Thursday, April 2, 2015
Dianetics
For my second book I read Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health by L. Ron Hubbard. Hubbard is the creator of Scientology so it gives me a look into his mind as he was starting the religion. Technically the book was created before Scientology, but it is referred to as Book One of the religion. It deals with the mental aspect of the religion and is extremely similar to a self help book. It contrasts my first book which was created by a skeptic so that I now have a book from each side, with one actually being the creator. It really shows the thoughts behind why Scientology was created, and some of the beliefs of the religion. It does not really delve into the beliefs of the religion which is heavily talked about from a skeptics point of view, meaning that an extra source from a followers point of view would be helpful. I think this book gave me a lot of good information of Scientology, especially about the years directly before its creation.
Human Brain and Art, Beauty, Truth
Art
The creative mind is what drives humans. Even in what's not visual art, it had to be created. Therefore art is in everything we know of and ingrained in what humans are. To think of art is to think of the artists own truth, their own perception. Not all art is however beautiful but it is truthful, even when it's not reality, because truth is only perception.
Beauty
Beauty is an illusion. As humans we covet what is rare or extraordinary. In times when food was scarce larger bodies were wanted, and in times when food is plentiful thin bodies are desired. Beauty is an illusion because perfect is always unobtainable. But we as humans are driven for that unobtainable thing, whether it be another person or entity. Much like the search of beautiful art, it is unobtainable to be perfect. The perception of what we actually see and what we think we can achieve is a gap that we will never obtain. This is truth.
Truth
No truth can exist. We all perceive things differently. What we think of as truth is completely different in the mind of another. So truth is the same as perception. What we think of truth now will change because nothing is permanent, therefore nothing can be or will obtain ultimate, permanent truth.
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
The Mistake Post: Love & Beauty*
When asked what we find beautiful we look to what we love. When a boy is asked to define what is beautiful they answer with their girlfriend. Mothers often answer with their child. There is an evident connection between what we love and what we find beautiful. Love and beauty are so interconnected that it's hard to find where one ends and the other begins.
When you love something or someone its almost as if every negative or unpleasant characteristic gets forgotten. In the hypnotizing feeling of love you learn to find beauty in their every action. The silly obnoxious way they sneeze is suddenly beautiful, not because it's no longer annoying but because you love them so dearly that every aspect is perfect. Similarly, their physical imperfections are suddenly beautiful as well, the crook in their smile, the size of their nose, or the frizz of their hair. Your love has redefined your sense of beauty. This person has become the way you judge everyone else, they are your beauty standard, your perfect ten. Love has defined what you find beautiful.
In the first thoughts packet, the very first response to love echos this concept, "love is looking at her when it's 6am and she's got her sweatshirt scrunched up around her entire face so you can only see her nose and you can't help but think you are so goddamn lucky to have her". This idea that no matter what state this person is in, you love them and that makes them beautiful. The last entry on beauty sums up this connection, "the way the individual in love means "beautiful" is more than just looks, or personality. It is meant that everything about the one that they love is more than just appealing. I believe that everyone is beautiful, but in order to see anyone's true beauty, one must love that person". Again the connection between love and beauty. There is an ability to find complete beauty only in the things you love. The beauty of everything or everyone else is dimmed by the lack of love.
In this way, love and beauty are eternally intertwined, an endless connection between loving the beautiful and love defining beauty.
*so originally I started writing this when I was reading off the calender prompt, but I was only a paragraph in when I realized the inconsistency in the prompts so I wrote a real post based off the correct prompt. But then I wanted to finish this one too, so this is just extra.
When you love something or someone its almost as if every negative or unpleasant characteristic gets forgotten. In the hypnotizing feeling of love you learn to find beauty in their every action. The silly obnoxious way they sneeze is suddenly beautiful, not because it's no longer annoying but because you love them so dearly that every aspect is perfect. Similarly, their physical imperfections are suddenly beautiful as well, the crook in their smile, the size of their nose, or the frizz of their hair. Your love has redefined your sense of beauty. This person has become the way you judge everyone else, they are your beauty standard, your perfect ten. Love has defined what you find beautiful.
