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Walking on foot brings you down to the very stark, naked core of existence. We travel too much in airplanes and cars. Itās an existential quality that we are losing. Itās almost like a credo of religion that we should walk.
There is, of course, something inherently romanticāif not heroicāabout the extreme solitary explorer enveloped by nature. The very image of Herzog on foot recalls the iconic 19th-century paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, especially his Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, with its lone figure staring out at the wide vista above the clouds.
'Truth itself wanders through the forests,' Herzog writes near the end. Yet here he embroiders his memories for effect: The vast swath of geography between Munich and Paris is littered with industrial towns and cities.
Once he comes out on the other end, traversing the deforested Champs-ĆlysĆ©es (āWe were close to what they call the breath of dangerā), Herzog emerges victorious.
ā Of Walking in Ice: (Munich-Paris, 23 Novemberā14 December 1974)
by Werner Herzog
Early 21st century angst is troubling Olly's consciousness. Deep in his Trauffaut phase, Olly contemplates sparse minimalism and his own debilitating self-awareness of rejection. What is good in the world? Rawhide? A soft bed? Cat shit on a city sidewalk? Nothing, nothing.
Thank you, Liz! Our beautiful cranes came finally -- truly snail mail. sometimes it takes a little longer for things to get to certain parts of Montana. I love them both. it was difficult to tell which one was for me and which was Tim's -- but we settled on the orange for me, the red for Tim.
Here, my crane is contemplating the idea of Peace ... contemplating how peace might have manifested in it's own life, now that it has landed in Montana ... in the Rocky Mountains, where snow muffles loud jarring sounds, even in March .... contemplating how peace might show up in the near future, now that it has landed right smack dab in the middle of the migratory flyway - amidst snow geese, sandhill cranes, raptors and songbirds -- a huge highway of song, lust, deep color and wide, ribbon-like peace.
She -- this orange creature of angles and flexibility -- believes in peace. Believes peace is possible. Very possible. Even likely. Maybe that makes her an idealist. Maybe that makes her a dreamer. She has heard of dreams coming true ...
This series of paper crane images are for Liz's (Eshu's) amazing Paper Crane Project. Please check it out -- it's going to be something even more wonderful as more and more people receive their cranes, made by Liz, and share what their cranes are doing once out of the package!
Mysticism is a perceptional enquiry of experiencing that which is existentially true. Intellectual enquiry is a psychological exercise, could be unrelated to the existential. -Sg #MysticEye
@HuluTheaterMSG
Puscifer
at The Greek Theatre
Los Angeles, CA
June 12, 2022
All photos Ā© Kaley Nelson Photography - www.KaleyNelson.com
When I am in a bad mood, all I see is crap... what is this??
How could that ever be even remotely funny?
Or is it all in my head? ;p
East 4th and Lafayette (old Tower Records building)
Three Peacocks -- God on the Ground
By: Stephen W. Simpson, Ph.D.
www.divinecaroline.com/article/22196/48183-peacocks--god-...
I freak out three or four times a year. Itās so consistent that I refer to it as my Quarterly Early Midlife Existential Panic Attack (QEMEPA). I wake up one morning and think, āWhere is my life going? Why am I not making more money by now? How am I going to put quadruplets through college? My work makes me happy, but is this what Iām supposed to be doing? Can I make more money and still be happy? Have my pants shrunk or is it me?ā These episodes last for about a week, leading to reckless behavior. I start exploring new career opportunities with wild abandon. I listen to get-rich-quick infomercials for a full thirty seconds before changing the channel. I eat and drink too much and sleep too little. I have grandiose visions of wealth and success one minute, then see portents of poverty and despair the next. My latest QEMEPA was more resilient than most. It lasted over two weeks with no end in sight. It was so bad that I hit the Prayer Panic Button.
While I was driving to work, I begged God to do something that would make me feel better right away. Of course, I donāt think God really works that way. I believe that God does stuff on Godās time, and itās usually not a good idea to rush him. āGod,ā I said. āI really donāt need much. Justāā
I saw something blocking my path. It was so out of place that it took my brain a few seconds to figure out what my eyes were seeing. In the middle of the sidewalk stood three peacocks, standing in a line across my path, about six inches apart from each other.
I slowed to a walk. They remained still as I approached, watching me in all their green and blue glory. I stepped aside and passed them on the grass. Their heads pivoted in unison me, observing me as I passed. They didnāt seem frightened or even curious. It was as if they were saying, āYou see us and we see you. Satisfied?ā
I started running again as a smile spread across my face. Then it turned into a chuckle. Then I was laughing so hard that I had to stop running. I felt both overjoyed and silly for forgetting something very important: God is an artist.
