Monthly Archives: April 2014

The Shaman’s Body

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“Instead of fighting these forces or trying to explain them, the shaman gives up trying to change what he cannot grasp and reorients himself by adapting to their direction.

The average person {… a “phantom”} attempts to hold these forces at bay and refuses to sense his own impotence. The average person, your own naive consciousness, leads you to believe that medicine will heal your body, that psychology will make you more reasonable, and that being nice will help you in your relationship problems. Prayer should reduce the impact of fate, and technology will tame the universe. Whatever happens, you cling to the belief that you will either be saved from the unknown or discover new solutions to your problems. You believe that you are the center of a world that belongs to you.

Only your momentary terror and insecurity betray your impotence. The wiser part of you, your sorcerer, realizes that life is ultimately something beyond your mind and changing body. No one theory can completely explain anything, and the origins of even your simples impulses seem to be connected with the universe itself. In light of this, the apprentice tries to befriend the unknown.”

 

Arnold Mindell

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An artist’s life Manifesto

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1. An artist’s conduct in his life: 


– An artist should not lie to himself or others 
– An artist should not steal ideas from other artists 
– An artist should not compromise for themselves or in regards to the art market 
– An artist should not kill other human beings 
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol 
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol 
– An artist should not make themselves into an idol 




2. An artist’s relation to his love life: 


– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist 
– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist 
– An artist should avoid falling in love with another artist 




3. An artist’s relation to the erotic: 


– An artist should develop an erotic point of view on the world 
– An artist should be erotic 
– An artist should be erotic 
– An artist should be erotic 




4. An artist’s relation to suffering: 


– An artist should suffer 
– From the suffering comes the best work 
– Suffering brings transformation 
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit 
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit 
– Through the suffering an artist transcends their spirit 




5. An artist’s relation to depression:
– An artist should not be depressed 
– Depression is a disease and should be cured 
– Depression is not productive for an artist
– Depression is not productive for an artist 
– Depression is not productive for an artist 




6. An artist’s relation to suicide: 


– Suicide is a crime against life 
– An artist should not commit suicide 
– An artist should not commit suicide 
– An artist should not commit suicide 




7. An artist’s relation to inspiration: 


– An artist should look deep inside themselves for inspiration 
– The deeper they look inside themselves, the more universal they become 
– The artist is universe 
– The artist is universe 
– The artist is universe 




8. An artist’s relation to self-control: 


– The artist should not have self-c ontrol about his life 
– The artist should have total self-control about his work 
– The artist should not have self-control about his life 
– The artist should have total self-control about his work 




9. An artist’s relation with transparency: 


– The artist should give and receive at the same time 
– Transparency means receptive 
– Transparency means to give 
– Transparency means to receive 
– Transparency means receptive 
– Transparency means to give 
– Transparency means to receive 
– Transparency means receptive 
– Transparency means to give 
– Transparency means to receive 




10. An artist’s relation to symbols: 


– An artist creates his own symbols 
– Symbols are an artist’s language 
– The language must then be translated 
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key 
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key 
– Sometimes it is difficult to find the key




11. An artist’s relation to silence: 


– An artist has to understand silence 
– An artist has to create a space for silence to enter his work 
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean 
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean 
– Silence is like an island in the middle of a turbulent ocean 




12. An artist’s relation to solitude: 


– An artist must make time for the long periods of solitude 
– Solitude is extremely important 
– Away from home 
– Away from the studio 
– Away from family
– Away from friends 
– An artist should stay for long periods of time at waterfalls 
– An artist should stay for long periods of time at exploding volcanoes 
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the fast running rivers 
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the horizon where the ocean and sky meet 
– An artist should stay for long periods of time looking at the stars in the night sky 




13. An artist’s conduct in relation to work: 


– An artist should avoid going to the studio every day
– An artist should not treat his work schedule as a bank employee does 
– An artist should explore life and work only when an idea comes to him in a dream or during the day as a vision that arises as a surprise 
– An artist should not repeat himself 
– An artist should not overproduce 
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution 
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution 
– An artist should avoid his own art pollution 




