teaching torso

Q: Hey, what do you call a guy with no arms or legs, who just hangs on the wall?

A: "Art."

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What do you see here? I see a man who considers himself big because he has an "open mind," but in reality, he just has a big hole in his head. As a result, he is not capable of doing anything (no hands) or going anywhere (no feet). It should serve as a warning to the passers-by in this plaza, but my guess is that the majority view the subject without discernment, and simply consider it "art." What we have here may not be a clarion call, but rather a subliminal challenge to think. "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."

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Artistic expressions are not exclusively aesthetic, though sometimes a person does a thing "just because." The artist has a worldview, and a careful observation allows us to get inside that person's head and see beyond the surface of their work.

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So, what do you say? Am I making any sense here, or do you think that it is really me who has a hole in the head?

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[2,000 lb bronze sculpture Torso di Ikaro by Artist Igor Mitoraj at the historic Old Post Office Plaza in downtown St. Louis.]

perspective

This was D2's idea. I liked her picture so much, I snapped my own photo. I told her how much I liked the idea, but also that she could find something that would make an interesting shot. This hamster is only a few weeks old, but it looks huge because of the tiny furniture. It's a matter of perspective.

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Naturally I have a Western mindset, since I was born and raised in the USA. This morning, I read something from a man who's world view is distinctively Eastern. I loved it!! He is from Korea. His main principles were familiar, but the way he communicated them was so different. I was able to gain a fresh understanding as if through somebody else's glasses.

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Looking from where you stand, do I see what you see? Can I learn anything new about an objective truth by taking a different, subjective angle of sight?

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Perhaps you have heard the Indian parable about the blind men and the elephant? Since they each only felt one part (leg, tail, side), their descriptions were completely distinct. I have heard people say that they were each right. My own opinion is that they were all wrong. The elephant is not like a tree. It is not like a rope. It is not like a wall. Sure, each of those descriptions has an element of truth. Nevertheless, they each fall short of the complete picture. These blind men need to learn from each other's perspective, if they want to get it right.

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[Soapbox: Multiple perspectives is not universally beneficient. Some sources will be more reliable than others. God's self-revelation (i.e., Jesus & the Bible) for example, is not equal to my opinion, or anyone else's opinion. His statutes cannot be improved or changed by popular consensus.]

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Anyway, the point is, that generally, it is helpful to listen to other people, because we may learn from them. Just like I learned of a cute technique from my own daughter.

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Can you name something that you learned from someone else? Anything that was illumined by a different perspective or somebody else's experience?