Sunday, 19 July 2009
Masks II
If this be the mask that names me then let it be the mask that buries me, for I wear no other - I am that which you see.
Tuesday, 30 June 2009
Masks
When all is reduced to nothing, one no longer needs a mask, for the only thing left to express is that which is.
"The divine is God's concern; the human, man's. My concern is neither the divine nor the human, not the true, good, just, free, etc., but solely what is mine, and it is not a general one, but is - unique, as I am unique."
- Max Stirner, 1848
"The divine is God's concern; the human, man's. My concern is neither the divine nor the human, not the true, good, just, free, etc., but solely what is mine, and it is not a general one, but is - unique, as I am unique."
- Max Stirner, 1848
Tuesday, 23 June 2009
In Composition...
Everything I do right, I learnt from Beethoven; everything I do wrong, I learnt from Mozart.
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Tuesday, 21 April 2009
The Divine Invasion, by Philip K. Dick
I finished reading The Divine Invasion on the 11th of February. I rank this as one of Dick’s best. A truly amazing book! The Divine Invasion almost had me believing in this alternate world of Logos, and the fallen angel. Although Dick mixes Gnosticism and other various religious beliefs, they all combine to form a representation of Christianity itself that is far darker and real than anything that is propagated by mainstream Christians. Dick is terrifyingly believable.
Sunday, 8 February 2009
Sunday, 7 December 2008
The World is going to the Dogs
In every year of every decade of every century of every millennium, someone states that the world is going to the dogs. But the world has been going in that direction since the first person thought it, but never has it, nor will it be in grasp of the dogs.
The world is always changing, and humanity always adapts to those changes. To maintain a nihilistic outlook while pursuing a positivist lifestyle will only ferment bitter fruits as the world around continues to change, develop and spring forth new challenges for individuals to face.
One could argue that kids no longer enjoy going to films anymore, preferring to sit in front of the computer or TV playing games. The understanding here is that the gaming console (Playstation, Xbox, etc.) provides a far greater interactive experience than any film could – remember when you use to sit down and play marbles/knucklebones/hopscotch? These are genuinely interactive games, but they don’t however provide the escapist entertainment that video games provide. Children do not lose imagination, nor lack the use of imagination, in the playing of these games, for it takes a genuine imagination to suspend disbelief and launch the self into role-playing, just as an actor must imagine their role in a film. I felt this experience recently while playing Prince of Persia I & II. I genuinely felt that no Hollywood film could ever live up to the experience of actually playing the game with all its highs and lows, of having control over your character and the struggle to pass each level.
People who are born with great imaginations are the ones who create these experiences for the rest of us to participate in. There will never be a world where people’s imaginations are lacking, unless we already live in it, and if that were the case then it has always been the case and always will be.
Would you want to live in a world where outdoor sports were your only option? Because of the digital world, we now have a new field of interest where people who don’t enjoy the outdoors will find fulfilment indoors. This is no more a danger than your child getting their back broken in an outdoor sport.
So what world is going to the dogs?
The world is always changing, and humanity always adapts to those changes. To maintain a nihilistic outlook while pursuing a positivist lifestyle will only ferment bitter fruits as the world around continues to change, develop and spring forth new challenges for individuals to face.
One could argue that kids no longer enjoy going to films anymore, preferring to sit in front of the computer or TV playing games. The understanding here is that the gaming console (Playstation, Xbox, etc.) provides a far greater interactive experience than any film could – remember when you use to sit down and play marbles/knucklebones/hopscotch? These are genuinely interactive games, but they don’t however provide the escapist entertainment that video games provide. Children do not lose imagination, nor lack the use of imagination, in the playing of these games, for it takes a genuine imagination to suspend disbelief and launch the self into role-playing, just as an actor must imagine their role in a film. I felt this experience recently while playing Prince of Persia I & II. I genuinely felt that no Hollywood film could ever live up to the experience of actually playing the game with all its highs and lows, of having control over your character and the struggle to pass each level.
People who are born with great imaginations are the ones who create these experiences for the rest of us to participate in. There will never be a world where people’s imaginations are lacking, unless we already live in it, and if that were the case then it has always been the case and always will be.
Would you want to live in a world where outdoor sports were your only option? Because of the digital world, we now have a new field of interest where people who don’t enjoy the outdoors will find fulfilment indoors. This is no more a danger than your child getting their back broken in an outdoor sport.
So what world is going to the dogs?
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