Click here for PDF format of this essay
THE MARK OF EXCELLENCE
the beauty of perfection
A Study in Thought
sa085
by
Marius Heuff
Chapter 1
Content
A mundane discussion.
A non-combative struggle for beauty and perfection
Modern military strategists and their computers.
The differences between planning for war and the horrors of real combat.
People, who have become scarred and warped for the rest of their lives.
The blessing of not having to inherit "horrible memories".
The dilemma of the cultural code.
The need to check our conclusions and expectations against reality.
Rational analysis is a two-edged sword.
Is mankind already on its way to extinction?
1 It would be a mistake to try to
evoke in an essay the same feelings of admiration and beauty that arise, when
we are overwhelmed by something perfect or beautiful. Such feelings may arise,
when we are impressed by a work of art, a particular achievement, or a
landscape, etc., but an attempt to evoke these vague, mysterious feelings and
notions in an essay is likely to remain vague and imprecise, unless the effort
is again a work of art and captures, subconsciously, these feelings that are so
difficult to describe. It would, therefore, be a mistake to use the discussion
of psychological mechanisms and events as a vehicle to invoke this mysterious
quality of beauty and perfection.
2 As usual, we will proceed,
prosaically, from a survey of the words used, to a discussion, whether or not
there is, indeed, a correlation between an excellent effort or achievement,
and, a sense of beauty and perfection. We will then go back, once again, to the
mechanisms of the human psyche and the functions of our reality-perceptions, in
order to explore the reasons, why we become aware of a state of perfection; why
an all-out effort and dedicated tenacity leads, so often, to a superior
performance, and, why such an effort is so important for our personal
well-being, as well as for the people around us. In stead of trying to create a
work of art shimmering with beauty and perfection, this essay will be a
mundane, down-to-earth, but, hopefully, a rather thorough and complete
discussion of all the aspects we can see or think of, when we review the perceptions,
emotions and behavioural mechanisms surrounding a judgement of excellence and
perfection.
3 The word excellence has a
competitive quality, because it implies that someone, or, some achievement, is
better than others. It rises above others, and, it may seem somewhat strange,
that such a competitive struggle is linked to a sense of perfection and a
feeling of beauty. Indeed, the word or concept of excellence seems to imply,
primarily, a non-combative struggle, such as a sports-competition or a superior
artistic skill, or, even, a scientific achievement, and, we do not really speak
of excellence, when a superior army kills its opponent, or, if an apparently
weak combatant overwhelms a stronger party by a clever strategy, a nimble
attack, or the exploitation of a weakness.
4 Once the bloodshed of warfare
has ended, the dead have been buried, and the wounded have been forgotten,
then, a new generation of military students and strategists may go into
raptures over a clever and novel way to win a battle and secure a victory. Our
modern strategic planners are so isolated from the realities of war, as they
play their war-games on computers and calculate their losses while sipping a
cup of coffee, that they may, indeed, apply such adjectives as "excellent"
or "beautiful" to the computer results of their sophisticated and
expensive games.
5 I am not suggesting, that these
people are unaware of the seriousness of their objectives, nor have they
forgotten, that they have been given the task by society to defend their
country against military aggression, but the planning of a modern war, (in
self-defense, of course), is so far removed, psychologically, from experiencing
war, from being in mortal danger, and seeing people being killed and wounded,
that, even, the most realistic soldiers and strategists receive an intense
shock, if they see their plans and war-games translated into a situation of
real combat.
6 If man could only capture and
remember, much more realistically and vividly, the experience of a real
battle-field! If man could retain an imagery of what it is really like to see
one's colleagues and comrades blown-away by an artillery shell, and, if man
could visualise the gigantic scope of destruction associated with modern
warfare, it would be much easier to convey to our children the true horrors of
warfare and its consequences, and, we could prevent future generations of
military strategists from planning, so lightly, and so seriously, for an
all-out conflict with nuclear weapons; a conflict, that could well be man's
last and final act of destructive madness.
7 We have discussed, on previous
occasions, the idea that this rapid attenuation of unpleasant memories may
represent a fatal flaw in human behaviour, making the emergence of a
harmonious, stable and global society impossible, and, leading, inexorably, to
man's self-inflicted demise. On the other hand, we know, now, that the horrors
of modern warfare can lead to such traumatic memories that a person will be
scarred and warped for the rest of his or her life. From this point of view, it
is a blessing, that the younger generations, born after such a war has ended,
do not have to inherit these horrible memories.
8 Each generation has to learn to
cope with the stresses of the particular conditions it finds itself in, and,
the memory of overwhelming horrors and experiences may paralyse rather than
help an individual or society cope with the stresses of the moment, but,
forgetting the horrors of the past all-together, and, not knowing what it is like
to be in a situation of modern combat, also prevents a most important
moderating influence to play its essential role in the guidance of human
behaviour. Actually, we see, here, another example, where man`s manipulative
dexterity has exceeded man`s psychological ability to cope with the many
diverse consequences of his own actions.
9 When man learned to
re-stimulate his awarenesses and memory-traces with symbolic representations in
the relative safety of his home environment, an enormous advantage arose,
because man could then "reflect" upon his experiences, without having
to face the dangers of a real, analogous experience. It became possible to
bring-back into a clear focus of the "mental camera", all sorts of
images and experiences of the recent past. In this way, man learned to digest,
even, the most unpleasant experiences and "learn" from them. Yet, man
has always "repressed" the most horrible experiences, because the
emotional feelings associated with unbelievable horrors and atrocities tended
to overwhelm man's behavioural responses. Then, the possibility to learn from
these experiences, had been lost.
10 On previous occasions, we have
discussed these mechanisms in more detail, and, we have outlined the great
advantages and improvements in perceptual clarity, which were made possible by
the emergence of symbolic communications. However, if the content of horrible
and undigested memory-traces increases, we see, that man loses some of the
advantages made possible by the mechanisms of symbolically recalling
memory-traces. We see a strong tendency to separate the stimulating excitement
from the horrible aspects. Especially, when acts of modern warfare are being
prepared on computer-simulations, we see a complete divorce between the
exciting and intellectually stimulating mechanisms of planning all sorts of
strategic military moves, and the consequences of these plans and actions in
"real life".
11 When man learned to re-stimulate
his experiences and memories with symbols in the relative safety of his home
environment, this constant memory-recall in a zone of emotional near-neutrality
encouraged the ability of what we now call a "rational analysis".
This led to increasingly sophisticated interpretations of sense-impressions,
leading, eventually, to concepts and cause-effect relationships. We have also
discussed the fact, that a greater degree of predictability of the events man
is exposed to, produces this all-important sense of "familiarity".
Man learned to recognise an event in the beginning of its unfolding, and, he
developed, therefore, a good idea how such an event would end. Therefore, the
abilities of symbolic representation, conscious awareness, the interpretation
of reality in a scheme of causes and their effects, together with the ability
to predict the outcome of an on-going event and to "plan ahead", are
all related and follow each other logically.
12 We have also seen, that the
ability to construct a tool or an intellectual device, such as a theory or
hypothesis, is based on this ability to predict, at least, to some extent, the
outcome of an on-going event, or the outcome of a planned, experimental
happening. However, these activities of prediction and manipulation require a
constant check against reality. We have to check, whether or not our
predictions and expectations are correct. Our modern scientific mastery is
based on the realisation, that we have to run an experimental check; that we
have to verify in a situation of "reality", whether or not our
predictions correspond, indeed, closely with an event taking place in reality.
13 If we substitute such an
experimental check against reality with a computer-simulation, we lose an
essential pillar of scientific mastery, because, after all, a computer is
nothing more than a device that will give us the answers we are looking for, on
the `basis of the instructions it has received from us. Certainly, we can build
into the computer the ability to extrapolate and correlate events or data, and
these abilities and functions exceed, by far, in speed, complexity,
predictability and detail, the capabilities of the human brain.
14 However, we, human beings,
program the computer, and, we tell it to carry-out a series of functions
according to what we think should happen, and, we tell or instruct the computer
in the way data and events should be correlated. Unless we have a possibility
to verify a computer prediction with an actual experiment in reality, we have
no guarantee at all, that these computer predictions correspond with any sort
of reality. It is perfectly legitimate, and logical, to use computers to help
us inter-act with reality and expand our ability to grasp, sort, correlate and
extrapolate a complex situation, and, we are certainly able to grasp a much
larger complexity with a computer than without it, just as we can see much
finer details with a microscope than with the naked eye. However, we, human
beings, remain ultimately responsible for the way a computer behaves and what
sort of conclusions it reaches.
