomes irrational and superfluous. The Church on the other hand simply asks men to have more Faith when confronted with such questions as 'why is there so much evil in the world'? Or 'why is there seemingly no justice?' or 'why do the evil prosper while the good suffer?'
So on one side is the cold sterilization of the scientific method and on the other the hot demand of 'you must have more Faith!'
To me, the Reality that science and religion are describing is the same entity, it's just explained in different terms. Science deals in empirical conditional truths while religion deals in solid mythical truths. And mythical in the sense that the Bible, in spite of the fact it is not scientifically verifiable in many ways, still contains a wealth of spiritual truths.
These truths, these scientific and religious truths stand alone and are equally valid, and even share some characteristic at least in the fact that both camps have truths that are universal.
On the one hand, the theory of gravity is universal in it's simplicity and application to all material objects, as 'thou shalt not kill' is universal on the spiritual side of things in that the dignity in humanity is to be revered and held sacred for all mortal souls.
Some evangelical Christians have a problem when one applies the word 'mythical' to the Christian experience. But it is only mythical in the sense that Jesus currently cannot be measured by length, mass, charge or time. 'Blessed is he who believes, yet has not seen', He said.
When Jesus came to earth, born of a humble birth, raised in humble surroundings in the country, He did not couch his teachings in greek rationalist terms. He spoke in simple parables, largely for the audience He was confronting. This my friend, is the language of Myth, although it be a Living Myth!
Einstein, in his turn, I think raised a few empiricist eyebrows when he declared that imagination is more important than intelligence.
So what makes a teacher great, whether scientific or spiritual, is the fact he can step outside the normal mode of communication for his field of expertise, spirituality in Christ's case, scientism in Einstein's case, and speak scientifically, though spiritual, and speak spiritually, though scientific!
Science, to me is a function of the state, where it serves to improve the lives of millions materially of people. Jesus, when He said 'Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's', gave the State and all of it's sciences, props.
It would do science some good to have more of it's outspoken teachers who would appreciate the spiritual more in the human experience.
But for now, there is still the great divide, the great schism of our time, in my humble opinion.
In his little book 'The Undiscovered Self', C.G. Jung describes the problem of science vs. religion. For modern man, science has become the preferred language of experience. Every thing must be measured by length, mass, charge and time to be useful, and what falls outside these categories becomes irrational and superfluous. The Church on the other hand simply asks men to have more Faith when confronted with such questions as 'why is there so much evil in the world'? Or 'why is there seemingly no justice?' or 'why do the evil prosper while the good suffer?'
So on one side is the cold sterilization of the scientific method and on the other the hot demand of 'you must have more Faith!'
To me, the Reality that science and religion are describing is the same entity, it's just explained in different terms. Science deals in empirical conditional truths while religion deals in solid mythical truths. And mythical in the sense that the Bible, in spite of the fact it is not scientifically verifiable in many ways, still contains a wealth of spiritual truths.
These truths, these scientific and religious truths stand alone and are equally valid, and even share some characteristic at least in the fact that both camps have truths that are universal.
On the one hand, the theory of gravity is universal in it's simplicity and application to all material objects, as 'thou shalt not kill' is universal on the spiritual side of things in that the dignity in humanity is to be revered and held sacred for all mortal souls.
Some evangelical Christians have a problem when one applies the word 'mythical' to the Christian experience. But it is only mythical in the sense that Jesus currently cannot be measured by length, mass, charge or time. 'Blessed is he who believes, yet has not seen', He said.
When Jesus came to earth, born of a humble birth, raised in humble surroundings in the country, He did not couch his teachings in greek rationalist terms. He spoke in simple parables, largely for the audience He was confronting. This my friend, is the language of Myth, although it be a Living Myth!
Einstein, in his turn, I think raised a few empiricist eyebrows when he declared that imagination is more important than intelligence.
So what makes a teacher great, whether scientific or spiritual, is the fact he can step outside the normal mode of communication for his field of expertise, spirituality in Christ's case, scientism in Einstein's case, and speak scientifically, though spiritual, and speak spiritually, though scientific!
Science, to me is a function of the state, where it serves to improve the lives of millions materially of people. Jesus, when He said 'Render unto Caesar what is Caesar's', gave the State and all of it's sciences, props.
It would do science some good to have more of it's outspoken teachers who would appreciate the spiritual more in the human experience.
