Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Tuesday, March 13, 2007
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
The human mind is set up in such a way as to promote an enormous amount of everyday ignorance. Reading the newspaper every morning, for example, just fills up the mind with unimportant details almost in order that you do not remember the important things.
Perhaps this fact is a strong argument for cultural traditions. Unfortunately, many cultural traditions do just about the same thing in regard to the human mind (i.e. taking advantage of its natural predisposition to forget the most important things). Maybe it's a good time to come up with new cultural traditions, taking some of the best parts of the old.
To be aware of natural limitations is important. For nature is the most changeable and changing thing that exists and we can always make a better way.
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Marx was only partially correct in his assertion that "Religion is the
opium of the masses," for it is not only religion but also the way our
imagination uses fantasy and narrative that numbs our thoughts. The
fairytale, by asserting itself as the magnificent false-reality, hides
the magnificence of the "everyday world" from the masses. It seems
that the mind has not evolved to deal with Truth, but rather with the
practicalities of survival. For it is far easier to survive when your
mind is not open to the brilliance of the universe.
It is myth that has dominated the minds of people since the advent of
settled society. It is myth that allows us to be blind to the
beauty of life. And it is myth that allows us to destroy ourselves
practically unknowingly; it is the power of fantastic myths that
allows societies to sleepwalk through their own collective suicide.
And as luck will have it, myth disappears as soon as it is absolutely,
and practically, necessary for it to do so. Just as the knife is
about to seperate the layers of flesh before the heart, the cyclops
will wake and come to life (to sadly find the myriad world-shattering damage that has been done without his noticing).
Marx had his moments to speak against religion - the cause he may have seen to be a negative force in his society, while he neglected the cause that was probably also working on him. The trouble is that myths seem better than harmless - they seem to only do us good. For how could the utilization of our imagination be a negative thing? How could reading a book do damage? People forget that books were the televisions of yesteryear, and that oral stories were the televisions of yester-yesteryear. So convenient to forget such facts, especially when forgetting them seems only to help us thrive.
opium of the masses," for it is not only religion but also the way our
imagination uses fantasy and narrative that numbs our thoughts. The
fairytale, by asserting itself as the magnificent false-reality, hides
the magnificence of the "everyday world" from the masses. It seems
that the mind has not evolved to deal with Truth, but rather with the
practicalities of survival. For it is far easier to survive when your
mind is not open to the brilliance of the universe.
It is myth that has dominated the minds of people since the advent of
settled society. It is myth that allows us to be blind to the
beauty of life. And it is myth that allows us to destroy ourselves
practically unknowingly; it is the power of fantastic myths that
allows societies to sleepwalk through their own collective suicide.
And as luck will have it, myth disappears as soon as it is absolutely,
and practically, necessary for it to do so. Just as the knife is
about to seperate the layers of flesh before the heart, the cyclops
will wake and come to life (to sadly find the myriad world-shattering damage that has been done without his noticing).
Marx had his moments to speak against religion - the cause he may have seen to be a negative force in his society, while he neglected the cause that was probably also working on him. The trouble is that myths seem better than harmless - they seem to only do us good. For how could the utilization of our imagination be a negative thing? How could reading a book do damage? People forget that books were the televisions of yesteryear, and that oral stories were the televisions of yester-yesteryear. So convenient to forget such facts, especially when forgetting them seems only to help us thrive.
Saturday, March 03, 2007
Artsilly
Is the world caving in over me or am I caving in over the world? Or is that the same thing? San Francisco and I are lovers and her pastels are telling me over and over that the west is the best. What's a man to do?
SF harbors its children so motherly. She'll tow your cars and then charge you $275; no mothers are perfect. No, but it's an enchanted place, really.
Puzzles are what we live by. Labyrinths, perplexing appearances. Beautiful traps.
Yesterday looking through Chinese scrolls it was as if I had painted huge Chinese landscapes.
I don't mean to write so 'artsil(l)y,' it's just 9:17am on a Saturday and that also makes an interesting area code.
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