Some -very- interesting stuff to digest here. I don't know much about Buddhism or the thought behind it, but they do have some interesting takes. A very well-done article, Bryan.
Anytime you can put Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Journey on the same playlist is a win in my book. Both are great songs.
Thanks, Mark! Very glad you liked it. Buddhism is fascinating - such a different take on the same things we all deal with on a daily basis. I find my students really enjoy delving into it, though at times the concepts can be quite difficult because they're just so alien.
And, yes - Blood, Sweat and Tears and Journey - match made in heaven, I'd say!
Hope you're enjoying the first days of the new year. I find the transition much easier now that I don't write checks anymore!
I always enjoy and am impressed by what you’re doing Bryan ... but I want to ask you about one point today. You write at the end of the first section: “For the preliterate, the information contained in this picture would have been mind-blowing.” It’s the “for the preliterate” part that sits crossways with me, for it supposes that literacy brought a better understanding of these deep issues. Do you suppose that’s true? What is it you mean by this bit?
Hello! I think the 'preliterate' bit sits crossways with you because, well, it's crossways. That was a sentence from an earlier draft - I just missed it when I was finishing up far too late last the other night. I've removed it from the webpage version. What I get for not having an editor.
That said, your question has me thinking about preliterate/literate peoples and these issues and I think I'd take a hesitant stab at saying literacy does bring about a deeper understanding. I say this because of personal experience: I prefer text over pictures any day - I like the way I imagine a scene, a person, an idea - and find that a picture, drawing, etc. of the same done by someone else usually pales in comparison. It is, after all, their vision and understanding of whatever it is. As an example: I have a friend who has refused to see the Lord of the Rings films because he doesn't want his personal images affected by the vision of Peter Jackson. Which I fully understand - how I imagine Rivendale looked when I read the books is very different from the film's portrayal. So ... would a pre-literate painting realising its artist's vision of Yama be as effective as the text 'Yama - the God of Death - bites into the wheel'? I'm not sure - but I'd be interested in exploring it further!
It’s such an interesting question, isn’t it? I too tend toward the idea that literacy enables complexity ... and then I wake up next to this woman who eschews writing in favor of painting as her preferred method of expression, and I wonder if I’m just incapable of appreciating the complexity of pre-literate (or non-literate) thought. I suppose I could make a written argument for either side, but I sure as hell couldn’t paint it!
Some -very- interesting stuff to digest here. I don't know much about Buddhism or the thought behind it, but they do have some interesting takes. A very well-done article, Bryan.
Anytime you can put Blood, Sweat, and Tears and Journey on the same playlist is a win in my book. Both are great songs.
As usual, the "thought" is spot on.
Thanks again for the read.
Thanks, Mark! Very glad you liked it. Buddhism is fascinating - such a different take on the same things we all deal with on a daily basis. I find my students really enjoy delving into it, though at times the concepts can be quite difficult because they're just so alien.
And, yes - Blood, Sweat and Tears and Journey - match made in heaven, I'd say!
Hope you're enjoying the first days of the new year. I find the transition much easier now that I don't write checks anymore!
I always enjoy and am impressed by what you’re doing Bryan ... but I want to ask you about one point today. You write at the end of the first section: “For the preliterate, the information contained in this picture would have been mind-blowing.” It’s the “for the preliterate” part that sits crossways with me, for it supposes that literacy brought a better understanding of these deep issues. Do you suppose that’s true? What is it you mean by this bit?
Hello! I think the 'preliterate' bit sits crossways with you because, well, it's crossways. That was a sentence from an earlier draft - I just missed it when I was finishing up far too late last the other night. I've removed it from the webpage version. What I get for not having an editor.
That said, your question has me thinking about preliterate/literate peoples and these issues and I think I'd take a hesitant stab at saying literacy does bring about a deeper understanding. I say this because of personal experience: I prefer text over pictures any day - I like the way I imagine a scene, a person, an idea - and find that a picture, drawing, etc. of the same done by someone else usually pales in comparison. It is, after all, their vision and understanding of whatever it is. As an example: I have a friend who has refused to see the Lord of the Rings films because he doesn't want his personal images affected by the vision of Peter Jackson. Which I fully understand - how I imagine Rivendale looked when I read the books is very different from the film's portrayal. So ... would a pre-literate painting realising its artist's vision of Yama be as effective as the text 'Yama - the God of Death - bites into the wheel'? I'm not sure - but I'd be interested in exploring it further!
It’s such an interesting question, isn’t it? I too tend toward the idea that literacy enables complexity ... and then I wake up next to this woman who eschews writing in favor of painting as her preferred method of expression, and I wonder if I’m just incapable of appreciating the complexity of pre-literate (or non-literate) thought. I suppose I could make a written argument for either side, but I sure as hell couldn’t paint it!