In the first thoughts packet, the very first response to love echos this concept, "love is looking at her when it's 6am and she's got her sweatshirt scrunched up around her entire face so you can only see her nose and you can't help but think you are so goddamn lucky to have her". This idea that no matter what state this person is in, you love them and that makes them beautiful. The last entry on beauty sums up this connection, "the way the individual in love means "beautiful" is more than just looks, or personality. It is meant that everything about the one that they love is more than just appealing. I believe that everyone is beautiful, but in order to see anyone's true beauty, one must love that person". Again the connection between love and beauty. There is an ability to find complete beauty only in the things you love. The beauty of everything or everyone else is dimmed by the lack of love.
In this way, love and beauty are eternally intertwined, an endless connection between loving the beautiful and love defining beauty.
*so originally I started writing this when I was reading off the calender prompt, but I was only a paragraph in when I realized the inconsistency in the prompts so I wrote a real post based off the correct prompt. But then I wanted to finish this one too, so this is just extra.
Different, but Ultimately Similar
It is difficult to tie a single definition to art, beauty, and truth, as they are all based on perception. They are all also very broad and abstract concepts. What one person thinks is beautiful could differ from what another person thinks is beautiful, and the same goes for art and truth. Even though the general definitions of art, beauty, and truth are very different from each other, they are all connected in some way. Each topic can help define each other. There is no central concept between the three, as they are all contained in one another.
Art can generally be defined as something that generates an emotion and appeals to the senses. Any work of art can be beautiful to someone, as art is purely based on perception. Art can also have a certain truth to both an artist and an observer. An artist can portray the truth about themselves or a situation through art.
Beauty can generally be defined as something that is attractive or appealing based on one's opinion. Beauty can also be contained in both art and truth. Any form of art can be considered beautiful to someone, depending on one's definition of beauty and how they view that particular work of art. There can be beauty in truth, as the truth can sometimes be beautiful. They both are contained in one another. Beauty cannot exist without truth, and truth cannot exist without beauty.
Truth can generally be defined as a belief or thought that is deemed to be true based on one's perception. As stated above, the truth can be found in pieces of art. Since art can be a form of self expression, the artist may utilize their ability to create art in order to reveal the truth about themselves. Also, the truth can be beautiful in a way. Certain truths can have an essential beauty behind them.
All three of these concepts play vital roles in the lives of human beings. Without these three concepts, there would be no way to truly express emotion and feeling, which is crucial to human life.
Art can generally be defined as something that generates an emotion and appeals to the senses. Any work of art can be beautiful to someone, as art is purely based on perception. Art can also have a certain truth to both an artist and an observer. An artist can portray the truth about themselves or a situation through art.
Beauty can generally be defined as something that is attractive or appealing based on one's opinion. Beauty can also be contained in both art and truth. Any form of art can be considered beautiful to someone, depending on one's definition of beauty and how they view that particular work of art. There can be beauty in truth, as the truth can sometimes be beautiful. They both are contained in one another. Beauty cannot exist without truth, and truth cannot exist without beauty.
Truth can generally be defined as a belief or thought that is deemed to be true based on one's perception. As stated above, the truth can be found in pieces of art. Since art can be a form of self expression, the artist may utilize their ability to create art in order to reveal the truth about themselves. Also, the truth can be beautiful in a way. Certain truths can have an essential beauty behind them.
All three of these concepts play vital roles in the lives of human beings. Without these three concepts, there would be no way to truly express emotion and feeling, which is crucial to human life.