15 We want to come back to the negative
aspects or undesirable side-effects associated with the ability of thinking
rationally. We see, that an increasing mastery in manipulating a situation to
our advantage, is, inevitably, associated with an increased mastery to make a
situation detrimental, or lethal, for our adversaries. The scientific
developments of weapon-construction and acts of warfare have now progressed to
the point, that we are unable to verify their true impact with an experimental
check. This draw-back arises in conjunction with the psychological draw-back,
where the horrors of modern warfare prevent us from digesting these experiences
adequately and learn from them.
16 It is clear, that we are
dealing, here, with a precarious situation, but, the the main problem is the
fact, that we do not agree how to cope with such a dangerous and unstable
condition of human co-existence. The fact, that the younger generations are not
born with the psychological scars of a war-torn world, gives them the necessary
flexibilty to adapt to the circumstances of the present, but, at the same time,
it explains, why man does not seem to learn much from the wars of the past. For
each warring generation, the experiences of the previous wars have largely
faded from memory, and, the peoples have become so entrapped in the
circumstances of their existence, that they can see armed conflict as the only
solution to the tensions and problems of co-existence. However, in contrast to
our contemporary conditions of existence, the wars of the past never jeopardised,
seriously, the regenerative powers of mankind as a whole.
17 Certainly, entire civilisations
have been mortally wounded by a war and faded from the scene as the result of a
lost battle, but, the demise of one civilisation would always represent a chance
for another civilisation to emerge and prosper, and, this new center of
cultural activities, or "civilisation", would then start its own
cycle of wars of conquest, domination, and eventual defeat.
18 Now, we live in an era, where
the far-reaching powers of planning and conceptualisation have become the most
serious threat to our collective existence, and, it is ironic to contemplate,
that, the source of this serious, and, perhaps, fatal threat to human survival,
is a side-effect, or, perhaps, even, an unavoidable consequence of the same
developments that secured man's dominance in the world of living existence. We
are referring to the capabilities of symbolic representation and memory-recall,
scrutiny and analysis in an emotionally neutral zone, as well as the
sophisticated interpretation of reality in a wide variety of belief-structures.
.......
Chapter 2
Content
Strength and dependence.
The same factors that led to evolutionary success become, so easily, a
liability and a reason for decline.
Is conscious awareness a narrow specialisation in function?
The fragility of the state of emotional neutrality.
The cultural and genetic codes.
Man's inability to check-out, experimentally, the consequences of a nuclear
war, in spite of the ability to create computer simulations.
Another essential flaw of human nature; man's innate tendency to destroy his
hard-won gains.
The mechanisms of social and individual decay.
An essential principle of the living organisation; the need for a certain level
of stress in order to maintain vital functions.
The role of hopeful expectations in the reality-perceptions of man.
The essentially psychological realities of all forms of awareness.
The beginning of a mechanism of "cultural transfer" when youngsters
imitate adult behaviour-patterns.
These same mechanisms play a role in our tendency to identify with our heroes.
The relative judgement of excellence and relevance.
1 It seems ironic, that the qualities
of human existence which have evoked the strongest feelings of awe and
admiration, (such as the ability to think and conceptualise a complex and
beautifully coherent picture of reality), are so closely linked with, or,
perhaps, identical to, the factors that may lead to an end of our existence. Is
the excellent ability of the human mind to conceptualise and plan ahead, then,
a mark of beauty and perfection, as well as a mark of extinction?
2 Let us not be too surprised
about this, because such an undesirable side-effect of a specifc evolutionary
trend is quite common, and, the observation, that a particular trend was the
reason for the evolutionary success, as well as the demise of a species, is not
as contradictory or unusual as it may seem at first sight. If we look at the
life-cycle of a species, we see, that, a particular position of prominence has
been obtained because of the emergence of a particular trait or function, but,
at the same time, we see, again and again, that the trend towards an especially
prominent function is a weakness and a liability. Flexibility diminishes on
account of such a trend towards specialisation in form and function, and a
species becomes increasingly dependent upon this particular function or trait
for its survival. If a specialised function has outlived its usefulness, we
see, that, often, the species does not have enough flexibility to explore a
different mode of existence.
3 You may want to object to this
line of thought, and, you may want to argue, that the "specialisation"
of conscious awareness, represented by the capabilities of symbolic
representation and an increasing mental grasp over the phenomena of reality,
can hardly be called a "narrow" specialisation. On the contrary, you
may argue that these abilities allow us a much greater degree of flexibility
than any other species, and, indeed, if we look at the enormously varied
habitats man can occupy as a result of his knowledge, insights and
technological know-how, we may come to the conclusion, that man is, indeed, the
most versatile species on earth. However, I would like to ask you a question in
return. Is it possible, that this enormous potential for survival is being
jeopardised, or, even, annulled, by other behavioural trends? Are we as
adaptable and flexible as we think, or do we also possess trends, which are
likely to off-set the potential for survival and adaptation?
4 Our flexibility and
adaptability is enhanced by the ability to rationalise and scrutinise
carefully, in an emotionally neutral frame of mind, the many sense-impressions
we are exposed to, but, how fragile is this state of emotional neutrality, and,
how easily are these rational attitudes pushed aside by strong emotions of
pride and belligerence! Yet, as we have discussed before, we know, that the
evolutionary exploration of behavioural flexibility, (supplemented in the
species of mankind with an additional range of flexibility in
belief-structures), also means, that the genetic instructions for our behaviour
have become only broad outlines. These ranges or tolerances of behavioural
possibilities outline, to some extent, what we can do, but, these behavioural
instructions rely for their effectiveness and viability on an appropriate
fine-tuning that comes from our experiences, memories, beliefs, attitudes and
rational evaluations.
5 It may well be, then, that man
has acquired a number of serious weaknesses because of his reliance upon a
"cultural", or non-genetic code of instructions. Any one of the many
flaws that have a chance to creep-in with a defective set of culturally encoded
instructions, could endanger man's viability. We have discussed the fact, that
man forgets, and, perhaps, has to forget, so easily, the horrors he has brought
upon himself by engaging in warfare, and, we have also seen, that a major
branch of man's technological developments, the nuclear industry, and, in
particular, the manufacture of nuclear weapons, has escaped from complete
testing and an experimental check-out. We have to accept, therefore, that a
situation exists, where people are planning and comtemplating acts of warfare,
without knowing what an actual execution of these plans is going to do to the
viability of man and his terrestial environment.
6 We should also point to another
flaw in the make-up of the human being. This flaw is easily visible in the
behaviour of individuals or small groups of people, and, it points to a broader
principle than the inability to test the effects of a nuclear confrontation. I
am thinking, here, about the fact, that, so many people seem to become
pre-occupied with trivia and rivalries, whenever they do not have to slave to
secure their basic requirements. People seem bent upon destroying themselves
and their communities, whenever they do not know what to do with their surplus
energies, in particular, if people have been born in affluence, and, if they
have grown-up within an undisciplined and unstructured social environment. If
people have never been exposed to the need to "steel" themselves by
self-discipline or tenacious work, (so necessary to accomplish something
worthwhile), they become weak, superficial, trivial, restless and prone to acts
of self-destruction, while taking their position of affluence and ease of
existence, for granted.
7 Soon, the cultural code of a
community, or, even, a large-scale social environment decays. All the energies
become absorbed by fruitless bickering. Attitudes and behaviour-patterns become
quickly unviable. A reckless attitude of squandering a natural heritage, or the
fruits of a previous generation, comes to the fore. The society or community
becomes a stagnating pool of tensions and strife. The level of productivity
declines sharply, and, eventually, the standard of living declines, too.
Competitiveness is lost, resources are wasted, suspicions rise, and the society
exhibits the sad spectacle of a rapid and apparently irreversible decline.
8 We see this phenomenon,
especially, if the living generations have lost an appreciation for the
significance of their cultural heritage, and, if the community has not
experienced, for some time, any pressures or threats from the outside. We see,
here, a parallel with individual behaviour, and, it is not unusual to see
people, or, even, entire families suddenly fall-apart and deteriorate because of
a remarkable series of inept and reckless behavioural decisions. The only
explanation seems to be, that man needs to channel his surplus elan vital into
a useful, desirable, socially acceptable and personally beneficial mode of
behaviour. If these channels or guidelines do not exist, anymore, man becomes,
individually and collectively, destructive.
9 If there are relatively few
challenges to the ease of existence, and, if the need for a frugal and
productive way of life has disappeared, people can not avoid becoming defective
in their behaviour-patterns. They forget, that their ease of existence was due
to the fruits of previous generations, a natural heritage of exploitable
resources, or, they ignore the fact that they have been left in peace by their more
powerful neighbours. People become bored and confused, and, quickly, their
energies become absorbed by trivial squabbles and divisive attitudes.
