Cool Contemplation— At Principle Gallery
The two ways of contemplation are not unlike the two ways of action commonly spoken of by the ancients: the one plain and smooth in the beginning, and in the end impassable; the other rough and troublesome in the entrance, but after a while fair and even. So it is in contemplation: If a man will begin with certainties, he shall end in doubts; but if he will be content to begin with doubts he shall end in certainties.
–Francis Bacon, The Advancement of Learning (1605)
I don’t know exactly why I chose the three parts of today’s triad. Maybe they don’t exactly line up up with one another. Maybe they do. Take them for what they’re worth.
Being Sunday and needing a song to play, I chose the song first. It was R.E.M. and their Man on the Moon. Next, looking for an image, I came across the piece at the top, Cool Contemplation. The clarity of its light and the positioning of the moon made me feel as though the crow was contemplating some great thought, perhaps something to do with the moon, the house in the distance or the even more distant moon.
Maybe he was pondering whether he could fly to that moon? It seems so close.
The passage from Francis Bacon seemed to just fall into place. We often have a lot of certainty in our beliefs and opinions. These are sometimes unfounded and untested, simply based on what we want to believe. Plain and smooth as Bacon might have put it. It’s the easy way and the one chosen by most of us.
But it is best when our opinions and beliefs are grounded in long contemplation that involves challenging them, discarding the flaws of logic and fact that are uncovered, and then reevaluating and adjusting them.
As Bacon points out, it’s rough and troublesome. Not the easy way.
Reading bacon’s quote felt like it belonged in today’s triad. It is a celebration of real productive contemplation, the kind born of uncertainty and curiosity. It also reminded me of a certain political movement– a cult, if you will– who has very much embraced the easy way. There is no self-awareness nor self-reflection in this movement. They are adamant in their certainty, never challenging their first reactions or beliefs and never discarding flaws of fact or logic. And because they refuse to acknowledge the factual mistakes and problems in their logic, they never reevaluate or readjust.
It remains constant. Which means it is forever grounded in its errors and misunderstandings. According to Bacon, it will ultimately end in doubt and failure.
It will certainly never achieve the certainty of truth.
Okay, enough. You know I want to write more on this and be much more explicit and maybe drop a few f-bombs here and there. I am trying to keep this space free of the craziness out there. I have enough in here for all of us.
So, take what’s here for what it’s worth.
Here’s R.E.M. with Man on the Moon.
Redtree Times 