Truth- The Underlying Connection Between Art and Beauty
Most can agree with the statement that there are two different aspects to defining art and beauty. There is an emotional aspect, which has more to do with inner beauty and personal interpretation of art, and a objective aspect, which has to do with outer beauty and the tactical interpretation of art. The subjective aspects are what I find most interesting, because of the inherent uniqueness of personal interpretation. These interpretations are backed by one thing- truth. Not truth in the universal definition, truth from a personal perspective. A truth that may only hold true to one person. The universality of the truth is irrelevant. The most important thing is that this truth of perspective, this personal truth, the truth of perspective, is not shallow. The most important thing is that it matters.
Of course, each culture will have their respective generalities about true beauty and good art. In art, these generalities usually have characteristics such as relevance, depth, emotional content, and use of technique. While these are certainly appropriate characteristics to judge a piece by, they cannot capture the full affect that the art has on it's viewers. The true sign of a good piece of art is that it can be interpreted a million different ways by a million different people, that it can appeal to the emotions of it's viewers in such a profound way that they cannot get enough of it. The true sign of a good piece of art is that it can be stared at and contemplated for hours on end without ever becoming boring. The reason that this phenomenon, which is the emotionally charged reaction to a combination of colors and shapes, has it's basis in personal truth. The reason that we can be so smitten by a piece of art that reminds us of our home or provokes us to dream about different lands, or experiences, or foods, or even tastes is because we each hold in our memories experiences that have shaped how we interpret what we see. These are our truths. Just as a fine piece of art can enrapture our imaginations, a beautiful woman or man can captivate our thoughts.
Although beauty, when pertaining to humans, is under considerably more stress by societal norms than art, there is still much discrepancy between personal opinion of beauty. Some consider inner beauty more powerful than outer. Others become so obsessed with outer beauty that they become blind to personality and character. Personal truth does not discriminate between inner and outer, because, after all, it is the viewer whom holds the truth, and who can rightly say which is more valuable because value is a deeply personal subject. I will be the first to admit that I have been utterly captivated by beautiful women and had to use every ounce of my strength in order to be polite and refrain from staring and drooling (I exaggerate). There is something about a smile, the twinkle in an eye, the slope of a neck, and long, silky hair that gets me, and I'm sure, gets everyone else. No matter how civilized and sensible humanity becomes, outer beauty will always be important. The real variation and uncertainty takes place in the truth of inner beauty. People often preach the importance of inner beauty, swearing that they would rather marry the homely and innocent over the comely and corrupt, and I often wonder to what extent is this true. Each person has a varying truth on what they believe characterizes inner beauty based on their upbringing and hierarchy of moral importance. Some believe that charity is beautiful or that honesty is the most beautiful quality a human could possess. Regardless of specifics, the majority of humanity agrees that true inner beauty is based on positive moral character. They believe that most beautiful things on this Earth are characteristic of a pure soul.
These memories and experiences and the things we have learned along our life's journey, as short as ours have been so far, have evolved into things that we consider as true. When things happen to us, or we experience them, we begin to form opinions, and until these opinions get changed, either by argument, new experiences, or education, they are personally true. In other words, we believe them to be true. We use these personal truths to realize true beauty, true emotion, and truly good art.
Of course, each culture will have their respective generalities about true beauty and good art. In art, these generalities usually have characteristics such as relevance, depth, emotional content, and use of technique. While these are certainly appropriate characteristics to judge a piece by, they cannot capture the full affect that the art has on it's viewers. The true sign of a good piece of art is that it can be interpreted a million different ways by a million different people, that it can appeal to the emotions of it's viewers in such a profound way that they cannot get enough of it. The true sign of a good piece of art is that it can be stared at and contemplated for hours on end without ever becoming boring. The reason that this phenomenon, which is the emotionally charged reaction to a combination of colors and shapes, has it's basis in personal truth. The reason that we can be so smitten by a piece of art that reminds us of our home or provokes us to dream about different lands, or experiences, or foods, or even tastes is because we each hold in our memories experiences that have shaped how we interpret what we see. These are our truths. Just as a fine piece of art can enrapture our imaginations, a beautiful woman or man can captivate our thoughts.
