What We Think

It is easy to say “today more important than ever” – and as it is so easy it won’t be said here.

It is important that we – as human beings – communicate; and it is important that we communicate across borders, even ignore borders as something that is a relevant guide for our action (unless we mean borders are guiding as challenge to be overcome). And also important is that out communication must be all-inclusive –

Imagine there’s no heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people living for today …

..and for tomorrow.

And not only people but all “existence”.

One of the fundamental ideas is that of togetherness. While the orientation along the line of property may – in an optimistic version – result in sharing, the present guiding principle is that we must return to togetherness as principle – structurally a different approach to existence.

Here it means: arts and science, taken together as means to understand and deal with the world, open an entirely new way — though such ways existed earlier.

In the essay Huayulu – the “Comments on painting”, made by Shitao (born c. 1638–1641, Guilin, Guangxi province, China—died probably before 1720), we read:

Painting is used to depict the whole universe. How could this be done without ink and brushes? Ink is of natural origin: concentrated or diluted, dry or wet, it adapts to its subject. Man guides the brush: he draws contours and fills in areas, drying or moistening the painting ground, following the object. (Huayulu 2)

He also says

When the brush picks up the ink, it becomes animated; when the brush transfers the ink to the painting surface, it brings it to life. To animate the ink requires long practice, to animate it with the help of the brush requires knowledge of life. Those who have strengthened their soul through long practice, but do not know the depths of life, can only handle the ink, not the brush. Those who have been stunned by the pulsating life but have not been able to form their soul through practice can only handle the brush but not the ink.

Being so far a matter of approaching painting, it applies also in a different arrays – very concrete.

First, painting – imagine you are standing in front of Picasso’s Guernica (to be continued …)

Then, music (to be continued ….)

Also, novels (to be continued …. )