10 Therefore, as one of the most
general features of the living organisation, we should re-iterate the principle
that characterises the existence of all life, and, especiallly, life-forms with
a great deal of behavourial flexibility. A life-form will start to deteriorate,
as soon as a certain level of stress and challenge has fallen-away, because all
forms of life have evolved in response to the need to adapt to a certain level
of stress. If all stresses and challenges fall-away, the need for internal
cohesion falls-away, too, and, the living organisation becomes defective in its
functions. If the life-form is a human being, or a social grouping of human
beings, the code of instructions is determined, not only, by the genetic code,
but, by a cultural code as well. This cultural code deteriorates quickly, as
soon as people lose the experience that they have to stay together in order to
cope with the challenges of survival.
11 We should come back to the
purpose of this essay, because we have reviewed a rather gloomy outlook for
individual and collective human existence, and, it may seem somewhat odd, that
an attempt to define excellence and beauty has led to a discussion of struggle,
strife, armed combat, as well as the threat of human extinction.
12 We have emphasised the fact,
that we have to be very careful, not to accept, thoughtlessly, the popular
notion, that human consciousness is a "precious gift" from nature, or
God; a gift, that will enable us to enter a Heaven on earth by virtue of our
technological capabilities, or, the Heavens of our meta-physical imagery by
virtue of our beliefs and commitments. Undoubtedly, the mental imagery of a
religious Heaven and an All-loving God will turn-out to be more durable than an
optimistic Faith in the conceptual and rational abilities of
"technological man". However, in the final analysis, these beliefs come
back to an attitude of "hopeful expectations", and, in this way, we
try to sooth the many, vague, ill-perceived and negative forebodings of trouble
and doom.
13 If, neither, the existence of
man, nor, his ability to think and reflect, to worship God or create technological
marvels with their ambivalent effects, can be considered to be a hallmark of
excellence or beauty, what, then, is the point of discussing these qualities,
which are, obviously, a very temporary, very limited, or, perhaps, even,
illusory perception? If the God of the Universe, and the Creator of life and
all existence, turns-out to be a mirage of the human mind, as man tries to
re-interpret, frantically, the realities of his sense-impressions in an
evolutionary frame of mind, what, then, is the purpose of discussing the
subjective interpretation of beauty and perfection? Does it not remain an
illusion, even, if this illusion moves us profoundly?
14 Let us go back to the definition
of excellence and review the concepts of beauty and perfection. Let us see, how
important these concepts are for guiding our elan-vital, or vitality, into
constructive and beneficial channels. If we fail to channel our vital energies
properly, these same forces of our elan-vital begin to destroy us, and others
as well.
15 Indeed, we have anticipated our
conclusions, here, to some extent, because, in essence, we are concerned with
psychological realities and subjective judgements. Of course, we always deal
with psychological realities, because we can know reality only as an imagery in
our mind, and, as a communicable structure of concepts and ideas. However, in
the mechanisms that make us choose some-one, or some-thing, as an object of
admiration, we display an intuitive pattern of behaviour that is genetically
encoded, and, we reflect, here, one of the earliest mechanisms of the
"cultural transfer" of knowledge, insights, awareness or information.
16 We have discussed, on previous occasions, why the mechanisms of cultural transfer begin to operate as soon as the feature of behavioural flexibility was being explored by natural selection. Behavioural flexibility means, that an input of experience or imitation is required to come to a successful behavioural decision or response. This leaves a "void", or emptiness, in the behaviour of a flexible life-form, in paticular in the behaviour of a human being. This void, or emptiness, which has been created by the retrenchement of the genetic code towards a function of outlining an overall range of behavioural possibilities, creates a need to fill this void. This void in the choice of a behavioural response, or "blank", is filled, partly, by the registration of sense-impressions and experiences in order to create a frame of reference for making an appropriate behavioural choice. The mode of registration depends, however, on the brain and its functions, and, therefore, on genetic instructions.
17 In part, this behavioural void
is filled by imitating the successful behaviour-patterns of the parental
generations. So far as we know, this is the earliest, as well as one of the
most powerful ways in which the behaviour of the younger generations of
flexible organisms can be shaped. This mechanism has been defined, on previous
occasions, as the essence of the cultural code, in spite of the fact, that we
usually associate the concept of "culture", specifically, with the
artifacts of the conscious human mind.
18 In the human being the
mechanisms of imitation are still clearly visible in the way we identify with
our heroes. When we identify with our heroes, we imitate the behaviour of those
who shine and excell, at least, in our judgement, and, in doing so, we
"attach ourselves" in a somewhat uncritical attitude of admiration to
those, who function as a model of exemplary behaviour. We easily identify with
those, who excell in sports or artistic endeavours, and, we identify with
people who experience exciting adventures and create beautiful or powerful
objects.
19 We like to identify ourselves,
especially, with those who excercise a lot of power, be it the raw power of the
gun, or the extensive political powers of a civic leader who has managed,
somehow, to capture the imagination of the public. Or, we may identify, simply,
with the charm, persuasiveness, "charisma" or the sexual attractiveness
of an individual. There are, therefore, many and varied mechanisms, where we
identify, emotionally and intuitively, with someone we admire, and, we display,
then, the oldest and most durable mechanisms of learning; as a process of
"cultural transfer", rather than as a form of personal experience.
20 If we consider a specific
quality, such as the concept of excellence, we see, that this feature is shared
by everyone, who functions as a model or hero for someone else. However, it is
clear, that, this judgement of excellence depends, often, on individual
preferences. Some forms of excellence can be measured precisely, such as, for
example, the measurement or determinaton of the fastest runner over a
particular distance. Other activities, such as fencing, figure-skating or a
performing art become progressively more difficult to judge in objective terms,
because the criteria for judgement become increasingly complicated.
21 The creative artist is, perhaps,
the most difficult one to judge, because the comparison between one artist and
another is often impossible, even, if they are technically working in the same
field. There may be such a world of difference between them, that it becomes
meaningless to say, who is the best. Certainly, there are certain criteria,
such as the use of a particular artistic medium, e.g. language or sound, and,
the precision of expression, as well as the criteria of originality and
craftsmanship, are then used to judge the quality of an artist's work. However,
the judgement becomes, in essence, a question of relevance. The quality of
exellence slides, indeed, easily into a judgement of relevance, as the works of
art that have to be compared, become increasingly dissimilar.
22 If a significant number of
people who are studying the works of an artist, feel, that these works are
significant, then, the artistic creator may be elevated to the status of a
hero. His or her influence, mostly posthumously, may be enormous, and, the way
this influence is making itself felt, may be totally unforeseen by the artist
himself. Or, his works may be nearly totally forgotten. They may not spark any
interest, because they are not considered to be relevant or meaningful,
creating, perhaps, only a transient and specialised form of interest as a
"curiosity".
23 In spite of the vagueness of the
definition of excellence, its relationships to the oldest forms of learning and
cultural transfer are clear. These older forms of learning are, still, a
valuable experience for all of us, because we all, especially, in our younger
years, have identified with our heroes, and, we have felt, at least,
intuitively, the persuasiveness and influence of these mechanisms, when we
recognised that someone was really excellent in a particular endeavour, or had
produced something of great value, beauty and perfection.
.......
Chapter 3
Content
A review of the mechanisms of the genetic and cultural codes.
The transition from a passive to a more manipulative inter-action with the
environment.
The inter-play between the genetic code and the environment.
The origins of the three existential poles of animal behaviour.
Feed-back from the external and internal environments.
The central nervous system developed as a result of existential demands on the
animal way of life.
The "fine-tuning" of flexible behaviour-patterns.
The act of imitation has become an important short-cut in the process of
learning.
The need for "secondary learning".
The long learning period of the human being.
The inter-play between genetic and cultural factors in human viability.
From imitating a concrete example to the abstraction of an ideal; a slow and
incomplete process of psychological sophistication.
The value of having understood the fragile nature of human existence.
1 If we take the time to think
about the mechanisms of our behaviour, and, if we succeed in bringing some
insight and order to the confusing feelings and emotions we are subjected to,
we should be able to appreciate the enormous importance of the influence and
guidance we receive from the "outside". All these influences fall
into the category of "learning", and, they represent mechanisms of
the "cultural code". We have discussed, before, the idea, that the
cultural code can be defined as a conglomerate of "external"
influences that shape and guide our behaviour. These influences are
super-imposed on the genetic instruction-patterns we are born with.
2 The structure and function of
the community of cells that constitutes our body, and, in particular, the complex
events that take place during fertilisation, embryonic growth and the prolonged
period of growth and maturation after birth, are all strictly under the control
of the genetic code. These are "physiological mechanisms", which have
been laid-down as a code of precise instructions in the inheritance of our
genetic code. We know, now, that many cerebral, and, even, mental functions are
guided and determined in their range of possibilities by the instructions of
the genetic code, but, we have also come to appreciate the fact, that,
throughout our entire life, at the levels of mental as well as physical
existence, the "environment" plays a crucial role in what we become
and how we behave.