But for now, there is still the great divide, the great schism of our time, in my humble opinion.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Van Morrison
'The Lion This Time'
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
He’s trying to break out of the frame
The lion this time
He hears that same old sad refrain
But they can’t hold him with no chain
And they just can’t denounce his claim
The lion again
And he’s trying to get free
He knows that something’s bothering me
That I’m not too blind to see
The lion again
Oh, the love that’s in his soul
Is trying to get out you know
If only you could hear it roar
The lion again this time
They couldn’t take away his throne
He knows that he must stand alone
If need be, have a heart of stone
The lion again
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s in a rage
The lion again
And he’s trying to get free
And he knows that something’s bothering me
Oh, but I’m not too blind to see
The lion this time
The longing that’s in his soul
Is trying to get out you know
Only you could hear it roar
For the lion this time
They couldn’t take away his throne
He knows that he must stand alone
If need be have a heart of stone
The lion again
The lion again this time
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s in a rage
The lion this time
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s not the same
The lion again
The lion this time,
the lion this time
The lion this time,
the lion this timeThe lion this time, the lion this timeThe lion this time, the lion this timeThe lion this time
'The Lion This Time'
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
He’s trying to break out of the frame
The lion this time
He hears that same old sad refrain
But they can’t hold him with no chain
And they just can’t denounce his claim
The lion again
And he’s trying to get free
He knows that something’s bothering me
That I’m not too blind to see
The lion again
Oh, the love that’s in his soul
Is trying to get out you know
If only you could hear it roar
The lion again this time
They couldn’t take away his throne
He knows that he must stand alone
If need be, have a heart of stone
The lion again
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s in a rage
The lion again
And he’s trying to get free
And he knows that something’s bothering me
Oh, but I’m not too blind to see
The lion this time
The longing that’s in his soul
Is trying to get out you know
Only you could hear it roar
For the lion this time
They couldn’t take away his throne
He knows that he must stand alone
If need be have a heart of stone
The lion again
The lion again this time
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s in a rage
The lion this time
The lion this time again
He’s in the circus in a cage
No wonder that he’s not the same
The lion again
The lion this time,
the lion this time
The lion this time,
the lion this timeThe lion this time, the lion this timeThe lion this time, the lion this timeThe lion this time
You have to fail.
And that, miserably.
You have to take on some responsibility that at the outset seems easy enough, but then have an addition of a couple of more seemingly light duties to the picture. Then you have to attempt to prioritize, decide what needs to be done in what order. And do this completely wrong. You have to move on to desperation, knowing there is no end in sight, and that you have gotten involved in something unsavory you wish you could, but cannot, get out of. And then you have to fail. Gloriously, personally, socially, intellectually, emotionally, having given it your all, you have to become completely destroyed.
What is left when you come out the other side friend, is what you're made of and what endures!
And that, miserably.
You have to take on some responsibility that at the outset seems easy enough, but then have an addition of a couple of more seemingly light duties to the picture. Then you have to attempt to prioritize, decide what needs to be done in what order. And do this completely wrong. You have to move on to desperation, knowing there is no end in sight, and that you have gotten involved in something unsavory you wish you could, but cannot, get out of. And then you have to fail. Gloriously, personally, socially, intellectually, emotionally, having given it your all, you have to become completely destroyed.
What is left when you come out the other side friend, is what you're made of and what endures!
Changefulness
The second principle of Gothic Beauty according to John Ruskin. And I say we can apply it to Beauty in general. It's modes, according again to Ruskin, are those of monatonous and abrupt characters. The first is epitomized by the waves in the ocean where they are individually unique, but rising, cresting and falling, they look much the same as each other. A slow, gradual change from one wave to the next. The last, abrupt change is epitomized by the standing stone. A flat plain of grasses is interrupted by a vertical stone, rudely imposing itself onto the landscape.
The first sort of change, monotanous, is characteristic of society. Though society is made up of unique individuals, they tend toward a statistical idealized 'person' who is roughly 5'9" tall and who watches television and listens to the radio and drives to work and spends leisure time with the family, where this is the ocean of humanity. Where safety is. People who thrive in the oceanic are those who are constantly concerned about what music other people are listening to, and by god, want to make sure they listen to it too. Or they are concerned about what shows other people are watching, and by god, they will watch them and enjoy them too. 'There is safety in numbers' is the primal slogan of the group. This sort of society will only be upset by natural disasters, political upheavals, disease, terrorism, and so on. Taking into account the group, creeds are the dogma of this mass of humanity. 'We believe in God the Father' rules the spiritual mindset of humanity taken as a whole. The flip, or dark side to living rooted in the group is that socialism, with all of it's bug a bears, is the rational political system for dealing with idealized persons. Economically, the group can have any color vehicle they want, as long as it's black.
