Author: Anonymous

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A Divine Constellation of Ideas

Ideas
Photo: Andres Alagon on Unsplash

Ideas are like stars in the sky of our ever-expanding universe. They seem to be born out of the darkness and to proliferate to infinity. However, similar to an unaided (or even aided) view of the night sky, where it is difficult to discriminate between each star or to see a pattern in their configuration, the quality of an idea is also hard to evaluate, as is its relation with other ideas.

People often resort to signals such as pedigree, accolades or some other external marker to help determine whether an idea is good or not. This default approach often leads people astray. Fundamentally, a great, new idea would be hard to measure since there would effectively be no precedent for it, and it would bear relatively little resemblance to whatever sources inspired or informed it, regardless of how they were originally received.

Contrarily, bad ideas, which should have long expired, can continue not just to live but to form the basis for other bad ideas, in other words, result in the proliferation of bad ideas, if they had been deemed by the powers that be, which can be more interested in maintaining the status quo than rewarding intellectual merit, to be good ideas.

Ultimately, from a theological perspective, only God would definitively know whether an idea is good or not. The rest of us have to evaluate them in some other considerably less omniscient way. What way should that be? How does one assess the merits of an idea?

I would argue that, to the extent that one can, it begins with purging the mind of bias and then comparing the new idea with existing similar ideas and objective analyses of their effectiveness, from positive and normative perspectives. There should also be a strict evaluation of the absolute merits of the idea itself; albeit, this is easier said than done.

Ultimately, there is no perfect method since there are no perfect people or perfect ideas; however, the goal should be to identify the star ideas and to create a constellation of the best ones, which should yield, by all objective measures, a better world.

>>https://longinglogos.com/our-self-defeating-jealousy/<<  

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Beauty and the State of the Self

Beauty
Photo: Helen Ngoc on Unsplash

Particularly in these tech-oriented times, the arts, in their traditional definition, seem to have diminished in the general population’s pastimes, as they have been replaced with televisions, technology, sports, and other less “high-brow” leisure activities. More than just existing for their own sake, the arts create beauty, which, whether natural or manmade, can be both a balm for the stressed, anxious mind, and an intellectual and creative stimulant.

Humans have created magnificent expressions of beauty, such as architecture to include places of worship, fine arts, which were also often meant to glorify God, and luxury goods, but beauty can also be found in more common spaces and things. Inexpensive but well-designed living spaces, clothes or other common items are often captured by artists not because they have an intrinsically high value but for their unique qualities, which can transport the viewer into a distinct time and place.

These artists understand the qualities of art that can transform a relatively mundane subject into a (perhaps unconventionally) beautiful one. It is hard to enumerate these qualities, as they vary considerably. In general, they have to do with composition, light, and form.

Some might think that orienting oneself in this way to the beautiful is a distraction or a luxury. I would argue that it is a necessity. It is a way to infuse one’s daily life, which can often feel quotidian or routine, with an element of romance. It is the difference between existing and living. It is an important component of self-care, since it provides, at a minimum, a subconscious message to the heart, mind and soul that, indeed, the world’s ugliness has limits.

It stops at the self, and in oneself starts and continues the true, the good and the beautiful. Whether or not one can extend these elements to the world is secondary to what is gained by incorporating them into one’s own life. The simple act of intentionally seeking beauty can still anxiety and revive a wearily mind.

Look up. Look down. See the light beam fall upon old wood tables with a worn leather backpack draped across a slatted chair, turn your clothbound book, and wonder: why did man create all this? Because we could. Because it’s necessary. And because it’s beautiful.

>>https://longinglogos.com/anodynes-for-anxiety/<<    

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Death in the Time of Spring

Death in the Time of Spring
Photo: Daniil Silantev on Unsplash

Aside from some weather anomalies, spring seemed to start normally. The snow began melting, and the days grew longer. Then, came the novel coronavirus. The specter of death now looms over the world as nature enters a period of rebirth. It might seem paradoxical, until one considers that it is also Lent, and life, death and rebirth have been married together in that context for approximately 2,000 years.

It is also a fitting topic as the first post on Longing Logos. It is heavy; it is deep, and it is a timeless, universal truth that death is a part of life. Whether one believes in God or not, this is a fact. In this time of panic, I have been calm and at peace. Whenever and wherever death comes, I hope to maintain that peace. I have seen the light, and I know that in death’s darkness, another light will shine.

I pray that peace be also with you.