Well, as you can probably guess, the ILO feels like too much in the past by now to continue writing about it. At least for the moment I feel more like writing about the present.
I've been playing one of my childhood games again for the past couple of days. It's about imagining as if I've just entered this world and this body, which was previously occupied by another consciousness. I know more or less all the facts this consciousness knew while in this body, but everything about the world is a new and strange experience. I guess that's what the game is about, trying to experience the world as if for the first time, to live my life at least for a while as if I wasn't bound by various emotional and other attachments, to see everything with fresh eyes, (re)discover all those things I don't notice (any longer) because they seem like just this common part of my environment. I remember at some point I thought a lot about different people's lives and how they had all these potential opportunities I would make use of if I could take their place for a while. It seems like it's often easier to see such things from the side. Maybe, if properly played, such a game could be a pretty nice/fun/interesting way of getting to see things like that for a bit.
"Feeling one with the universe" is a very, very overused phrase. But it's still possible to get the experience it describes in a way that does not feel overused the least bit. "Universe" is a funny word, "one" + "turn/change". Sounds a bit like Heraclitus and a bit like... that experience. Yeah. Go out on a starry night, look up and ponder the word "universe". You should get something there.
What I just absolutely must mention is that today was Gerly's solo concert at the town hall. Quite stunning. What a way to go from here. It's sad we've pretty much lost touch... I think that despite being the "ideal bookkeeper type" most of the time, she has this aspect to her that is one of the most deeply emotional and genuinely spiritual people I've ever met. Strange how some people who've been part of your life for most of your life... they just go on to study and live in another place entirely, and you'll probably never be close again. Well, "closeness" with people in my immediate surroundings has usually been shall we say "relative closeness". But with Gerly and Gerda there's always been something, one way or another. Gerda's birthday was today (or, well, actually yesterday by now... August 9). Gerly was the one who got to shine. I'm sure they'll both get their moment in the spotlight, though. They're both worth that and most other things they might wish for. Earned it in terms of hard work (on a level beyond humanly comprehensible), definitely. Oh yes, reminds me of my thoughts on the different factors that are important in doing things. But best to not get there now, and instead get some sleep :-)
kanaljee
4 years ago
4 comments:
It's a pity you aren't going to write more about the Olympiad. It's only a week ago! Ah well, time seems to go fast. I'm glad I still have a lot of photos, otherwise I would have forgotten so much!
Your childhood game is truly remarkable, Andeora.
Long ago, when I was trying to find the right approach to culture, I stumbled on G.K. Chesterton. I mentioned him to you; you asked me before who was my favourite philosopher, and I think he would be that person. He is so sane, so clear-eyed, and so deep too! I immediately fell in love with him (though not, to use the psychologist's word, 'inappropriately'...smile).
Anyway, he wrote a book called Orthodoxy. Chapter II is called The Maniac and talks about materialism (we should give that to Kira!), but that was not the chapter I stumbled on in my search to find the right approach to culture, and especially fantasy books. I only came across Chapter IV: The Ethics of Elfland. It actually starts out with his view on politics, in which he says:
In short, the democratic faith is this: that the most terribly important things must be left to ordinary men themselves--the mating of the sexes, the rearing of the young, the laws of the state. This is democracy; and in this I have always believed.
We talked about that during the Olympiad -- but it's not all that relevant to what you wrote here. What follows further on is relevant:
...even nursery tales only echo an almost pre-natal leap of interest and amazement. These tales say that apples were golden only to refresh the forgotten moment when we found that they were green. They make rivers run with wine only to make us remember, for one wild moment, that they run with water.
I'm sure you would love Chesterton. If you are going to have any spare time, why not start in the same place as I did, with Chapter IV of Orthodoxy?
http://www.cse.dmu.ac.uk/~mward/gkc/books/orthodoxy/ch4.html
It's a long chapter, but it's worth reading...
Good to hear you enjoyed the concert! What instrument did Gerly play? (And actually, one of my closest friends is going on to become a bookkeeper... At the graduation ceremony, he was held up as a model of politeness and studiousness.)
Do pass on congratulations from me to Gerda! And I hope you've had a good night...
Thank you for the link, I'll take a look! He does seem like an interesting person. :-) They say you can tell who a person is by his friends... probably you can also tell a lot by who is his favourite philosopher!
I actually might write more about the olympiad at some point in the future, just that right now I feel like writing about other things as well for a change... although it's true that it's not very likely that I'd return to this subject again if I don't happen to do so within this next week or so. Hey, you should start your own blog already, then you could write all about the olympiad there! :-)
Gerly plays the piano. She was actually thinking of dedicating herself to piano playing a couple of years ago, but now she's decided to study music theory instead. She was my classmate for 12 years, and also Gerda, her older sister. Gerly is over a year younger than myself, she just decided to come to school early... and then was among the people with the best results throughout the whole time. Which reminds me that I'll probably be writing about my current views on prodigies, success etc some time soon. At least I hope I will be. :-)
Always love reading your comments. Even though I'm, as you probably already know, usually terrible with replying to things.
Chesterton is marvellous, yes; and you're right that you can tell a lot about a person by studying whom he likes, whom he refers to, whom he quotes... Your favourite philosopher was Kierkegaard, right?
The piano is a cool instrument... Wish your friend good luck studying music theory!
It sounds like Gerly wouldn't have been out of place at Olympiads either... I wonder what you're going to write about prodigies. I don't focus on it very much (I stopped doing that when I was about 8 years old, because I had been so extremely and irritatingly arrogant about having skipped a class before that), so what you say will probably be new and interesting.
I thought I had read your replies with some degree of attention, but somehow it still escaped me that you were terrible at replying. Maybe you should make it more obvious... (smile)
P.S. I still wanted to comment on one thing you wrote:
I remember at some point I thought a lot about different people's lives and how they had all these potential opportunities I would make use of if I could take their place for a while.
Which means you discovered Buber's principle of 'confirmation' all by yourself...
Post a Comment