Although beauty, when pertaining to humans, is under considerably more stress by societal norms than art, there is still much discrepancy between personal opinion of beauty. Some consider inner beauty more powerful than outer. Others become so obsessed with outer beauty that they become blind to personality and character. Personal truth does not discriminate between inner and outer, because, after all, it is the viewer whom holds the truth, and who can rightly say which is more valuable because value is a deeply personal subject. I will be the first to admit that I have been utterly captivated by beautiful women and had to use every ounce of my strength in order to be polite and refrain from staring and drooling (I exaggerate). There is something about a smile, the twinkle in an eye, the slope of a neck, and long, silky hair that gets me, and I'm sure, gets everyone else. No matter how civilized and sensible humanity becomes, outer beauty will always be important. The real variation and uncertainty takes place in the truth of inner beauty. People often preach the importance of inner beauty, swearing that they would rather marry the homely and innocent over the comely and corrupt, and I often wonder to what extent is this true. Each person has a varying truth on what they believe characterizes inner beauty based on their upbringing and hierarchy of moral importance. Some believe that charity is beautiful or that honesty is the most beautiful quality a human could possess. Regardless of specifics, the majority of humanity agrees that true inner beauty is based on positive moral character. They believe that most beautiful things on this Earth are characteristic of a pure soul.
These memories and experiences and the things we have learned along our life's journey, as short as ours have been so far, have evolved into things that we consider as true. When things happen to us, or we experience them, we begin to form opinions, and until these opinions get changed, either by argument, new experiences, or education, they are personally true. In other words, we believe them to be true. We use these personal truths to realize true beauty, true emotion, and truly good art.
Perceptions
Beauty, art, and truth are all connected in the way they are viewed. The cliche phrase "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" shows up repeatedly in our first thoughts packet for a reason. Beauty is defined by the individual and it varies. Not everyone is going to find the same person beautiful just as not everyone finds the same piece of art beautiful. Similarly the truth changes from person to person. two people can experience the same event and come away with drastically different impressions of what happened based on their perceptions of incident. It is our perception that causes the individual to define beauty, art and truth for themselves.
In the video about art and the human form, it talked about the idea that art was a way in which to exaggerate the most important aspects of the human body based on the culture creating it. For example in Ancient Egypt order and consistency was favored resulting in a very exact human form that was not realistic or in Ancient Greece with the exaggerated athleticism. In this way culture influences the individuals concept of beauty. Further, each person has their own perceptions of beauty.
Art is up for interpretation. Each person person looks at art in a different way. A piece of art can evoke very different emotions in a viewer. People can look at a painting a see very different emotions in the subject often based on their own experiences. Again it is the viewer's perception of the painting that dictates their reaction and if they find it beautiful.
In the theory the truth is universal it is the one correct answer. However the truth also depends on the perceptions. The truth about an event, a feeling, or a relationship depend on the person and their perception of what happened. Two people can have an argument and the truth of what the argument was about can differ. In a relationship there can be widely different ideas of what happened based on the perception of each person. In a much broader example for some people the Bible is the truth where for others the truth of the Bible is that it is a work of fiction.
It is the perceptions of art, beauty, and truth that tie them. The ability to be completely different depending on the person. There is no right and wrong here, it all depends on perceptions. So despite how cliche the phrase is, the concept of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" backs up this idea of perceptions defining all three.
In the video about art and the human form, it talked about the idea that art was a way in which to exaggerate the most important aspects of the human body based on the culture creating it. For example in Ancient Egypt order and consistency was favored resulting in a very exact human form that was not realistic or in Ancient Greece with the exaggerated athleticism. In this way culture influences the individuals concept of beauty. Further, each person has their own perceptions of beauty.
Art is up for interpretation. Each person person looks at art in a different way. A piece of art can evoke very different emotions in a viewer. People can look at a painting a see very different emotions in the subject often based on their own experiences. Again it is the viewer's perception of the painting that dictates their reaction and if they find it beautiful.