3 Many functional capabilities
have been precisely encoded by the genetic code that is present in each and
every cell of the multi-cellular individual, but, the environment provides the
energy and the necessary building-blocks to bring every function and structure
into a state of existence. This is the reason, why the genetic
"anlage", or package of intructions, provides a "possibility of
existence", because the actual circumstances have to be favourable, before
such a possibility of existence can be actualised or realised. At a cellular
level, or, at the level of the embryological development of a multi-cellular
organism, and, even, at the level of a young child, we see, that the
circumstances have to be "right", before such an organism can
continue its development and unfold its potentials.
4 The early stages of animal existence
share with the plants a rather "passive" form of existence. The
organism can only grow and develop, if the "soil", or the
circumstances and environmental conditions are "just right". However,
this passive or vegetative state is slowly replaced, or, rather, supplemented
with a more active form of behaviour, where the organism starts to engage in a
complex, demanding and energy-requiring series of behavioural activities, and,
in this way, an animal starts to contribute, actively, to the type of environment
to which it is exposed.
5 At all levels of organic
existence, we see an intricate inter-play between genetic instructions, and the
conditions as they have been created by the factor of chance or happenstance,
as well as by the presence of the organism. Even, the reproduction of the
genetic code, necessary for its perpetuation, can not take place, unless the
circumstances of cellular existence are favourable for such a process of
mitotic division, but, it is certainly true that the genetic code also favours
the maintenance of specific, favourable conditions for the growth of a
life-form, especially, a complex, multi-cellular lifeform.
6 For most animal species', the
genetic code has had a chance to formulate, after a long evolutionary process
of trial and error, the main behavioural characteristics of the living members.
These characteristics secure the continued existence of a species, as well as
its chances to produce viable offspring. In this way, the aggressive, defensive
and sexual modes of animal behaviour were evolved, but, we see, here, in spite
of a rather stereo-typed pattern of behaviour, that the details of a
behavioural response always depend, at least, to some extent, upon the sensory
feed-back of the actual physical conditions encountered.
7 Even, the smallest animals can
manoeuvre around an obstacle, and, this means, that the motoric response is
guided, from moment to moment, by the sensory input. However, only, after it
became possible to store the experiences of the past, could an animal use these
experiences in an act of "recognition", and find, thereby, the most
efficient response in a subsequent, analogous situation. Only, then, can we see
the beginnings of a learning process. We see the emergence of a large number of
species' that have come to rely on their ability to learn, and, consequently,
we see the development of a complex central nervous system that is able to
store and classify a large number of data, sense-impressions and experiences.
8 We see, also, a remarkable
development of special and general sense-organs, which are able to scan, ever
more precisely, and in greater detail, the circumstances and conditions of the
environmental situation. In short, when we arrive at the human species, we see,
that the importance of the genetic code has been equalled, and, perhaps, even,
in some instances, super-seded by the cultural code, which comprises a large
constellation of influences that guide and finely tune human
behaviour-patterns. These influences exist in addition to the instinctive
behaviour-patterns resulting from a program of genetic instructions.
9 As long as the memory and
classifying functions of the organism remain entirely "for its own
use", so to speak, the organism can only learn from its own experiences.
It is, then, on its way to become "flexible" in its behavioural
response or adaptation to changes in environmental conditions, but there is no
"learned input", as yet, from other members of the same species.
However, as soon as a youngster, or newly born member of the species starts to
imitate the behaviour of its parents, or any adult member of the species, we
see, that a new element or input has been introduced in addition to the factor
of its own past experiences. This is the factor of "imitation", or
the following of exemplary adult behaviour. This mechanism is an important
"short-cut" in the process of learning, because, here, a newborn
individual may by-pass, to some extent, a long program of learning from its own
experiences.
10 Such a program of "learning
from personal experience" is fraught with dangers, and, the imitation of
an adult and, presumably, successful pattern of behaviour is clearly
advantageous, because this pattern of behaviour has obviously been successful
enough to allow the adult member, not only, to survive, but, to survive so
well, that it has been able to reproduce.
11 In the process of imitating
someone's behaviour, we see the beginning of the possibilities of
"secondary learning", or, rather, the transfer of acquired
behaviour-patterns, skills, and, later, conceptual entities, from one
individual to another, without the need for the learning individual to
synthesise these skills or concepts "from scratch"; from a long
accumulation of personal or individualised experiences. Not only, is it an
enormous advantage, if an animal acquires the ability to imitate the behaviour
of the adult members of its environment, but, in the human species, we see,
clearly, that it would be impossible to learn all the skills, ideas, concepts
and guidelines "from scratch".
12 We see, that a youngster, or,
even, an entire generation falters and becomes confused, if the cohesion and
inner logic of a set of guidelines and behavioural examples starts to
disappear. If we imagine ourselves, for a moment, to have been without any
human contacts at all, we see, not only, that it would have been impossible to
survive, but, we would never have learned to speak and think. Without these
capabilities, we would be so helpless and forlorn, that we would not stand a
chance to survive in the competitive struggle with other species'.
13 Even, if we learn to speak and
think, we still need to make a prolonged effort to acquire, at least, some of
the skills that are available in the society we live in. Without absorbing a
portion of this cultural pool or content of our social environment, we would
not "fit in"; we would not be able to become a valuable member of
this society, and, if the society is small, tightly-knit and under some
pressure, such a member would be quickly rejected. A member develops, either,
his capabilities into a direction that is useful to society, (even, if it is
only a willingness to put brute physical strength at the disposal of the
community), or, the individual is forced-out and punished for its anti-social
behaviour.
14 We can summarise these
mechanisms by saying, that the genetic code provides the basic conditions for
our existence. It provides the potential for our bodily existence and
physiological unfolding, as well as a multitude of potentials for learning and
acquiring skills. The genetic code also determines many of the basic mechanisms
upon which our ability to develop a conscious form of awareness has been based.
The genetic code shapes the more primitive or "passionate"
existential poles of our behaviour, such as those of aggression, defensiveness
and sexuality, but, at nearly all moments of our existence, our instinctive,
genetically controled behaviour-patterns are modified and tempered by acquired
guidelines; e.g., by the awareness of social restraints, insights and modifying
factors.
15 This, we call the
"fine-tuning" of our behaviour, where the precise and most
appropriate adaptations are strongly influenced by this entire complex of
learned and acquired skills, insights and guidelines, which we call, together,
the "cultural code". Because of the fact, that our survival in a
particular situation depends upon the appropriateness of our response, or the
degree to which our behaviour is "finely tuned" to the requirements of
the moment, we may state, without hesitation, that the cultural code
determines, now, by and large, whether or not we will survive.
16 True, if our genetic code is
defective, we will not even have a chance to exist, and, we know, that, all our
cultural, social or conceptual abilities and skills depend upon the existence
of an intact genetic code, as well as a successful embryological development of
the body. However, the existence of an intact genetic code, together with the
healthy development of a newborn organism, is only the beginning of the
equation that determines survival and evolutionary success. Only, if such a
newborn organism is provided with a reasonably healthy and complete cultural
code from a viable social environment, only, then, will it continue the road towards
full development, as well as the unfolding of some of its many potentals.
17 The act of imitation is an
early, but crucial, behavioural break-through on the road towards the
development of a cultural code, and, we should give this phenomenon, as well as
the related or analogous processes of identification with our heroes, a great
deal of attention.
18 Even, for us, now, this process
of identifying as children and adolescents with our heroes, is a fundamentally
important channel of learning, and, only later, when we become conceptually
more skillful, are we able to abstract from our heroes and models for
imitation, those qualities and ideals which function as abstract goals and
objectives. In other words, as we get older, wiser and more skillful at identifying
our ambitions and objectives, we learn to relinquish the totality of a
particular model or personality in favour of the abstract ideals of perfection
and excellence. Such abstractions are useful, because we strive, then, towards
a paticular ability, mastery, skill or conceptual precision, rather than
towards the imitation of a specific individual and his or her artifacts.
19 We know, that this process of abstraction is often slow and incomplete. Many people do not complete such a development of abstraction, and, they remain, throughout their lives, captive to the emotions and feelings of admiration, generated by an act of hero-worship. Yet, most of us realise, that our hero is not faultless, and, that we all experience a period of "peak-performance", followed by a decline and decay of the skills we have acquired. Most of us retain fond memories of the individuals and personalities who influenced us greatly during our formative years, in spite of the fact, that we also learned to accept the short-comings, faults and errors of our heroes.
20 However, rather than
experiencing a sense of disappointment, such failures and short-comings are
interpreted, later in life, as a hopeful sign and a comforting token of
humanness and frailty, because they re-assure us, that, we, in spite of all our
short-comings and failures, may still be of value to someone else. Most likely,
we will not function as a hero or a model for the ambitious youngsters of our
social environment, but, we may still influence some of the people around us.
We may influence our social environment as a mature human being, who has
understood and appreciated, at least, to some extent, the fragile nature of
human existence.
