“There is one single thread binding my way together…the way of the Master consists in doing one’s best…that is all.”
– Confucius
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I originally had a different title in mind for this new painting,which is 24″ by 36″ on canvas. I saw it as being about the end of a journey, about coming to a point that marked the highest level of emotional and spiritual development. But then I remembered this quote from Confucius and it had immediate resonance.
It all comes down to effort in the end. Everything that comes to us, everything we desire and value, ultimately depends on the amount of effort we choose to put forth. Things done half-heartedly and with little attention never prosper or develop. Those things you take for granted never grow into something more. They only diminish with less attention. You can witness this in every aspect of your life. I know I can see it in my own. Everything I value– my marriage, my work and my peace of mind– requires hard work and maintenance, my very best effort.
This full effort ultimately leads to a deeper sense of connection with those things we value, emotionally and spiritually, and I suppose that’s what this piece signifies for me. I believe that any thinking person wants to reach their highest point of development, wants mastery over their own physical and spiritual life. This painting reminds me that it is obtainable if I am willing to give my very best.
As Confucius says: and that is all.
Redtree Times 
But what about the unearned, the unexpected and the inexplicable? Most of the best things that have come to me in life have come as gifts, sometimes despite my best efforts! (I’m quite capable of getting in my own way.)
Still, I take your point. The temptation to slide into half-heartedness or inattention is a daily one, and it can require real and conscious effort to overcome it.
I guess the difference is that you can’t control those things that fall into the category of chance or dumb luck while you can control your effort. And while you can’t fully know what effort will bring, you can fully depend on it bringing something (hopefully positive) whereas chance– the unexpected and inexplicable– have no dependable results. At least that has been my experience with a lifetime of worthless lottery tickets.
On Fri, May 2, 2014 at 8:05 AM, Redtree Times wrote:
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Fabulous painting and I also like the quote from Confucious.
International peacemaker Prem Rawat says (paraphrasing) “…the secret of success is focus and thirst – a wise man therefore takes care over what he focusses on…” 🙂
[…] a purpose that I think fits this painting very well. In a post I wrote about this painting back in May, I spoke of this representing the end of a journey, one that has culminated in a higher […]
Gary, I have to say I love this image. I found your blog through Linda above a few years back and have enjoyed your images as you have posted them. I keep hoping you will have a show somewhere close to the SE Texas coast Linda and I share.
For Christmas this year my wife presented me with a print of this painting from Fine Art America. It hangs over our fireplace and I find myself getting lost in the image daily… Thanks for the opportunity to share your vision.
Gary– Thank you so much for your words. I am glad that you are finding something in “The Way of the Master” that allows you to get lost in it– that’s all I can hope for as an artist. The actual painting is hanging in the US Embassy in Kuwait at this time. I guess they liked it as well!