In the theory the truth is universal it is the one correct answer. However the truth also depends on the perceptions. The truth about an event, a feeling, or a relationship depend on the person and their perception of what happened. Two people can have an argument and the truth of what the argument was about can differ. In a relationship there can be widely different ideas of what happened based on the perception of each person. In a much broader example for some people the Bible is the truth where for others the truth of the Bible is that it is a work of fiction.
It is the perceptions of art, beauty, and truth that tie them. The ability to be completely different depending on the person. There is no right and wrong here, it all depends on perceptions. So despite how cliche the phrase is, the concept of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" backs up this idea of perceptions defining all three.
An Illusionary World
Those who are artists see the world in all of its beauty. Those who are the beautiful people become art, and the beautiful things of this world become the same. Truth is the arms dealer, supporting and allying itself with art and beauty while doing the same with the spectator, and yet turning the parties on one another and becoming a puppet master, pulling the strings on art and beauty while covering the spectator with a veil. In beauty, art, or truth, one may find traces of the either two elements. Still, the remaining two may yet not be present at all, or even acting in opposition to one another. The way the three interact is determined by the spectator, and the fallibility of humanity makes all such determinations fantastically wrong.
What is art is indeed determined by the spectator as well, reliant upon whether an individual is enlightened or ignorant. The nature of a spectator, in regards to art, is not decided by any particular walk of life, but rather the openness one has concerning the matter. Being open is crucial to observing art, not only to its identification, but also concerning its meaning as, for the most part, art is created. The creator or method of creation is irrelevant, but art is created, not inherent, setting it apart from truth and beauty. Therefore, there is intent or latent meaning in it. Whatever those qualities manifest as are the product of an enlightened spectator. Yet, the measure of true understanding could lie in how strongly a detail is perceived or in how many qualities are perceived. The matter of truth manifests itself in this occasion, and one person's truth may not exist for another. The beauty in a piece is another matter entirely, a sense of what is beautiful being defined on both a cultural and individual basis. Art simply exists after its creation, and in art, beauty and truth can be both discovered and overlooked.
Beauty is just as easy to imagine as it is to overlook, and it is easier to redefine beauty than it is to find beauty in the world around us. Beauty is everything people want it to be, and rarely something that can be reached. In our society, many individuals will detect what they consider to be beautiful upon a glance of the world. If asked what beauty is in a person, many will either respond with their initial thoughts, yet are outnumbered by those that define beauty as being more than physical, an internal beauty defining what is truly glorious. Neither of these answers are true. Beauty may be found in any piece of art, the truth being that it exists, and the truth being that it is a phantom that may never be discovered in its entirety. A piece of art may have an initial beauty to it, but over time, after long preponderance of that beauty, its luster fades, and so it is assigned meaning beyond its visual appeal. This meaning will last longer and perhaps even hold more worth, but it is not an instinctual appeal. The opposite example being a piece that has no initial visual appeal, but an intellectual beauty an example being a piece of writing. The author's words hold a unique beauty, yet just meaningful words have, in fact, no meaning. Therefore, people create images or physical sensations, and the beauty of the piece is reincarnated in another form. Truth haunts all beauty; beauty is truly appealing and true beauty's appeal fades.
Truth is both the shoulder angel and devil, casting shadows in its absence and casting illusions in its presence. There is no such thing as one truth, there can, in fact, be many versions of the truth. Therefore, if there is no absolute truth, the word itself creates a paradox. Truth has this relationship with everything it touches. The movie Les Miserables depicts an inspector, Javert, who spends years of his life pursuing one man as a result of his version of the truth, never seeing the other side of the story. A classic example of the presence of truth, Javert is blinded by his truth. Yet, is not seeing only one point of a matter the antithesis of truth? Someone or something can indeed be considered beautiful by an individual. The same object may hold no charm or appeal whatsoever to another. Both sides hold their own logical reasons for the matter, and both sides are correct; there is a falsity in truth that is unlike any other. What is art is as much a question of truth as what beauty is, and holds the same answer for the same reason. The only truth about truth is that it is always wrong for the same reasons: it is based on opinion.