.......
Chapter 4
Content
Sensitivity to beauty and perfection, seen as a stimulus for an attitude of
enthousiasm and dedication.
A guidance-structure for our vitality.
The tendency to squander surplus energies.
The mechanisms of a "Renaissance".
The essential instability of a condition of affluence.
Varying mosaics of social realities.
The need for beneficial, socially acceptable channels for dissipating vital
energies.
The worlds of sport and entertainment, and the phenomenon of consumerism.
The temptations associated with the need to "make money".
The "master", and his routine work.
A variety of goal-patterns.
When we dedicate ourselves to a combative objective; the guerilla-fighter.
The forgotten sacrifices of life and limb.
The dilemma of the soldier.
Shifting frames of reference for the judgement of right and wrong.
The anti-social individual, and his occasional contribution.
The persuasiveness of a socially responsible and responsive individual.
1 Perhaps, the greatest practical
significance of developing a sensitivity for the beauty of perfection and the
persuasiveness of excellent work, is the measure of enthousiasm it gives us to
do something really well, and, if this activity happens to be of some benefit
to others, we may, indeed, see the happy situation, where a sense of fulfilment
is associated with a life-long devotion to the goals of excellence, beauty and
perfection. Besides, our work may, then, generate a measure of gratefulness and
admiration from those, who have benefitted from our efforts, and, who may use
our work as a model for their own achievements. Here, in a nut-shell, we see
the individual and social significance of a life, that has been dedicated to
excellence and perfection.
2 It is clear, that the attitudes
of dedication, as well as the goals we work towards, form a guidance-structure
or channel for the dissipation of our energies, in particular, for the surplus
vitality that needs an outlet, after the basic requirements of our existence
have been taken care of. As we have discussed, before, the social organisation
is frequently so successful, in spite of its limited duration and the unstable
nature of its organisation, that a generation, born into affluence, or, at
least, born into a situation of remarkably easy living conditions, quickly,
takes its circumstances for granted. Then, it takes hardly any energy to
fulfill the basic requirements of existence, and, there is a large surplus of
elan-vital that has to find an outlet. Unfortunately, most individuals, born
into a situation of leisure and affluence, squander this surplus vitality in a
useless and haphazard manner.
3 So often, this surplus energy
is dissipated in an egocentric and childish way of life, leading, eventually,
to strife and stagnation. As soon as a society has reached prosperity, and the
founding generations have gone to their graves, the adult population of the
generations who have been born into affluence, begins to falter. Perhaps, the
early affluent generations try to maintain the traditions of the past, but,
they lack the firmness of character, as well as the clarity of insight, to
educate their children, firmly, in the virtues of their culture. As a result,
the following generation absorbs, already, a somewhat loose and defective cultural
code, and the attitudes of confusion and permissiveness spread rapidly
throughout the subsequent generations.
4 Sometimes, the attention and
energies of the healthy and youthful offspring of such affluent generations can
be led towards a variety of "artistic" or scientific endeavours, and,
if such is the case, we see, that a "Renaissance" of the arts, and
the mind, takes place, after a state of affluent prosperity and ease of
existence has been reached. Such a period of flowering of the arts, the sciences,
architecture, as well as other explorations and adventures of the human mind,
freed from the chores and drudgery of making a living, may leave a rich legacy.
5 The main point we want to
emphasise, here, is the fact, that, such a period of cultural flowering is a
useful and meaningful channel for the surplus vital energies that have been
liberated by a period of economic prosperity. Such a lucky and meaningful
direction of the elan-vital is an exception, however, and, we rarely see,
looking back at history, that a period of relative affluence is followed by
such an outburst of creative activity. Perhaps, in all fairness, we should say,
that, indeed, after each period of economic affluence, we see some sort of
"flowering", even, if the level of the cultural renaissance is not
significant enough to capture the attention and imagination of subsequent
generations. This period of relative flowering is usually short-lived, and, in
the records of history, it becomes quickly over-shadowed by the manifestations
of strife and intrigue, corruption and chaos, decay and decline, which also
characterise this same period in the history of a society in decline.
6 In a historical over-view, it
becomes clear, that, no society is immune from the trend towards decay and decline,
and, it seems unavoidable, that a period of cultural flowering is, eventually,
replaced by a process of disorder and decline. Even, the
"high-period", or apogee, of cultural flowering has many
manifestations of decay and corruption, and, as always, the appearance of a
social environment, be it in the past, or in our own times, is so complex and
contradictory, that we can always "filter" a mosaic of predominantly
positive or negative aspects into a focus of conscious awareness.
7 The sublime and the ridiculous
are always close together, and, the marks of excellence and perfection, of good
government, justice and well-being, exist side by side with incidences of
flagrant injustice and crude exploitation. Richness and poverty, of the mind as
well as the body, always exist side by side, and, the only way we can grasp,
and deal with, the confusing and contradictory appearance of a society, or any
period in history, is to see it from a particular vantage-point.
8 Certainly, this introduces a
bias, but, it seems nearly impossible to avoid such a bias, in spite of the
fact, that we can acknowledge its existence. However, in many instances, there
is a clear preponderance of the beneficial or the destructive trends, and, the
interpretation of history or a contemporary society may, then, develop,
somewhat easier, into a well thought-out and thorough consensus; when a long
hard look leads to a profound interpretation many people, perhaps, even,
several generations, can agree with.
9 The point is, that we all need
a way to dissipate our energies, in particular, if we are healthy, active and
free from the constant burdens to secure and earn a livelyhood. We can
dissipate our energies in sports and athletics, and, this is certainly an
acceptable and productive manner to channel these energies. At least, such an
outlet for our energies is not detrimental to society, but, an exclusive
pre-occupation with sports may make us, again, somewhat narrow-minded and
self-centered, as we forget about so many other worlds that exist in our social
environment.
10 Besides, what do we really
contribute, even, if we are highly successful in one or other sport? True, we
may represent our society or nation for a while, and, if we continue to be
successful, we may become a symbol of pride and honour for millions of people.
We may become a beacon of excellence and fame, but, there are many less
desirable effects and consequences, in particular, if a period of fame is
exploited for commercial gains, and, if the willingness and need of the members
of the public to identify with their heroes, is used, and abused, to exploit
them. At the same time, a commercial bias maintains a somewhat dull and
stultifying attitude of adulation, where the people are continuously exploited
emotionally and financially, as they are made to pay, in one way or another,
for a carefully cultivated attitude of hero-worship.
11 It is perfectly true, that,
commercial and emotional exploitation is not limited to the world of sports,
nor, to the world of mass-entertainment or the popular arts. However, in the
world of entertainment, we see exploitation in its most repulsive and blatant
aspects, partly, because the "masses" are so easily exploited, and,
partly, because the large number of people consuming a large variety of
emotions, make the exploitation of these fields so profitable.
12 Yet, we have to recognise the
fact, that, any attitude of enthousiasm and dedication can be exploited by a
clever entre-preneur, in particular, because our attitudes of enthousiasm and
dedication suppress, at least, to some extent, a cautious and critical
scrutiny. Only later, after many lessons and disappointments, do we learn to
temper our idealism, enthousiasm and dedication with a cautious, even,
suspicious and critical attitude, and, after we have learned our lessons, we
make sure, that our efforts are directed precisely; that they accomplish what
we want them to do, and, we make sure, that our efforts and products are not
exploited for commercial gains, either by others or ourselves.
13 It is so tempting to compromise
our high ideals and relax the relentless efforts that are necessary to reach
the mark of excellence and this alluring state of beautiful perfection. No-one
has ever reached perfection and excellence casually, and, only the
professional, who has mastered his particular metier with a life-long devotion
to his work, can, eventually, toss-off a master-piece in what appears to be a
somewhat casual or "routine" manner.
14 Dedication and enthousiasm may
become somewhat baffling and irrelevant attributes, if we look at some of the
goals people have set for themselves. What is the meaning of being the first
person ever to cross the
15 The attitudes of dedication and
enthousiasm can easily find an expression that is detrimental, or, even, lethal
to someone else, as we see, when a group of guerilla fighters are becoming the
fore-runners of an armed struggle of liberation. The struggle to correct
injustice, or, what is perceived to be a state of intolerable injustice, often,
makes use of violent means, and the goals of utter dedication may, so easily,
become acts of senseless terror and destruction.
16 Even, if we do not always have to fight with a violent, all-out combat for what we think is right and just, we see, that, discrepancies in our reality interpretations, and, in particular, conflicting interests of various sub-groupings, can lead, quickly, to a polarisation of opinions. Then, groups of dedicated, enthousiastic, or, even, fanatic men and women grab their weapons, as they drift into the irresistible conclusion, that there is no alternative to settling a fundamental conflict of interests with violence. Indeed, serious efforts to come to a negotiated settlement only spring into action, after a sustained and serious loss of life and property, on both sides, has driven home, once again, the age-old truth, that negotiation and compromise are better than death and destruction.
