I tried a different style today, that’s why it looks a bit different and rough.
On a day when most of my city is still snowed in, I thought about how we want so badly to control the winter weather, the clouds, the rain and snowfall, the temperature, and we can do none of it.
But what we can control we have such a hard time doing. Kindness and compassion and understanding to our neighbor, assuming the best, helping out, befriending. Those are things that we can control. But do we? Or do we follow the path of least resistence. Now that we need paths shoveled for us, do we know our neighbors enough to ask for help or give it? …………………………………………………………………………..
When I was teaching drawing back in California in the 80s and 90s, I would often take my students on a field trip to San Francisco to see the museums there.
Without exception I always had one statement spoken by a student or two during these trips. Often it would be while looking at an abstract painting, or an art piece that wasn’t ‘pretty’.
The statement was this: “I wouldn’t put that in my house.”
It didn’t take long for me to come up with the perfect response. It was this: “That painting is worth $750,000.00. It won’t EVER be in your house.” I would continue, “You wouldn’t go to a ballet and make that statement about a ballerina. You wouldn’t because you know that the ballerina is to be admired in that moment of dance you are witnessing, not to be taken home forever. The same is true of art you see out in the world. It is for you to admire and explore now, in this moment. It isn’t for you to take home and have over your sofa. Judging it by whether you want it in your home or not is distracting you from enjoying it in the moment.” *
I feel the same way about many things others are quick to judge as if they are permanently attached to them and have to be declared unfit to be so, for whatever reason.
For example, I like people who walk by me with too much perfume on. I am not taking them home and living with their perfume. They are passing by and that fragrance will be gone momentarily.
I like people with:
too much makeup,
clothes too loud,
skin too tan,
and tattoos too ornate.
They are living art, music, dance, sculpture and multimedia extravaganzas in my world even if they don’t know it. I am not taking them home. I am just admiring the passing parade.
* Now, of course I do know there is art for purchase and it is to take home and in that case it’s right and proper to judge whether you can live with it or not.
Drawing, photos (except ‘tan’) and commentary by Marty Coleman of The Napkin Dad Daily
Quote by Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915, American artist and writer. Proponent of the Arts and Crafts movement.
This quote jumped out at me today as being the perfect example of 21st century failure, and I mean that in both a good and a bad way.
In the good way, we are taught that we should learn (cash in on) from our mistakes. That is a universal lesson, easy to grasp, hard to implement.
In the bad way we have the obsession with confessional celebrities from Brittney to Lindsay to Paris to Jon to any number of knuckleheaded politicians who figure out a way to cash in on their stupidity or bad judgment. But it isn’t just the public figures that get sucked into the ‘stumble but make sure you get publicity’ mentality. We do it with our own confessions of failures and shortcomings.
Think about this quote. It is meant to be somewhat facetious, a sarcastic slap in the face to the idea of taking credit for something you probably shouldn’t be too proud of. I don’t mean that we shouldn’t extol the virtue of those who have overcome adversity, but overcoming is defined by the amount of publicity you get, it’s defined by the true redemption you exhibit.
“A failure is a man who has blundered, but is not able to cash in on the experience.” – Elbert Hubbard, 1856-1915, American Philosopher – interesting notes: He died on the Lusitania cruise ship when it was torpedoed by the Germans during WWI. L. Ron Hubbard, the founder of Scientology, was his nephew.
Theology was, at the beginning, simple story telling. It was an explanation for why things were they way they were. It was handed down over centuries and it didn’t need to be very rigorous in its believability because the realm of what was known about the universe was very small at the time. It was their version of science, in a way.
But as time went on and people had more questions and were finding out more ‘truths’ theologians (as they were eventually titled) had to fill out the various stories to be more believable. But at the same time they had to stick with the story already told and somehow combine the new and the old.
The result was a pretty convoluted set of explanations for the how and why of the world that was separated from science as it was developing.
To test this idea clear your mind of any and all ideas of the universe and human origins and development. Now tell a brand new story that explains how we came to be and why we are here. Have it make sense in the here and now, consistent with what you now know about life. Would it be the same story you were taught as a child? Would you have the same organization of life, afterlife, material world, spirit realm? Would you have the same explanations for why things happen, good and bad? Maybe so, maybe not. But it is a good exercise to help us remember that we are listening to a story.
That is how you know they are ‘sins’, not because there is a book or a prophet or a rule, but because it destroys you (and likely those around you as well).
It may not do it today, and it may not be a physical activity like drinking, but be on the look out for what destroys you. If you want to call it sin, that is fine. I don’t usually call it that, too much baggage, not enough reality to that word. But it also does have some punch to it and if that is what it takes, ok. Whatever you call it, get rid of it.
“God will look you over for scars, not diplomas.” – Elbert Hubbard
I believe the Universe (read God if you want) does look AT diplomas, but he/she doesn’t look over YOU to find them. You are not your paperwork. You are, however, your effort. And the effort to fight cancer or the effort to gain a degree is seen and taken into consideration. Not by a God who is trying to figure out if you deserve something or not, but by a Universe that lays opportunities at the feet of those who perspire in the effort, whatever it is.
Regarding Breasts: Breasts aren’t more valuable than lungs, marrow, testicles, blood, colons, skin or any other part of the body that can get cancer (what part can’t?). But breasts are a wonder-filled part of the body and they shouldn’t have to be taken off of the body because something inside it is growing out of control. Cancer sucks.
“There Was One Who Thought Himself Above Me, And He Was Above Me Until He Had That Thought.” – Elbert Hubbard
I am not sure about this anymore. It seems to have a ‘false modesty’ thing that you find in Christianity often. There is a ‘rule’ that you are suppose to not know of your own greatness or goodness, that if you do it is pride. I now disagree with that to some degree. I think it is good to know who you are. That doesn’t mean you are conceited, it means you see clearly. That also does not mean you aren’t going to be humble and appreciate others and who they are and how they compare to you. If they are better, then you admit that as well.
