Writing clearly and intelligently about representational art will always capture my attention. Rhett has achieved this. His interpretations of the two paintings are both reasonable and informative. It's his extrapolation of interpretation into the contemporary political/cultural situation that I find difficult to embrace.
Are we in a similar situation of defeat as the two soldiers seem to face? Well, no. Our enemy is internal. He's inside the gates. Was hidden in a Trojan Horse. Nor is there a signpost announcing the futility of resistance or even official acknowledgement that there's been a war at all. The emotional affect from loss hasn't registered with the designated warriors let alone with most of the working people. There's been a coup d'etat, but it's been gradual, at least a hundred years in the making. And it's ongoing. The takeover continues, solidifies.
Of course some are aware of our dire straits and the enemy's tactics. Hopefully all who read this are in that red pilled group. But 95% of our troubled population are in denial about the perps and their plans for us; so is pursuing the wu wei going to better the situation either personally or collectively. Will the bodies of our enemies float past our meditational stream? Only if we outlive them, which is not their intent to be sure.
I'm not denying the power of meditation. If either soldier had an upright spine, he'd be feeling much better, but only if he could sustain an energized posture under such conditions of abject defeat. Now we have a vague rampant depression but w/o a soldier's awareness of what's happening on the war front.
I maintain the front is in your mind: the war between bitter truth and convenient denial. Meditation could help some individuals. Heroic resistance from the aware seems more effective to me.
Hi Billy. Thank you for your positive acknowledgment and thank you for reading and challenging my essay. I’m happy that I could elicit your thoughtful passage of ideas for a greater understanding of the situation we find ourselves in.
My main premise is that when faced with a problem, a blockage, a spiritually unhealthy life, etc. it’s not about trying to work it out with the intellect. It’s about being comfortable not knowing. You may feel defeat because you are not getting any nudges from the divine, or as Taleb says, from ‘beyond the veil of opacity.’ Wu wei is letting go. It’s about going in and out. It’s like what JJHW said in the comments above, “it’s an important life skill to know when to act and when not to act.” I find wu wei is another way of saying, ‘not acting,’ a sort of shift in perspective of your efforts. Meditation/wu wei isn’t about waiting for an answer. The waiting is still considered an action. It’s about completely letting go and just being. But this can be hard. It’s a very courageous and heroic act to give up ‘not knowing.’ And it’s only temporary until you decide to apply mental effort again. It’s important to know that there is innate wisdom underneath the mental activity. When it comes to big solutions I don’t think you can really think them into existence. I think when you, by grace, have an idea or solution, then you can start applying your thinking and efforts towards it.
I think if I were to write this essay again I might’ve* included the quote from Louis Pasteur “fortune favors the prepared mind.” I didn’t want to make wu wei seem like a passive, non-participatory thing. You HAVE to apply yourself. I think of it as a compliment to effective action, actually as a source of innate wisdom that informs effective action.
I don't like Pasteur either. He's the villainous forefather of the vaxxers. The book Bechamp vs Pasteur explains the politico-medical issues in depth.
Tho I wrote against the wu wei approach, your argument resonated enough to get me to start a counting exhalations routine before going on the computer in the morning.
The wu wei approach as a complement to effective action makes sense.
It is an important life skill to know when to act and when not to act. The only way of learning that skill is to make a lot of mistakes, hopefully none of them fatal.
Writing clearly and intelligently about representational art will always capture my attention. Rhett has achieved this. His interpretations of the two paintings are both reasonable and informative. It's his extrapolation of interpretation into the contemporary political/cultural situation that I find difficult to embrace.
Are we in a similar situation of defeat as the two soldiers seem to face? Well, no. Our enemy is internal. He's inside the gates. Was hidden in a Trojan Horse. Nor is there a signpost announcing the futility of resistance or even official acknowledgement that there's been a war at all. The emotional affect from loss hasn't registered with the designated warriors let alone with most of the working people. There's been a coup d'etat, but it's been gradual, at least a hundred years in the making. And it's ongoing. The takeover continues, solidifies.
Of course some are aware of our dire straits and the enemy's tactics. Hopefully all who read this are in that red pilled group. But 95% of our troubled population are in denial about the perps and their plans for us; so is pursuing the wu wei going to better the situation either personally or collectively. Will the bodies of our enemies float past our meditational stream? Only if we outlive them, which is not their intent to be sure.
I'm not denying the power of meditation. If either soldier had an upright spine, he'd be feeling much better, but only if he could sustain an energized posture under such conditions of abject defeat. Now we have a vague rampant depression but w/o a soldier's awareness of what's happening on the war front.
I maintain the front is in your mind: the war between bitter truth and convenient denial. Meditation could help some individuals. Heroic resistance from the aware seems more effective to me.
Hi Billy. Thank you for your positive acknowledgment and thank you for reading and challenging my essay. I’m happy that I could elicit your thoughtful passage of ideas for a greater understanding of the situation we find ourselves in.
My main premise is that when faced with a problem, a blockage, a spiritually unhealthy life, etc. it’s not about trying to work it out with the intellect. It’s about being comfortable not knowing. You may feel defeat because you are not getting any nudges from the divine, or as Taleb says, from ‘beyond the veil of opacity.’ Wu wei is letting go. It’s about going in and out. It’s like what JJHW said in the comments above, “it’s an important life skill to know when to act and when not to act.” I find wu wei is another way of saying, ‘not acting,’ a sort of shift in perspective of your efforts. Meditation/wu wei isn’t about waiting for an answer. The waiting is still considered an action. It’s about completely letting go and just being. But this can be hard. It’s a very courageous and heroic act to give up ‘not knowing.’ And it’s only temporary until you decide to apply mental effort again. It’s important to know that there is innate wisdom underneath the mental activity. When it comes to big solutions I don’t think you can really think them into existence. I think when you, by grace, have an idea or solution, then you can start applying your thinking and efforts towards it.
I think if I were to write this essay again I might’ve* included the quote from Louis Pasteur “fortune favors the prepared mind.” I didn’t want to make wu wei seem like a passive, non-participatory thing. You HAVE to apply yourself. I think of it as a compliment to effective action, actually as a source of innate wisdom that informs effective action.
* Might’ve because my teacher doesn’t like him :p
I don't like Pasteur either. He's the villainous forefather of the vaxxers. The book Bechamp vs Pasteur explains the politico-medical issues in depth.
Tho I wrote against the wu wei approach, your argument resonated enough to get me to start a counting exhalations routine before going on the computer in the morning.
The wu wei approach as a complement to effective action makes sense.
If you wait by the river long enough, the bodies of your enemies will float by.
Wow, incredible idea!
Sounds like a by-product of wu wei.
I enjoyed reading this. The moment you mentioned the option of coming to stillness, is when I really felt captivated. Good job :)
Thank you Denise :)
It is an important life skill to know when to act and when not to act. The only way of learning that skill is to make a lot of mistakes, hopefully none of them fatal.