If youāre like me, you want direct answers from God. You want problems solved fast. Sometimes thatās what we need and God is gracious enough provide it. But I think he prefers to paint us a picture. He shows off just a little bit of his love and power to calm us down. By sending those three peacocks into my path, God gave me all the reassurance that I needed. He told me, āIām here. I love you. Thatās all you need to know.ā
Nowadays, trusting God is more important than ever. A lot of scary things are happening in the world. In times like these, itās easy to get annoyed with God. āAre you asleep at the wheel, Lord?ā we want to shout. āHow about a little help down here?ā Thatās when we have to start looking for peacocks. We have to work harder to find Godās artistry in the world and trust that heās in charge and he has a plan. And when we donāt get our peacocks, maybe Godās waiting for us to take responsibility and work harder for change.
existential paranoid question of the day: is he taking a picture of someone taking a picture of me???
Lifehacker had a post commenting on the minimalist lifestyle. The post suggested that such a life, avoiding owning too many physical things had advantages, but shouldnāt be oversold. Many responses ensued that raised existential questions aplenty. One post was this one:
I live in the real world.
In the real world, I am judged to a certain extent by my possessions.
What I have is a reflection of how well Iāve done. My ability to have nice things is concrete proof that I am a person of some means.
I live in the real world.
Women judge me to a certain extent by what I have to determine if I can be a good provider. They may not admit it to me. They may not admit it to themselves.
I live in the real world.
My peers judge me to a certain extent by the manner in which I present myself. My ability to have nice things in varied formats allows me to present myself in a manner that suits the occasion. My ability to do this conveys the message that I have some degree of taste and that my opinion should be respected.
I live in the real world.
While I may like minimalism or whatever āzenā-type adjective I choose to use, I also know that as soon as I start trying to evangelize about minimalism, I immediately put myself in a certain category and marginalize my ability to persuade.
The response seems like a suggestion that lifeās purpose was established by evolution as:
survive and procreate.
At least thatās what I read into it. Each paragraph basically says have more stuff because that will:
impress women (allowing you to reproduce);
make your opinions more respected (give you power, ensure your
survival);
impress peers including those who can give you the opportunity to
acquire opportunities to acquire still more stuff; and
in general to follow an imperative of competition promote your own
success and to know that you have ābeen successfulā.
Owning and acquiring things usually does do all these things. Realistically thatās true, and hence the chorus of āI live in the real worldā. The responses bottom line seems to be: āhe who dies with the most toys winsā. I find this sentiment (that I think is pretty common), kind of sad and depressing, and I hope itās not all there is.
Arenāt we at the point of being self aware enough to think we have purposes other than just success in the sense that living long enough to pass our genes along defined it. Arenāt we aware that we are part of a larger whole? I think God gives this awareness. Iād like to hope that my life and existence will have ultimately contributed some things that will make the world better for others better in some way.
Bill Gate and Warren Buffet with their philanthropic activity I think realize this. They donāt want their legacies to be just a bunch of stuff they accumulated for themselves, and none of which likely will prevent their dying like the rest of us. Most of us wonāt have the opportunity to have such a potential positive impact, I certainly wonāt.
I hope that things Iāve acquired or produced may in a very few cases be of use to people Iāve never met. Things that Iāve accumulated but given away. Photos or writing that can be copied for other may stimulate an interesting thought or make someoneās day a little brighter. That part of why Iāve been putting a lot of stuff on the web of late hoping something useful for others will survive me.
In any case, case I hope their a better answer to the āwhy do we exist?ā question than to accumulate stuff to:
survive and procreate.
Also found here at my blog.
C/O Berlin is opening SHOOT! . Existential Photography tonight at 7 p.m. at the Postfuhramt, Oranienburgerstrasse 35/36.
You are all cordially invited to join us and find out about the peculiar fascination of fairground shooting galleries: making a target of oneās own ego, orāfor the price of a pictureāsuccumbing to the temptation of staging a duel with yourself as the opponent.
C/O Berlin, 4.Februar 2011
Ausstellung
SHOOT! . Fotografie existentiell
5. Februar bis 27. MƤrz 2011
Erƶffnung Freitag, 4. Februar 2011, 19 Uhr
One of my existential walks through White Clay Creek State Park in Delaware. A gloomy, overcast, December day. Wet rotting leaves cushioning my steps, surrounded by moss and fungus.
Walking on foot brings you down to the very stark, naked core of existence. We travel too much in airplanes and cars. Itās an existential quality that we are losing. Itās almost like a credo of religion that we should walk.
There is, of course, something inherently romanticāif not heroicāabout the extreme solitary explorer enveloped by nature. The very image of Herzog on foot recalls the iconic 19th-century paintings of Caspar David Friedrich, especially his Wanderer Above the Sea of Fog, with its lone figure staring out at the wide vista above the clouds.
'Truth itself wanders through the forests,' Herzog writes near the end. Yet here he embroiders his memories for effect: The vast swath of geography between Munich and Paris is littered with industrial towns and cities.
Once he comes out on the other end, traversing the deforested Champs-ĆlysĆ©es (āWe were close to what they call the breath of dangerā), Herzog emerges victorious.
ā Of Walking in Ice: (Munich-Paris, 23 Novemberā14 December 1974)
by Werner Herzog