17 Only after man experiences,
again and again, that the lure of war-fare is paid for by an indescribable and
unnecessary level of suffering and destruction, only, then, does man seem to be
willing to talk to his enemies. As always, those who die and suffer severely in
an armed conflict, have little influence upon the leaderships on either side.
The dead are quickly forgotten, and, even, the wounded and the maimed are
looked-upon with suspicion, if they ever dare to question, whether or not their
wounds, their sufferings, the loss of bodily integrity and a condition of
health, were really necessary. Such questions are especially prone to arise, if
the wounded see, how quickly, they, and their dead comrades, have been
forgotten by those, who survived, life and limbs intact, and, who are now
busily negotiating trade-agreements with those, who were such arch-enemies,
only a short time ago.
18 Yet, the dedication to an armed
struggle remains one of the most powerful, most primitive, and, ultimately, one
of the most devastating channels into which man can channel his energies. While
the armed struggle of a community, together with the sacrifice of life and
limb, may ensure, after a heroic struggle, the security and existence of a
particular community, we have argued, on several occasions, that, in a broader
social context, such a conflict may turn-out to have been unnecessary.
19 True, a patriotic soldier, who
risks his life and security for the good of his country and the people who
stayed behind, may evoke a genuine sense of gratitude and admiration, because
the successful soldier gives life and security to those whom he protects.
However, the attitudes of a nation or community that defends itself with armed
force, may still be unethical, and, the means to defend its interests may have
to be considered anti-social and unjustified from a global point of view, which
sees mankind as a unit; a point of view, that sees man's future as united and
globally organised for the sake of long-term viabilty and a high level of
global justice. Just as every society has to scrutinise the motivations of its
people, and has to pass judgement on the acceptability of the goal-patterns and
channels that have been chosen for the dissipation of the elan-vital, so will
future generations have to pass judgement on the goal-patterns, ambitions,
motivations and behavioural actions of the nations, societies and leaderships
of today.
20 Sometimes, this judgement will
be ambivalent, and, it is true, that, we occasionally admire the products of
someone who was a failure as a human being, because such an individual was
misguided and totally egocentrically oriented. You may ask how this is
possible. Indeed, on occasion, we can produce something that is relevant and
beautiful for others, in spite of the fact, that our behaviour, personality,
beliefs and actions, have caused injustice and injury to others. We should not
make the mistake, however, to condone erroneous or egocentric behaviour, just because
an individual has produced something we admire or find beautiful. We should
marvel about the fact, that we can, on occasion, bring something of value to
others, in spite of the fact, that we, so often, fail to do so in our
inter-actions with other people. We should also look at the other side of this
coin.
21 If an artist or a scientist can
give something to mankind, in spite of a miserable performance as a human
being, then, an ordinary human being, who did not have the good fortune of
bringing something of lasting value to mankind, can still make a valuable
contribution to his or her social environment. It does not matter, that such a
contribution blends into the anonymity of a positive cultural or social trend,
and, it is no less valuable, if such a contribution lives only for a short time
as a fond memory for those, who were fortunate to have been closely associated
with a socially responsible and responsive individual.
.......
Chapter 5
Content
Various forms of achievement.
The process of maturation, and the development of a sensitivity to the
experience of beauty and perfection.
The "girl of our dreams", and the chances of finding her.
A wide variety of interests, expressions and paths of development.
The people we admire, and, what it reveals about our personality.
The bonds of loyalty and affection.
A chill sense of hopelessness.
The beauty of being a pillar of loyal support.
The articulate personality.
The need for honesty and openness.
A refinement of feelings and goal-patterns.
It is criminal to teach our youngsters to become insensitive bullies.
The beauty of an uneventful, clean and honest life-style.
1 Perhaps, we think, too often,
only, about the grandiose achievements, when we look at the excellent
performance of an athlete or the beauty of a perfect work of art. It is
logical, that we are, primarily, aware of the contributions made by a beloved
hero or a famous artist, especially, if we are still searching for a meaningful
channel to dissipate our elan-vital, but, the mark of excellence, and the
beauty of perfection, do not exist, exclusively, in an artistic master-piece, a
scientific break-through, a technological marvel, or an exciting adventure.
2 After we have become mature
adults, we see, more clearly than ever before, to what extent the judgement of
excellence, beauty and perfection are functions or creations of the admiror,
rather than qualities of the artist or athlete. Certainly, there must be a high
level of excellence and perfection in any worthwhile achievement, but, the
reason, why a certain individual is suddenly moved by a particular work of art,
a beautiful landscape, or any other highly significant experience, depends, to
a large extent, on the measure of susceptibility such an individual has developed
for the occurrence of a particular experience.
3 Just as an individual
"ripens" or matures during the early stages of adolescence and
becomes subjected to the sensations of "falling in love", of being awakened
to the attractiveness of a young girl or a handsome lad, so are we experiencing
various stages in our development of appreciation and judgement. We become
"ripe", and, we develop the ability to find something beautiful,
interesting, fascinating or attractive. Our organism is "waiting", so
to speak, for an opportunity to "latch onto" an appropriate signal or
stimulus, whenever we are ready to receive such a stimulus.
4 Whenever an organism reaches sexual maturity, the signals or sense-impressions with sexual connotations become much more meaningful. While we may think in our youthful enthousiasm to have found the girl of our dreams, with qualities that set her apart from a million other girls, the truth of the matter is, that we were becoming ripe for the reception of a significant stimulus, and, we, invariably, find someone in our environment upon whom we bestow all the enthousiasm of a romantic "first love". Even, if we experience, that such a first love is not as durable as we thought, we seem to find it hardly surprising, that we can find another "girl of our dreams", so soon after the first disappointment. We do not find it incomprehensible, that there are, apparently, quite a few girls in the immediate social environment, who qualify for the judgement of "being the only girl in the world".
5 Interests and aptitudes vary
markedly, from one person to the next, in particular, during adolescence, and,
some of us are more poetic or artistically inclined than others. Therefore, we
react differently to these normal stages in growth and maturation. Most of us
experience these feelings of first love, beauty and other emotions rather
quietly, within ourselves, without revealing much of them to other people.
Others are more volatile, more expressive, or, perhaps, less disciplined, and,
they live and show their emotions with less restraint.
6 Similarly, not everyone becomes sensitive to the arts, but, probably, most of us could become somewhat sensitive for, at least, one of the many art-forms, if we would have the good fortune to be exposed, at home or at school, to one or other form of art. Some people become absorbed by sports, rather than the arts, or, by pop-music, by the technology of cars and motor-cycles, or, by the marvels of nature, and, we all develop the ability, and the need, to recognise something beautiful, something of value, or, someone, who is excellent and does something very well. We all need to admire someone, in order to form our goals and dissipate our energies.
7 The subject of our admiration
and judgement forms a nucleus around which we crystallise our feelings and
attitudes, and, the whole complex resembles, to some extent, the formation of a
rain-drop. The achievement that has become the object of our admiration, forms
the nucleus around which we build a shell of admiration and devotion. This
shell resembles, to a large extent, our own personality, as well as our
particular needs and wants. This shell of admiration and devotion reveals our
particular dreams and aspirations, and, this is the reason, why our heroes seem
to change from time to time.
8 At least, our judgements about our heroes or objects of identification seem to change as time goes by, and, by studying carefully, who is being admired, and, in what way an individual admires his or her heroes, we can get a good insight into someone's personality, ambitions and dreams. Or, we may become aware of the lack of a normal development in a child or adolescent. A good look at someone's heroes reveals, perhaps, the emptiness and egocentricity of his or her existence, the depressiveness of thoughts and attitudes, or, the hopelessness of an outlook, as well as the criminal attitudes and activities that follow, so often, a defective personality development.
9 If we fail to choose our heroes
and formulate our goal-patterns properly, and, if we fail to form, at least,
some attitudes of dedication towards a worthwhile goal, we become mentally
stunted. We are, then, unable to form bonds of loyalty and affection. Then, we
can only look with a chill sense of hopelessness upon our environment, and, in
stead of seeing a somewhat irrealistic, romantic and rosy picture of the myriad
of possibilities, rising-up before our youthful eyes, we can only see, vaguely,
a dull, grey, feature-less wall of hostility.
10 Here, we see, how important it
is, to experience a positive feeling of admiration, even, if we do not have the
slightest chance to ever excell to such an extent, that we will be famous or
remembered. It is so important for a healthy personality development to be able
to dedicate our energies towards a worthwhile goal; to channel our energies
into a direction that is at least not frowned-upon by our social environment.
Then, we are able to experience something of value and interest, without
getting into trouble with the people around us.
11 Perhaps, the greatest and most
important act of dedication we all can make, at one time or another, is the
recognition of, and admiration for, a truly helpful and concerned individual.