14. An artist’s possessions: 


– Buddhist monks advise that it is best to have nine possessions in their life: 
1 robe for the summer 
1 robe for the winter 
1 pair of shoes 
1 begging bowl for food 
1 mosquito net 
1 prayer book 
1 umbrella 
1 mat to sleep on 
1 pair of glasses if needed 
– An artist should decide for himself the minimum personal possessions they should have
– An artist should have more and more of less and less 
– An artist should have more and more of less and less 
– An artist should have more and more of less and less


15. A list of an artist’s friends: 


– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits 
– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits 
– An artist should have friends that lift their spirits 




16. A list of an artist’s enemies: 


– Enemies are very important 
– The Dalai Lama has said that it is easy to have compassion with friends but much more difficult to have compassion with enemies 
– An artist has to learn to forgive 
– An artist has to learn to forgive 
– An artist has to learn to forgive 




17. Different death scenarios: 


– An artist has to be aware of his own mortality 
– For an artist, it is not only important how he lives his life but also how he dies 
– An artist should look at the symbols of his work for the signs of different death scenarios 
– An artist should die consciously without fear 
– An artist should die consciously without fear 
– An artist should die consciously without fear 




18. Different funeral scenarios: 


– An artist should give instructions before the funeral so that everything is done the way he wants it 
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving 
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving 
– The funeral is the artist’s last art piece before leaving

 

Marina Abramovic

 

How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The BOMB

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Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love The BOMB
(Script of my favourite part of the movie)

INT. WAR ROOM - COMMAND BRIDGE

     Air Force General "BUCK" SCHMUCK is speaking as the scene opens.

     The huge, polished wood table is neatly spread with the remains of
     breakfast.  Eggs and bacon, melon, toast, silver thermos jugs of
     coffee, pastries, and glasses of ice water.

                       GENERAL "BUCK" SCHMUCK
             In conclusion, I should like to observe that:
             One, our hopes for recalling the 843rd Bomb
             Wing are next to nothing.  Two, in about
             fifteen minutes the enemy will be making radar
             contacts with our planes.  Three, when they
             do, they will go absolutely Ape, and strike
             back with everything they've got.  Four, if
             prior to this we haven't done anything to
             suppress their retaliatory abilities, we will
             suffer virtual annihilation - in round numbers
             a hundred and fifty million killed.  Five, if
             we immediately launch an all-out missile
             attack on their bases, we stand an excellent
             chance of catching them off guard.  In that
             event, we will destroy the bulk of their
             retaliatory strength, prevail in the struggle,
             and suffer relatively modest and acceptable
             civilian casualties.

     He pauses and confidently looks around the table.  The PRESIDENT
     stares at him inscrutably.

                       GENERAL "BUCK" SCHMUCK
             If I may, I'd like to illustrate my conclusion
             with a very brief story.
                 (a squinty-eyed smile)
             I played guard on my high-school football team.
             I wasn't particularly big for the line, and my
             coach once told me something I've never for-
             gotten.  "Schmucko" he said - that was what
             they called me in those days - "Schmucko,
             always remember this.  The harder you hit
             the other fellow, the less you'll get hurt."
                 (confidently checks each game)
             My recommendation is that we follow General
             Ripper's action to its logical end.  In
             other words, to hit the other fellow as hard as
             we can!

     No one says anything.

                       ADMIRAL PERCY BULDIKE
             What's your estimate of casualties if we
             strike first?

     ADMIRAL PERCY BULDIKE is a model of the crisp, tough
     Navy man.  His lean, rugged features are lit by an obvious intelligence.

                       GENERAL "BUCK" SCHMUCK
             Under those circumstances, oh, I'd say for us
             twenty to fifty million, depending on the breaks.
             For the enemy, something on the order of fifty
             million, if we stick to military targets.

