"I know not how I may seem to others, but to myself I am but a small child wandering upon the vast shores of knowledge, every now and then finding a small bright pebble to content myself with." ~PlatoI am like that child, picking up pebbles on the shore of knowledge and amusing myself with them for a time before picking up a new pebble. The thing is, I've always got a pebble in my hand so I never pay attention to the beach. With Plato it was only "every now and then", not all the time.
I am a lover of knowledge and intellectual subjects. My mind likes to think and analyze, always always analyze. So I guess that though I have denied it before, I am an intellectual. Most would consider this a good thing. Perhaps so, back in the days when I aspired only to be a Mensan. But the time has come - has actually been here a while - that I must go beyond my fascination with intellectual things and develop my spiritual strength. I'm just not going to get anywhere by reading. I have to practice. So no more simply talking the talk. It's time to walk the walk.
Soooo....... My goal now is to find a balance between intellectual and spiritual activities. It is now time for me to more regularly practice meditation and other spiritual activities. This is not easy for me, I can hear my mind screaming "No!" because it might go into withdrawal after not having constant intellectual stimulation. It might, God forbid, get bored! It is time for me to be a loving but firm parent to my childish mind; I've got to practice greater control.
It's time to pick up pebbles of intellectual knowledge only every now and then as Plato did. It's time to run from the shore on the beach of knowledge into the waters of greater things.
19 comments:
wow! beautifully put. :) (((Hugs)))
Let us know how that works for you.
Intellectuals are good at notetaking. Just like Tolle. College graduates.
Avoid plagiarism.
Art is both intellectual and emotional. Therefore more spiritual.
In art there is philosophy, knowledge, techniques, and action. Making art is perfect meditation and mindfulness.
How to awaken intelligence. Throw away stupid things.
And don't write too many books. It will confuse a lot of people.
How did it go? :)
Donovan recorded a song, "Pebble and the Man."
In it a man picks up a pebble on the beach and wonders how many years it had been there.
Then the pebble wonders how many years the man has in his lifetime. "You to me are but a passing breeze."
Let's say the pebble had existed for 100,000,000 years. Let's say that the man's lifetime is 80 years. So, if the pebble had the lifespan of the man, how long would the man be alive in relation to the pebble if his lifetime were correspondingly shrunk (down to a "passing breeze")? IE, (80/100,000,000) * 80 years). I always figured that it would be very short, like a few seconds, but the "passing breeze" is more like a half-hour (33 minutes) long.
donstockbauer *at* hotmail.com
ah good!
thanks for the calculation Don
it feels good to know
that this passing breeze that i am
has got a whole 33 minutes
(well maybe 16 minutes left)
that means i can relax
and enjoy life
i liked V's earlier comment
about the roller coaster of life
relax and enjoy the ride
and this one about art rings true
maybe i should take an art class
can anyone make art?
or do you have to be an artist?
i saw a great DVD about an artist
named andrew goldworthy who made
cool things outdoors with
whatever natural products
were available
the 50-foot long daisy chaing
floating down a river
sticks in my mind
for some reason that DVD really
got me to see that we are all
artists of our own lives
we each have the challenge
to make something beautiful
out of whatever raw materials
that life gives us
i think sophia
is making some great art
Sally, the 33 minutes is only in relation to a pebble.
Relative to yourself you live a long time.
Thanks, Kathy. :)
Don, you're not doing a very good job of helping me not to intellectualize by posting very intellectual material, especially math-related material which makes me drool! LOL :)
Here's a cool Einstein quote for you guys:
"When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity."
V., thank you for sharing with me some more of your wisdom. Some days it seems like you are really conducting some higher energy.
I read your blog anytime you publish a new post and I noticed the ceramic pieces you were getting ready to fire and bake. It's very often that I wish I could post a comment on your posts.
Anonymous, today was a good day. It started off rough but when I really went within I found signs of peace. I plan on returning more often.
Sally, I think anyone can make art. And when they make art they become an artist. The question then is a matter of are they a good or bad artist. LOL Hopefully good, but it's more the action of making art that I believe is most important because that is when the artist goes within for inspiration. It's probably a good practice to get in touch with one's higher self.
Yes, we truly are creating art without even realizing it. I think when we finally wake up to the fact that we are indeed creating our world we can create more consciously. That is my goal. Thanks for enjoying my art. Sometimes I paint a few grey clouds on the canvas but there's always a sun waiting to shine behind them. :) It's people like you that remind me of that sun.
Sophia,
OK, I'll let you non-intellectualize. Try to find some George W.Bush quotes.
"I" is an intellectual
but you are a lovely, wordless, child.
It's nice that you acknowledge the One That Matters, which of course is not the little me.
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