Perhaps, one of the most valuable experiences we all should have, at one time
or another, is a feeling of gratitude and admiration, or, even, loyalty and
trust, for someone, who helped and potected us as we went through a difficult
period during adolescence or childhood.
12 Certainly, there can be
excellence and beauty in the personality and behaviour of almost every person,
even, if we consider ourselves to be dull and average. Even, if we consider
ourselves as being timid and not particularly courageous, as being trapped and
a failure, as someone, who has made a lot of mistakes and has not always been
honest with himself or with other people, or, as someone who has failed in the
challenge to stick-up for his friends; even, if we think, and know, that our
personality is flawed and only dull-average, we may still evoke a sense of
beauty or a judgement of excellence in a sensitive, fragile and vulnerable
soul, who has, somehow, come to trust us and rely upon us for protection.
13 Perhaps, we see, here, one of he
most important functions of being a good and loyal parent, because, regardless
of our failures and disappointments, and, regardless of the sense of failure we
may have about ourselves, we still can be a shining beacon of loyalty, wisdom
and trust for our children. True, we may lose this position quickly, and,
regardless, how well we do in society, or, how much we think to understand the
nature of the human being, there comes a time in the development of nearly
every youngster, that he or she thinks to know better.
14 We may find excellence and
beauty in a well-ordened, highly educated and sharply articulated personality,
who is able to express his thoughts with great clarity and a measure of
authority, but, we may also feel a sense of beauty and affinity for a personality,
who is able to admit that mistakes have been made, or wrong-doings have been
committed.
15 There is beauty and excellence
in a rigorously honest personality, who shuns appearances and falsehoods, and,
who appears, often, rather vulnerable and naive to someone, who is used to
cover-up and create images that are not quite true. There is excellence in
openness and honesty, but, let us not forget, that, a secretive, devious, lying
personality often shows the scars of early psychological traumas, as well as
the unfortunate circumstances and experiences of an unstable youth. We can not
blame a personality for the way it has developed, but, neither can we condone
or sympathise with a personality who lies and uses falsehoods in an effort to
manipulate the behaviour and beliefs of the social surroundings.
16 We should come to the
conclusion, however, that, honesty and openness are features upon which the
health of a social environment rests, and, we can make a firm decision to
promote, whenever we can, an atmosphere of openness and trust. We should come
to the conclusion, that it is extremely important to safe-guard our younger
people from the ravages of deceit and exploitation, regardless of the social
strata into which they have been born. We should provide each youngster with
the opportunity, and the encouragement, to be open, trusting and loyal, so that
the youngster can form, at the appropriate stage of development, the necessary
bonds of affection and loyalty.
17 We are only beginning to
understand, to some extent, how important these mechanisms are for our
individual and social health, and, if we want to get a grip on the problems of
criminal behaviour, we have to understand, better, the depth of despair and
frustration, when people are not up-lifted by ideals or feelings of admiration.
The ability to imitate our heroes, and emulate their achievements, is a
powerful outlet for frustrations, and, it paves the way for a refinement of our
feelings, as well as an enlargement of the sphere of our concerns.
18 It is so wrong, and
short-sighted, to try to protect our youngsters from disillusion and a
re-appraisal of their parents and other adults, by showing them a facade that
looks better than it really is. It is also wrong, and criminal, to try to protect
our youngsters by teaching them to become insensitive bullies.
19 Certainly, we should not condone
a senseless lingering in a sphere of egocentric and hedonistic
pleasure-seeking, and, we know, that the pleasurable sensation of enjoying
something can deteriorate to just such an attitude. We should teach our
youngsters to be sensitive to the marks of excellence and beauty, regardless,
how vague and varied these judgements may be, but, we should also teach them
the beauty of honesty and openness, with themselves and with other people, as
well as the beauty of a direct, no-nonsense approach to whatever problems may
be at hand.
20 There is a sense of beauty, when
a problem is approached decisively; when the analysis is thorough, exhaustive,
well-balanced, and careful; when we see, that the necessary corrections are
instituted, regardless, how painful, embarrassing or unsettling a definitive
solution to a difficult problem may be.
21 It is certainly the mark of an
excellent, courageous and all-round personality, to see a clean and essentially
uneventful way of life, which has been made possible because of the ability to
make thorough decisions, without vacillating attitudes or shifting excuses;
without covering-up mistakes; without any hesitation to admit to errors, but,
also, without any inclination to use or abuse a sharp and decisive intellect to
intimidate or take advantage of someone else.
.......
Chapter 6
Content
Beauty and Perfection are largely "in the eyes of the beholder".
Useful tensions for the genuine artist.
Works of art, and the judgement that a work is a master-piece.
The channels of authority.
The artist and his audience, several generations later.
Varying perspectives.
The artist and the art-lover.
Looking for a precise and perfect way to say it.
Mechanisms, when experiencing a sense of beauty.
Gnostic Sects, and their obscurantist jargon.
The non-ethical aspects of an intense search for happiness or
"salvation".
Non-mystical religions, and the attitudes of social concern.
The ostentatious "do-gooder", and the weepy sentimentalist.
The outlines of a broadly based sphere of concerns.
A definition of ethical behaviour-patterns.
1 To what extent the judgement of
beauty and perfection is a creation in the eye of the beholder, can be seen
from the fact, that the same master-piece, which evokes such a strong
admiration and sense of beauty in eager students, was often a source of long,
hard labour for the creative artist. It was often the subject of numerous
doubts and revisions by the author, composer or interpreter of this work of
art. Indeed, all valuable works of art, and, certainly, those that stand-out as
exceptional achievements, long after the creator's death, share the
characteristic that they were the result of hard work; of a long and genuine
effort to create something of value. They are always a result of totally honest
craftsmanship.
2 A valuable work of art is
always an honest reflection of the personality of the author, and no master-piece
was ever created, when artistic integrity was sacrificed for an easy commercial
success. However, this does not mean, that, many genuinely creative artists,
who are still relevant today, avoided efforts to please the public taste of
their times. At least, they tried to please the public, to some extent. They
did this, in part, because they realised that the public, eventually,
recognises what is genuine, even, if it is easily hoodwinked, and, partly,
because their livelyhood depended upon a measure of public acceptance.
3 Most artists could not afford
to withdraw into an ivory tower, nor, would they have benefitted from such an
action. The tensions between the artistic impulse and the irrepressible
tendency to explore new and exciting avenues within a particular artistic
field, on the one hand, and, the public's insatiable desire for the familiar
and trusted forms of art, on the other, led, often, to worthwhile artistic
results, because it prevented the artist from going-off on a tangent, where he
would become completely irrelevant to anyone else but himself. At the same
time, his artistic conscience and pride prevented him from sliding into a
facile and lucrative commercialism.
4 Every generation creates its
own heroes, and, it is logical, therefore, that the evaluation of an artist and
his works fluctuates to some extent as the generations follow each other. It is
actually quite remarkable, that, so many diverse artistic products survive from
one generation to the next, and are able to inspire and function as a model of
excellence and beauty. In order to be recognised, time and again, under the
ever-varying circumstances of life, the work of art must appeal to basic
qualities, sensations, feelings and features of human existence, but, let us not
forget, that, works of art also become part of an established cultural
heritage, and, their value and prestige become, then, an unquestioned
attribute. Such works of art are then revered and looked-upon with awe, not so
much, because the students are genuinely moved by the power and persuasiveness
of a strong master-piece, but because it has become a part of the accepted
channels of authority.
5 These works of art have become
part of the "religious" traditions of the cultural pool. (We
understand the word "religious", here, in the sense of revered and
unquestioned truths, rather than in the sense of a specific, meta-physical
imagery.) Yet, their position as a master-piece can only be maintained, if
these works of art are able to convince, at least, a small but influential
segment of scholars, that they, indeed, deserve to be studied and admired. This
means, not only, that these works of art must be genuine in their intentions or
message, but, also, that they have been skillfully and carefully crafted. We
may state, without hesitation, that a master-piece deserves this designation or
judgement, if, after careful study and scrutiny, it becomes apparent, that, no
other work of art, and, no other artist, working in the same field, has managed
to express, so clearly and decisively, with such technical mastery and finesse,
a particular message. Then, the work of art will be canonised as a
master-piece.
6 Now, we can understand, why the
appreciation of a work of art by its creator, and, later, by a sophisticated
and well-educated audience, can be so far apart. First of all, a work of art
can be evaluated by future generations in a truly broad, historical context,
while this period of history is the contemporary society for the creative
artist, in which he tries, often with considerable difficulties, to make a
living. A new field of exploration, entered tentatively and somewhat hesitantly
by an enterprising artist, may, in the retrospective judgement of a future
audience, have already been ackowledged as a "classical
break-through", and, what is, therefore, a new, untried and somewhat
apprehensive avenue for our artist, may be a familiar and attractive
development in the judgement of future admirers.
