Saturday, December 07, 2013
Saturday, October 26, 2013
Saturday, August 24, 2013
Saturday, July 06, 2013
The Movement of Events in Time
(Added comment August 12th: 'Just wanted to note that what I've expressed here is a view articulated by others and accepted by many among scientists and philosophers. I hope I've stated and summed up the concept well but have no intention of suggesting that the ideas expressed are somehow "mine.").
The progressions and developments we perceive in time intuitively seem to occur in orderly succession ("past" to "future"). Such perception leads one to believe that all creative acts and events occur from a sort of symbolic "push" forward -- the events of the past and present produce the future. But, we don't have to perceive it that way. It is every bit as realistic to perceive reality as being "pulled" toward what has already been determined to be.
From the broadest of perspectives -- beyond time so to speak -- everything that can or will occur has, at some future time, already occurred. In that sense, the perceived "push" into the future is actually a natural process of events being drawn forward by what has already "occurred." This would present an amazing but completely plausible scenario in which the universe was existing in a perpetually cycling loop, producing itself from itself - a recurring state of always producing itself yet having always been.
Another analogy would be to look upon existence as being akin to a motion picture film or chapters in a book, where the characters in each frame or chapter are clearly embedded in their moments of time having passed various demarcation points and moving toward a future that is already very much there but is yet unknown to "them."
Thursday, May 30, 2013
Aesthetics and Context - A Repost and Update
The contemporary Japan aesthetic travesty has been addressed by many a foreign observer. I don't like criticising what is essentially a very civilized and dignified culture -- Japan's people are great...but. Somewhere in the last several decades, Japan has lost its refined sense of beauty. This photo is a stunning example of what I speak of and, be assured, there are many examples to be found everywhere here.
Someone thought it would be nice to plant some flowers at a local train station. Fair enough. Flowers are nice, but someone should clue in the idiots that thought that barbed wire and faded brick would look nice with a flower bed. What exactly are they not seeing here?
I love the abstract aesthetic one can often find with a camera. Weather worn surfaces and aging can be impressive tableaus of color and texture but, A FLOWER BED AND BARBED WIRE?! -- Pleeeeaze...
Update: The horrid aesthetic travesty shown has been improved considerably. Since having posted this a few years ago, the context in question has been painted - reasonable earth tones - and a false brick facade has been places along the underpass walkway. Even the ugly industrial electrical box (not visible in the origional photo) has been painted. Some barbed wire remains, rather ridiculous in view of the fact that a short distance from it there are long stretches of shorter fences with no barbed wire at all.
Someone definitely gets points for at least trying to address the eyesore that was present - and having reasonably done so - of course the flowers are now missing. Grass and weeds, even on the side of highways, is virtually never cut. This is a classic result of a corpratist society where the state and large institutions dictate everything and leave a sterile bureaucratic stain everywhere while tax money is funneled into yearly bonuses for the minions of state.
I truly hope that most of Japan will one day get a clue and recognize that a beautiful environment is easily attained and that barbed wire, rusty metal, electrical towers, and concrete are not the way to go for a civilized society.
The new and improved eye for beauty below:
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