Point of Contact, 2016
The world is full of magical things patiently waiting for our wits to grow sharper.
–Bertrand Russell
These handful of words from the great British thinker Bertrand Russell succinctly sums up the idea behind much of my work. And that is that there is a world of wonder within our grasp if only we make the effort to recognize the patterns and forces of which they are comprised.
I have said before that we are part of a greater pattern. I believe that it can be found in two simple ways– either looking inward or looking outward. Since we are formed from and dwell within this pattern, we can find parts of by examining our own inner world, our thoughts and dreams. Or we can examine the world immediately around us for the hints of the pattern that are everywhere if only we can recognize them.
Unfortunately, in this busy modern world we too often find ourselves doing neither. We live in a sort of limbo where we are mesmerized by the glossy lure of technologies that occupy our every moment. It keeps us in a state of limbo where we are neither looking inward or outward, as our eyes and thoughts are transfixed by the screen in our hands.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m no technology-resisting Luddite. I embrace and depend on the wonders of this technology as much as anyone. And laud it when it serves a real purpose, when it expands our knowledge and transmits it to the far corners of the world. The possibilities for the good benefits from technology are seemingly endless.
But none of it matters if we lose contact with the greater powers and wonders that surround us every day, forces and patterns that patiently wait for us to unravel the magic that makes them invisible to us.
I know to some that this sounds like a bunch of mumbo jumbo. Maybe the idea of great forces and patterns surrounding us seems a bit loony to some. I get that. But set that aside, if you must, and simply consider the benefits of looking away from your smartphone or laptop for a short time each day to examine the inner and outer world outside of that screen. Maybe if we do this on a regular basis our wits will sharpen to the point that we will better see that world of magical things as Bertrand Russell pointed out.
And if we can achieve that maybe we can one day achieve one of Russell’s great hopes, taken from his 1954 book, Human Society in Ethics and Politics:
I allow myself to hope that the world will emerge from its present troubles, that it will one day learn to give the direction of its affairs, not to cruel swindlers and scoundrels, but to men possessed of wisdom and courage. I see before me a shining vision: a world where none are hungry, where few are ill, where work is pleasant and not excessive, where kindly feeling is common, and where minds released from fear create delight for eye, ear and heart. Do not say this is impossible. It is not impossible. I do not say it can be done tomorrow, but I do say that it could be done within a thousand years, if only men would bend their minds to the achievement of the kind of happiness that should be distinctive of man.
It’s one of my great hopes as well. On some days I sense that we are closer to achieving this than it seems while on other days it feels as though we are doomed by our own greed and selfishness.
But the hope remains and perhaps one day, maybe a thousand years from now, if we have endured the damage done to ourselves by our greediness and have sharpened our wits, we will realize that hoped for state of being.
Maybe…
This is a post from 2016 that I have edited, including the addition of the last Russell passage. The painting at the top, Point of Contact, is from that time and is one of those paintings that has returned to me. Probably because I associate it so closely with the sentiments in this blog post, it remains a favorite of mine.
Redtree Times 