Comments on: Out of the Many, Uno http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/ An Eclectic Journal of the Arts Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:24:22 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Robert Mueller http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/#comment-244 Robert Mueller Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:47:58 +0000 http://www.spinozablue.com/?p=889#comment-244 Beautifully expressed, and puts me in a new place of light and hope.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('244','Robert Mueller'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('244','Robert Mueller','Beautifully expressed, and puts me in a new place of light and hope.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Beautifully expressed, and puts me in a new place of light and hope.
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]]> By: Cuchulain http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/#comment-243 Cuchulain Thu, 30 Oct 2008 06:32:21 +0000 http://www.spinozablue.com/?p=889#comment-243 <a href='#comment-238' rel="nofollow">@Robert Mueller</a> - Well said, Robert. I'd add to my earlier remarks that there is a sense, at least for me, that we have fewer adults in a phase of maturity now. Out in the open. Running things. Carrying on the national conversation. We have adults stuck in an angry adolescent phase. Angry at the wrong things. Ticked off at some bogeyman they've come to believe in. We need wise old Nestor telling Achilles to hold back, calm down, be patient. We need the wisdom of those who have seen how much better peace is than war. How much better beauty is than hate. How much better light is than deep bitter darkness. Art can show us the way, but artists have to be wise. And more people outside the arts have to find their inner child or their inner Spinoza.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('243','Cuchulain'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('243','Cuchulain','<a href=\'#comment-238\' rel=\"nofollow\">@Robert Mueller<\/a> - \r\n\r\nWell said, Robert. \r\n\r\nI\'d add to my earlier remarks that there is a sense, at least for me, that we have fewer adults in a phase of maturity now. Out in the open. Running things. Carrying on the national conversation. We have adults stuck in an angry adolescent phase. Angry at the wrong things. Ticked off at some bogeyman they\'ve come to believe in. We need wise old Nestor telling Achilles to hold back, calm down, be patient. We need the wisdom of those who have seen how much better peace is than war. How much better beauty is than hate. How much better light is than deep bitter darkness. \r\n\r\nArt can show us the way, but artists have to be wise. And more people outside the arts have to find their inner child or their inner Spinoza.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> @Robert Mueller —

Well said, Robert.

I’d add to my earlier remarks that there is a sense, at least for me, that we have fewer adults in a phase of maturity now. Out in the open. Running things. Carrying on the national conversation. We have adults stuck in an angry adolescent phase. Angry at the wrong things. Ticked off at some bogeyman they’ve come to believe in. We need wise old Nestor telling Achilles to hold back, calm down, be patient. We need the wisdom of those who have seen how much better peace is than war. How much better beauty is than hate. How much better light is than deep bitter darkness.

Art can show us the way, but artists have to be wise. And more people outside the arts have to find their inner child or their inner Spinoza.