A beautiful flower, a painting of a flower, an acknowledgement of the flower's appeal, and an acknowledgement of the flower's demise all share the same basis in opinion. The three aspects that lend themselves to describing the world, excluding as much as they include, and becoming filters through which everything may be seen as an individual desires. The most pure forms of these filters may never be glimpsed, absolute truth as unattainable as universal beauty, and as unimaginable as perfect art. The institutions which so many consider vital to the human experience are as flawed as their creators.
What is art is indeed determined by the spectator as well, reliant upon whether an individual is enlightened or ignorant. The nature of a spectator, in regards to art, is not decided by any particular walk of life, but rather the openness one has concerning the matter. Being open is crucial to observing art, not only to its identification, but also concerning its meaning as, for the most part, art is created. The creator or method of creation is irrelevant, but art is created, not inherent, setting it apart from truth and beauty. Therefore, there is intent or latent meaning in it. Whatever those qualities manifest as are the product of an enlightened spectator. Yet, the measure of true understanding could lie in how strongly a detail is perceived or in how many qualities are perceived. The matter of truth manifests itself in this occasion, and one person's truth may not exist for another. The beauty in a piece is another matter entirely, a sense of what is beautiful being defined on both a cultural and individual basis. Art simply exists after its creation, and in art, beauty and truth can be both discovered and overlooked.
Beauty is just as easy to imagine as it is to overlook, and it is easier to redefine beauty than it is to find beauty in the world around us. Beauty is everything people want it to be, and rarely something that can be reached. In our society, many individuals will detect what they consider to be beautiful upon a glance of the world. If asked what beauty is in a person, many will either respond with their initial thoughts, yet are outnumbered by those that define beauty as being more than physical, an internal beauty defining what is truly glorious. Neither of these answers are true. Beauty may be found in any piece of art, the truth being that it exists, and the truth being that it is a phantom that may never be discovered in its entirety. A piece of art may have an initial beauty to it, but over time, after long preponderance of that beauty, its luster fades, and so it is assigned meaning beyond its visual appeal. This meaning will last longer and perhaps even hold more worth, but it is not an instinctual appeal. The opposite example being a piece that has no initial visual appeal, but an intellectual beauty an example being a piece of writing. The author's words hold a unique beauty, yet just meaningful words have, in fact, no meaning. Therefore, people create images or physical sensations, and the beauty of the piece is reincarnated in another form. Truth haunts all beauty; beauty is truly appealing and true beauty's appeal fades.
Truth is both the shoulder angel and devil, casting shadows in its absence and casting illusions in its presence. There is no such thing as one truth, there can, in fact, be many versions of the truth. Therefore, if there is no absolute truth, the word itself creates a paradox. Truth has this relationship with everything it touches. The movie Les Miserables depicts an inspector, Javert, who spends years of his life pursuing one man as a result of his version of the truth, never seeing the other side of the story. A classic example of the presence of truth, Javert is blinded by his truth. Yet, is not seeing only one point of a matter the antithesis of truth? Someone or something can indeed be considered beautiful by an individual. The same object may hold no charm or appeal whatsoever to another. Both sides hold their own logical reasons for the matter, and both sides are correct; there is a falsity in truth that is unlike any other. What is art is as much a question of truth as what beauty is, and holds the same answer for the same reason. The only truth about truth is that it is always wrong for the same reasons: it is based on opinion.
A beautiful flower, a painting of a flower, an acknowledgement of the flower's appeal, and an acknowledgement of the flower's demise all share the same basis in opinion. The three aspects that lend themselves to describing the world, excluding as much as they include, and becoming filters through which everything may be seen as an individual desires. The most pure forms of these filters may never be glimpsed, absolute truth as unattainable as universal beauty, and as unimaginable as perfect art. The institutions which so many consider vital to the human experience are as flawed as their creators.
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