Then there is the standing stone mentality. The wave shares water common with the ocean in it's entirety, but it is completely unique in it's volume, it's specific gravity, it rise, crest and fall, it's duration and so on. There is an abrupt break from the crowd. The internet, loaded with the digital music for the entire population, is perfected in the personal playlist of an individual. Accidental features, hair color, eye color, height, build, all are realized in personal style and attitude. 'I yam what I yam' Popeye said. Taken spiritually, this person eschews Dogma for Religion, where the personal unfoldment of the Divine as experienced first hand with little intermediaries is paramount. Martin Luther would be a religious Icon for the Individual, the Personality, the Person experiencing True Personhood. An abrupt break of an individual from the Church.
The trick is that Beauty is the combination of monatonous and abrupt change. You have to know when to subsume yourself to the group, and when to stand up and be counted. Both of these aspects of Change have their place in humanity, and are each beautiful in their own right, in that they both are vital components of Beauty. Happiness is stability in the oceanic, the social, as well as personal expression in the standing stone mentality of the individual.
The second principle of Gothic Beauty according to John Ruskin. And I say we can apply it to Beauty in general. It's modes, according again to Ruskin, are those of monatonous and abrupt characters. The first is epitomized by the waves in the ocean where they are individually unique, but rising, cresting and falling, they look much the same as each other. A slow, gradual change from one wave to the next. The last, abrupt change is epitomized by the standing stone. A flat plain of grasses is interrupted by a vertical stone, rudely imposing itself onto the landscape.
The first sort of change, monotanous, is characteristic of society. Though society is made up of unique individuals, they tend toward a statistical idealized 'person' who is roughly 5'9" tall and who watches television and listens to the radio and drives to work and spends leisure time with the family, where this is the ocean of humanity. Where safety is. People who thrive in the oceanic are those who are constantly concerned about what music other people are listening to, and by god, want to make sure they listen to it too. Or they are concerned about what shows other people are watching, and by god, they will watch them and enjoy them too. 'There is safety in numbers' is the primal slogan of the group. This sort of society will only be upset by natural disasters, political upheavals, disease, terrorism, and so on. Taking into account the group, creeds are the dogma of this mass of humanity. 'We believe in God the Father' rules the spiritual mindset of humanity taken as a whole. The flip, or dark side to living rooted in the group is that socialism, with all of it's bug a bears, is the rational political system for dealing with idealized persons. Economically, the group can have any color vehicle they want, as long as it's black.
Then there is the standing stone mentality. The wave shares water common with the ocean in it's entirety, but it is completely unique in it's volume, it's specific gravity, it rise, crest and fall, it's duration and so on. There is an abrupt break from the crowd. The internet, loaded with the digital music for the entire population, is perfected in the personal playlist of an individual. Accidental features, hair color, eye color, height, build, all are realized in personal style and attitude. 'I yam what I yam' Popeye said. Taken spiritually, this person eschews Dogma for Religion, where the personal unfoldment of the Divine as experienced first hand with little intermediaries is paramount. Martin Luther would be a religious Icon for the Individual, the Personality, the Person experiencing True Personhood. An abrupt break of an individual from the Church.
The trick is that Beauty is the combination of monatonous and abrupt change. You have to know when to subsume yourself to the group, and when to stand up and be counted. Both of these aspects of Change have their place in humanity, and are each beautiful in their own right, in that they both are vital components of Beauty. Happiness is stability in the oceanic, the social, as well as personal expression in the standing stone mentality of the individual.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
It is the early nineteenth century in merry old London. Magic has not seriously been practiced for over two hundred years in England. There are only street magicians with dirty yellow curtains who steal childrens pennies by performing sleights of hand. The Raven King is romantacised and remembered, but only as a shady figure from a shadier past. Enter Mr. Norrell. A slight, modest gentleman who has quietly amassed the largest library of Magic in recent memory and has studied his tomes eight hours a day for the past five years. Mr. Norrell is convinced that Magic, serious practical magic, and not the theoretical kind studied by such groups as the York Society of Magicians, must make a comeback in modern England. For what reason? For one, to help the military in it's efforts against Napolean. But wait, there is another magician waiting in the wings. One named Mr. Jonathan Strange...
It is the early nineteenth century in merry old London. Magic has not seriously been practiced for over two hundred years in England. There are only street magicians with dirty yellow curtains who steal childrens pennies by performing sleights of hand. The Raven King is romantacised and remembered, but only as a shady figure from a shadier past. Enter Mr. Norrell. A slight, modest gentleman who has quietly amassed the largest library of Magic in recent memory and has studied his tomes eight hours a day for the past five years. Mr. Norrell is convinced that Magic, serious practical magic, and not the theoretical kind studied by such groups as the York Society of Magicians, must make a comeback in modern England. For what reason? For one, to help the military in it's efforts against Napolean. But wait, there is another magician waiting in the wings. One named Mr. Jonathan Strange...