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]]> By: Robert Mueller http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/#comment-238 Robert Mueller Wed, 29 Oct 2008 08:01:10 +0000 http://www.spinozablue.com/?p=889#comment-238 Some of the burden rests on individual artists, namely those materially impoverished and so culturally and marginalized artists who express their forms from within the dilapidated birdcage -- a good image by you -- and so satirize and ironize the bad situation they perceive. At the same time, the artist's creations, perhaps, must be great and wonderful, enthralling and ennobling. Sometimes what seems desperate comes from not enough attention brought to the building and the celebrating aspect in which the contributions of the artist as critic and objector can go beyond their needling posture and help the world they partly create to flourish and grow in spite of these adverse circumstances. I apologize if this is stated in a manner that is too complicated or wordy, but hope it helps you further to appreciate the current existential dilemma.<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('238','Robert Mueller'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('238','Robert Mueller','Some of the burden rests on individual artists, namely those materially impoverished and so culturally and marginalized artists who express their forms from within the dilapidated birdcage -- a good image by you -- and so satirize and ironize the bad situation they perceive. At the same time, the artist\'s creations, perhaps, must be great and wonderful, enthralling and ennobling. Sometimes what seems desperate comes from not enough attention brought to the building and the celebrating aspect in which the contributions of the artist as critic and objector can go beyond their needling posture and help the world they partly create to flourish and grow in spite of these adverse circumstances. I apologize if this is stated in a manner that is too complicated or wordy, but hope it helps you further to appreciate the current existential dilemma.'); return false;">Quote</a></div> Some of the burden rests on individual artists, namely those materially impoverished and so culturally and marginalized artists who express their forms from within the dilapidated birdcage — a good image by you — and so satirize and ironize the bad situation they perceive. At the same time, the artist’s creations, perhaps, must be great and wonderful, enthralling and ennobling. Sometimes what seems desperate comes from not enough attention brought to the building and the celebrating aspect in which the contributions of the artist as critic and objector can go beyond their needling posture and help the world they partly create to flourish and grow in spite of these adverse circumstances. I apologize if this is stated in a manner that is too complicated or wordy, but hope it helps you further to appreciate the current existential dilemma.
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]]> By: Cuchulain http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/#comment-236 Cuchulain Thu, 23 Oct 2008 02:12:49 +0000 http://www.spinozablue.com/?p=889#comment-236 Many good points. Yes, there is a definite dumbing down in this country. A shrill embrace of anti-intellectualism. Almost as if people are proud of ignorance at times. I am striving to make sure this site is not about politics, so I'll refrain from casting thoughts for one side or another. But I will say I think America has a colossal job ahead of it. It needs massive healing. It needs major soul searching. And it really, really needs to calm down. You're probably right that this is something that goes well beyond the arts, unfortunately. Something that the arts just won't have much of an impact upon and aren't really equipped to handle. I wish it were different . . . . Arcadia we are not. <div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('236','Cuchulain'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('236','Cuchulain','Many good points. Yes, there is a definite dumbing down in this country. A shrill embrace of anti-intellectualism. Almost as if people are proud of ignorance at times. \r\n\r\nI am striving to make sure this site is not about politics, so I\'ll refrain from casting thoughts for one side or another. But I will say I think America has a colossal job ahead of it. It needs massive healing. It needs major soul searching. And it really, really needs to calm down. \r\n\r\nYou\'re probably right that this is something that goes well beyond the arts, unfortunately. Something that the arts just won\'t have much of an impact upon and aren\'t really equipped to handle. I wish it were different . . . . Arcadia we are not. '); return false;">Quote</a></div> Many good points. Yes, there is a definite dumbing down in this country. A shrill embrace of anti-intellectualism. Almost as if people are proud of ignorance at times.

I am striving to make sure this site is not about politics, so I’ll refrain from casting thoughts for one side or another. But I will say I think America has a colossal job ahead of it. It needs massive healing. It needs major soul searching. And it really, really needs to calm down.

You’re probably right that this is something that goes well beyond the arts, unfortunately. Something that the arts just won’t have much of an impact upon and aren’t really equipped to handle. I wish it were different .… Arcadia we are not.

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]]> By: Tony Jones http://www.spinozablue.com/2008/10/889/#comment-235 Tony Jones Wed, 22 Oct 2008 22:59:59 +0000 http://www.spinozablue.com/?p=889#comment-235 I agree that hostility has always been with us. At any time I care to think over the last few decades there have always been voices of hatred, on any side you care to name. I think the real difference today is the astonishing lack of cultural understanding and even basic education shown on all sides. Even politicans who clearly know better - because one can go on youtube and see old speeches of theirs in which they are thoughtful and eloquent - are "dumbing themselves down" in media presentation. Unfortunately it will be even more difficult for the arts to make any difference in such an environment, mainly because you are speaking to communities to which art does not remotely matter. (Just try making a living as a painter, artist, or non-pop musician...) sadly...<div class="comment-remix-meta"><a href="#" class="replyto" onclick="replyto('235','Tony Jones'); return false;">Reply</a> - <a href="#" class="quote" onclick="quote('235','Tony Jones','I agree that hostility has always been with us. At any time I care to think over the last few decades there have always been voices of hatred, on any side you care to name. I think the real difference today is the astonishing lack of cultural understanding and even basic education shown on all sides. Even politicans who clearly know better - because one can go on youtube and see old speeches of theirs in which they are thoughtful and eloquent - are \"dumbing themselves down\" in media presentation. \r\n\r\nUnfortunately it will be even more difficult for the arts to make any difference in such an environment, mainly because you are speaking to communities to which art does not remotely matter. (Just try making a living as a painter, artist, or non-pop musician...)\r\n\r\nsadly...'); return false;">Quote</a></div> I agree that hostility has always been with us. At any time I care to think over the last few decades there have always been voices of hatred, on any side you care to name. I think the real difference today is the astonishing lack of cultural understanding and even basic education shown on all sides. Even politicans who clearly know better — because one can go on youtube and see old speeches of theirs in which they are thoughtful and eloquent — are “dumbing themselves down” in media presentation.

Unfortunately it will be even more difficult for the arts to make any difference in such an environment, mainly because you are speaking to communities to which art does not remotely matter. (Just try making a living as a painter, artist, or non-pop musician…)

sadly…

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