                       ADMIRAL PERCY BULDIKE
             You are very casual about those figures,
             General Schmuck.

                       GENERAL "BUCK" SCHMUCK
             Not at all, Admiral Buldike.  Naturally, we all
             deeply regret such a sad loss - and let me be
             the first to say, I don't like the idea one bit
             that we'd be clobbering their women and children.
             But quit a few of their bases are very close to
             cities and towns, and to would be unavoidable.

                       PRESIDENT MUFFLEY
             Well, gentlemen, do you concur with General
             Schmuck?

     There is a nervous silence.

                       GENERAL "BUCK" SCHMUCK
             Mister President, regretable as such a choice
             is, there is a quantitative difference between
             fifty and a hundred and fifty million of our
             dead.

What is energy?

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“In this chapter, we begin our more detailed study of the different aspects of physics, having finished our description of things in general. To illustrate the ideas and the kind of reasoning that might be used in theoretical physics, we shall now examine one of the most basic laws of physics, the conservation of energy.

There is a fact, or if you wish, a law, governing all natural phenomena that are known to date. There is no known exception to this law—it is exact so far as we know. The law is called the conservation of energy. It states that there is a certain quantity, which we call energy, that does not change in the manifold changes which nature undergoes. That is a most abstract idea, because it is a mathematical principle; it says that there is a numerical quantity which does not change when something happens. It is not a description of a mechanism, or anything concrete; it is just a strange fact that we can calculate some number and when we finish watching nature go through her tricks and calculate the number again, it is the same. (Something like the bishop on a red square, and after a number of moves—details unknown—it is still on some red square. It is a law of this nature.) Since it is an abstract idea, we shall illustrate the meaning of it by an analogy.”

Richard Feynman

On aims and methods of Ethology

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“Ethology, the term now widely in use in the English speaking world for the branch of science called in Germany ,,Vergleichende Verhaltensforschung“ or “Tierpsychologie” is perhaps defined most easily in historical terms, viz. as the type of behaviour study which was given a strong impetus, and was made “respectable”, by KONRAD LORENZ. LORENZ himself was greatly influenced by CHARLES OTIS WHITMAN and OSKAR HEINROTH in fact, when LORENZ was asked at an international interdisciplinary conference in 1955 how he would define Ethology, he said: “The branch of research started by OSKAR HEINROT(H19”55, p. 77). Although it is only fair to point out that certain aspects of modern Ethology were already adumbrated in the work of men such as HUXLEY (1914, 1923) and VERWEY(1930), these historical statements are both correct as far as they go. However, they do not tell us much about the nature of Ethology. In this paper I wish to attempt an evaluation of the present scope of our science and, in addition, to try and formulate what exactly it is that makes us consider LORENZ “the father of modern Ethology”. Such an attempt seems to me worthwhile for several reasons: there is no consistent “public image” of Ethology among outsiders; and worse: ethologists themselves differ widely in their opinions of what their science is about. I have heard Ethology characterised as the study of releasers, as the science of imprinting, as the science of innate behaviour; some say it is the activities of animal lovers; still others see it as the study of animals in their natural surroundings. It just is a fact that we are still very far from being a unified science, from having a clear conception of the aims of study, of the methods employed and of the relevance of the methods to the aims. Yet for the future development of Ethology it seems to me important to continue our attempts to clarify our thinking, particularly about the nature of the questions we are trying to answer. When in these pages I venture once more to bring this subject up for discussion, I do this in full awareness of the fact that our thinking is still in a state of flux and that many of my close colleagues may disagree with what I am going to say. However, I believe that, if we do not continue to give thought to the problem of our overall aims, our field will be in danger of either splitting up into seemingly unrelated sub-sciences, or of becoming an isolated “-ism”. I also believe that I can honour KONKAD LORENZ in no better way than by continuing this kind of “soul-searching”. I have not hesitated to give personal views even at the risk of being considered rash or provocative.”

N. Tinbergen