Friends, this image shows a famous art work. It is the Mona Lisa and it usually hangs in the Louvre. It contrasts strongly with the hideous image I used in my last post.
Both images show the creative potential of the human species. At one extreme we have a thing of beauty, something that has been admired for centuries by hundred of thousands (if not millions). The enigmatic smile, the quiet serenity have been captured perfectly on canvas using oils and brushes. The impact of the painting (which I’ve seen many times) is extraordinary. The artist, Leonardo da Vinci, is world famous both for this and other wonderful works in the Vatican.
At the other extreme, we have an image of the burned bodies of some of the hundreds of thousands killed in an atomic explosion in Japan, one of two. To achieve this feat required a great deal of creativity.
First someone had to conceptualize the bomb. Next people had to make the bomb and test it. Then they had to deliver it to an unsuspecting city that was composed mainly of civilians. Finally the crew had to drop it accurately so that it had maximum impact. The whole exercise was carried out perfectly!
My dilemma is that if both images clearly show human creativity, which one best represents it? If both represent human creativity (which they obviously do), then what does it say about humans? How do humans manage to reconcile the hugely conflicting messages captured in both these images?
Your thoughts are awaited with eagerness.
Thank you, David!
It’s a fine line humans are walking. Did you hear about the bastard US general who died in his nineties this week. He was responsible for killing endless Vietnamese civilians – who counts!?
The injustice of this all nearly kills me at times. Life is so unfair! Instead of seeing a shrink I attend the opera. Art is saving me from the anger about life’s unfairness. I imagine that brutes genetically lack empathy. They might not experience any feelings. They might be complete psychopaths whose genetic make-up puts them into power positions.
So these people are very sick and might deserve our pity as they walk through life without any emotions – positive or negative. Cannot help myself – I still hate them when I should pity them.
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David G Reply:
August 9th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
Yes, Margit, it seems our world is divided into those who would save life and cherish it and those who are dedicated to killing and enjoy brutality/depravity, etc.
I’m interested in what factors make one person go in a positive direction and another in a negative one while most humans it seems can be swayed either way depending on circumstances (the Germans in WW2 or the Jews in Israel for example).
I agree that solace can be found in art, music, painting, sculpture, etc. We must be thankful for that I guess!
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And the image looks beautiful on the screen here today, right next to that of Socrates being poisoned because some mighty, and some less willing to think than was he, wanted to silence him. Thanks for the Mona Lisa and for keeping up the blog, and do know that you are so greatly appreciated, David G. How old was Leonardo da Vinci when he stopped working, I wonder.
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Sixty beggars followed da Vinci’s casket, to his resting place, in accordance with his will, is what wikipedia reports. I wonder why he asked for this, but it seems rather sweet, in my opinion.
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He was an amazingly talented artist, Therese. He really did leave the world a better place than he found it.
P.S. I hadn’t heard of the sixty beggars before. Interesting.
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Da Vinci was the greatest mind in history, biologist, inventor, Artist, sculptor, teacher, mathematician, anatomist, architect, author, musician, scientist and no doubt an exceptional lover to. He is responsible for this masterpiece.
The other photo can be called a masterpiece not like Mona above, but a masterpiece in the way it highlights how many great minds work was used for ultimately delivering death never before seen. It is a masterpiece not of beauty but total destruction and waste of lives. So it is a solid reminder that this can still happen again to us at a scale of 1000 times more devastating.
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It always seems so much easier to destroy than to create/build something. It can take years to build a beautiful building or to raise a beautiful/wise child but only a moment to destroy them.
Does the speed at which destruction happens give the “beasts” an advantage over those who would create something beautiful?
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Meagain, Leonardo was a genius who left the world better than he found it. Unfortunately, for every person like him, there are a thousand lowlife who offer only evil.
Jeannie, most of the time there is little monetary reward for creating something beautiful. But the financial rewards for destroying are often immense!
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Different sides of the same coin. How do humans reconcile these two opposite uses of their creativity? They compartmentalize. Is why they can be hypocrits too. The shadow, one’s blindspot. They know not what they do. Whatever. tHEY DON’T WANT TO KNOW MOST OF THE TIME. (error, but I’ll keep it).
When I was a massage therapist, one of the funniest situations for me was a case of a man with a hump on his back. He would say to me, ” ok, I am going to sleep while you fix my back.” The funny part for me, was that this hump was clearly an emotional reaction to some condition in his life, which until and unless examined by the man himself, the hump would never change!
Flip to: My mother has said cruel, unspeakable things to me. Then, moments later, deny she ever said such things. She only does this when there are no witnesses, so it is my word against hers. Her: a fine upstanding matron of our community. I know she is cruel and heartless which is why she keeps me in”the (virtual) attic.”
Lately I find myself saying , “I hate people.”
Did you see The Wrestler? In the movie, everybody either hated or worshipped the main character. Nothing in between. Love, always came just a moment too late.
Yet, love was enduring..
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David G Reply:
August 14th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Grace, your mother can only hurt you while you allow her to do it.
You have to get out of the web she has trapped you in. You have to accept that she will never be the mother you wished you’d had then tell her the truth about herself then leave her to her own devices. While ever you play her game, she will continue to hurt you and get great joy from it.
I had a similar situation with my father. I spent four wasted decades trying to get his approval before the penny dropped that I never would. I confronted him, spoke the truth, then walked away and got on with my life. It was the best thing I ever did.
I appointed a couple of father figures who helped me over the rough spots. You could surely find a mother figure or two that would give you something other than hurt.
End the hurt, Grace. You’re too nice a person to have to carry your unfortunate, manipulative, loveless mother on your back for the rest of your life.
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Grace Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 6:07 am
This is the most serious and important aspect of the evolution of the person I refer to as me. Thank you, David. I really appreciate that you understand – how critical letting go of the identity that has been assigned to me by my birth mother- is to my body, mind and spiritual health and everyone I come into contact with and lives I might affect by my consciousness.
Funny, I have manifested several ‘mother figures’ over the years and each one ended up being as toxic as my own mother!! I am mostly alone now, as I don’t want to work out my issues on an unsuspecting stranger. : ).
It is time to let go.
A couple of people are helping me. Thank you too, David. Peace.
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David G Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 8:38 am
Of course, Grace, if you really let go, your mother will try to pull you back so that her fun will continue. She might even promise to change. Don’t get sucked in!
Let some years pass so that you are truly independent then you might be able to negotiate something assuming that your mother has changed her spots, an unlikely scenario!
Take care now!