Tag: Art
Remembering Sir Roger Scruton
A great thinker does not need the endorsement of others. Before the content of his thoughts, which, if they happen to point to truths, his ability stands itself as the gift exemplified. Sir Roger Scruton (27 February 1944 -12 January 2020) shall be remembered as one such thinker.
About creating art by going outside of contemplating the process
Creating anything is art. It is an act of art that goes through a process. Whether one is consciously and methodically following a method like Sherlock Holmes, the detective, or spontaneously giving rise to art, creating is a process. Creation lies in moving beyond the stage when one is about creating; one, then, moves outside…
Edward Hopper – The Book of Life
Edward Hopper is a painter of gloomy-looking paintings which don’t make us feel gloomy. Instead, they help us to recognise and accept the loneliness that so often lies at the heart of sadness. In his Automat, a woman sits alone drinking a cup of coffee. It is late and, to judge by her hat and coat,…
When attention is sustained, a small change can hold the potential for a major shift
Could it rightly be said that small things can hold the potential for a major shift? It is possible that you already understand the possibilities. It is possible, you have seen by way of observation, or experienced in your life when such a thing happens. A very simple, innocuous-seeming conversation, reading a passage in a…
Identity and self-expression; with some ideas from David Hume and Swami Vivekananda
The act of writing, as one does in one’s own journal or a personal diary, brings a person into a unique state of mind. It is the same state of mind as one has when one is talking to himself. These peculiar practices of writing to build a self-record and the talking to oneself are…
The experience of engaging with people – how a change in views is a fundamental need and also beneficial?
There isn’t a greater art and more of it needed at this time than of engaging with people. Engaging with people should be considered the end of all philosophy, systems of belief, or even the systems of society. When a person engages in thinking out solutions to issues or attempts to foresee the end of…
Writing – pen to paper or fingers to keyboard – tradition over modernity
These days, everyone is a writer. That is what technology has done. From the person who composes a short text message and garnishes it with the perfect emojis, to the one who prepares the agenda for an important board meeting, to the one writing in her own journal, everyone is writing. Whether there is some…
Crisis of democracy – social decline through politicization, and insistence on freedoms and rights
It is easier to answer the question, what is democracy as compared to why is democracy. Yes, why is democracy favored and touted as the ideal principle for governance, even though its failure was anticipated right from the time of Plato. As it is practically impossible for all the people to get together and make…