7 Let us make it clear, however,
that the artist, who is, indeed, able to open-up a new and relevant avenue in
his or her field, is usually convinced, that he or she is on the right track,
and, that he is creating something of value, because any artist can "feel
it in his bones", if he is on to something that allows him a genuine and
original avenue of expression. His doubts and feelings of apprehension apply,
primarily, to the way these experiments will be received by his contemporaries
and the critics.
8 Perhaps, we are, as
appreciators of a work of art, not so far removed from the creative artist as
we may think, because, the serious student of one or other art-form, also,
"lives" with his "art", and, he nourishes from it. He or
she will feel the same restlessness as the creative artist, because the
sensitive, intelligent apreciator of art will also start to search for new
ways, new thoughts, new sounds and new shapes; in short, he will become an
explorer, too, but, most of us, average mortals and ordinary art-lovers, who do
not have the skills or the talents to create works of art ourselves, we too,
are constantly looking for the work of art that says it, just as we would want
to say it, if we could.
9 The sudden recognition of a
relevant, perfectly tailored or executed expression of our own thoughts and
feelings, provides us, then, with this moment of "co-incidence"
between the image "as is", and the image "as we would like it to
be", which is, as we discussed in other essays, the essence of the
emotional surge that lies behind the sensation of beauty.
10 Just as we are very happy when we find the right tool to do the job, (especially, if we do not have the capability to make this tool ourselves, or, when we find the right conceptual imagery to explain a certain phenomenon or event, or the right word to say something), so is the apreciation of a work of art based on finding the right "tool" to express a vague but complex set of feelings and notions, moods and attitudes, which we could not bring under words ourselves, and, which seem so well expressed by this work of art.
11 Now we understand, also, why the
right work of art, in the right sort of interpretation or environment, and, at
the right time of our life-cycle, may function as a catalyst for the expression
of complex feelings and contradictory emotions; why it may represent the
clarity of thoughts and precision of expression we have been looking for.
12 Whenever we find what we have
been looking for, we experience a momentary fusion between a reality "as
it exists", and, "as we would like it to be", and, we have seen,
that such a momentary fusion between these two images, produces a strong
emotion of happiness or beauty. If we concentrate, rather narrowly, upon this
sensation of beauty, and, if we try to evoke this sensation with a variety of
artificial means, (such as the deliberate cancelation of our critical faculties
emphasising the discrepancies between the situation "as it is" and
"as we would like it to be"), we enter the sphere of mysticism; of
expanded or cosmic consciousness, etc.
13 The suppression of critical
faculties is achieved by a variety of means, such as prolonged isolation,
fasting, as well as other forms of physical stress, the use of
euphoria-inducing drugs, or, the indoctrination into a complex and
authoritative mystical philosophy. Often, all these factors are combined, and a
strong "mood-setting" atmosphere, a strong chain of authority, as
well as a variety of stress-provoking, fatiguing or highly emotional and
ecstatic experiences are used to induce this feeling of "cosmic consciousness",
or total surrender, which our rational faculties are so determined to resist.
14 When we find the right artistic,
literary, musical or visual expression, we experience a similar mechanism of
joy or exhilaration, but, by allowing its normal fleeting and transient nature
to stay intact, this sensation remains an integral part of our existence, and,
it becomes a fond memory, rather than an egocentric obsession with an elusive
and uncritical state of awareness.
15 Let us examine, then, why a
pre-occcupation with mystical happiness and a prolonged indulgence in artistic
and other sensual pleasures, has to be frowned-upon, in particular, if we want
to look at reality from a social point of view. If we look at the behaviour and
orientation of people who are pursuing the experience of a mystical exaltation
or happiness, we see, not only, a strong tendency towards exclusivity, but,
also, a nearly completely egocentric attitude. The concerns focus increasingly
upon one's own happiness, and, even, amongst the cult-members, we see some sort
of a competitive struggle to obtain the "highest" states of mental
development, or "union with the God-head".
16 A strong hierarchical
stratification takes place, and, new-comers are duly impressed with an
initiation period, where they are put-through all sorts of symbolic rites. They
are gradully introduced to the secrets and mysteries of the sect, and this
"graduation" is couched in an obscurantist jargon that hints upon
many different directions of philosohical thought and theological
interpretation. The concern for the rest of the world is minimal, and, the
world "shrinks", literally, towards a nearly constant cultivation of
the feelings of ecstasy, bliss, light, upward movement, etc.
17 It is certainly true that many religious
sects and fundamentalist groupings have a strong tendency towards an attitude
of exclusivity, as well as a narrowing of the sphere of concern to their own
group. However, in a more "normal" religion, where the state of
happiness does not depend upon a frantic effort to obtain some sort of an
ecstatic feeling, or, the illusion of an "expanded" form of
consciousness, the believers are likely to adopt a more humble attitude, where
divine acceptance of the individual soul does not depend upon an egocentric
effort, but on the acceptance of the Will of the Lord; upon an acknowledgement
of the sinful nature of man, as well as a sense of remorse or an attitude of
repentance for wrong-doings, coupled, of course, with an honest resolve to do
better in the future.
18 The non-mystical religions also
emphasise, far more than any of the "occult movements", the duty to
be kind, compassionate and helpful to other people, and, most of the major
social religions emphasise, as one of their main teachings, the need to be
ethical, as well as the fact that ethical behaviour-patterns will determine,
whether or not one finds favour in the eyes of God.
19 Often, the sphere of ethical
concerns does not really transcend the small group of a particular church or
congregation, and, even, within such a small grouping, we see the mechanisms of
suspicion and rivalry, of back-biting and strife, of gossip and other, very
human forms of behaviour at work. Concern for the "outside world" is
limited, and the accent of religious behaviour is narrow, concerning itself,
primarily, with "saving one's soul for eternity".
20 On previous occasions, we have discussed, extensively, the concept of the "sphere of concern", and, we have seen, how important it is for all of us to learn to extend this sphere of concern, until it encompasses the world as a whole. However, I like to correct an erroneous impression that may have arisen. If we talk about ethical behaviour and encourage the behaviour of people who show a broad range of concern and understanding for the existential needs of others, we are not thinking about those, who are loudly proclaiming their good deeds, their social concerns, or, their involvement with one social or charitable organisation or another.
21 These people often abuse, consciously
or subconsciously, a position of prominence to further their own existential
needs. They want to be seen and to be known, because the orientation of their
activities has nothing to do with a broad concern for other people, but, it is
designed to bolster their prestige and enhance their prominence. Neither is it
a hallmark of broad concern, if we see people adopt a weepy attitude, where
they fall over each other, and show exaggerated attitudes of love and
affection; nor, do we believe, that people have to "give-away" in a
wild and incomprehensible spree of magnanimity, everything they have built-up
over the years.
22 Concern for poverty does not
mean, that one has to join the ranks of the poor. On the contrary, by adopting
such an erroneous attitude, we may only succeed in adding another individual to
the roster of those, who have to be supported by the community. A broad concern
means just that; a look beyond the narrow confines of the community one lives
in; an attitude of self-discipline, determined, not to take part in petty
rivalries or conflicts of interest; the courage to point-out to friends and
foes alike, when something is not quite right; a fearless exposure of the
facts, when people are not behaving according to their professed beliefs.
However, in order to be able to speak openly, and with conviction, one has to
be scrupulously honest and integer in one's dealings. Anyone who succumbs to
the temptation to profit somewhat immorally or illegally, loses, immediately,
the ability to be a voice of conscience.
23 Therefore, the citizen, who
shows a broad concern for other people is not the sentimental do-gooder, nor,
is he the ostentatious philantropist or the social activist, but, he is often a
reticent, somewhat reflective, highly integer individual, who is completely
open, even, blunt in his dealings with other people; who will never take an
unfair advantage of anyone and refuses to profit from someone else's ignorance.
24 The truly broadly concerned
individual is often looked-upon with a measure of suspicion, because he does
not seem to fit very well into a particular social environment. He is somewhat
aloof of all the goings-on, and, he treats everyone with an incisive bluntness
that is somewhat uncomfortable to many people. He does not seem to have any
secrets, nor, does he keep any secrets, and, he lives an individualistic and
quiet life, studying and pondering, why it seems so difficult for man to create
a large and just society. He has a strong feeling of justice.
25 This means, that he does not
take advantage of an opportunity to gain at the expense of someone else,
regardless, how tempting the occasion, but, on the other hand, he also refuses,
steadfastly, to be taken advantage of, and, he will quickly "correct"
anyone, who makes such an attempt, or, who shows a type of behaviour that is
opportunistic and open to criticism.
26 Ethical behaviour is a form of
behaviour that is open and shuns all forms of deception. It is not
ostentatious, nor, is it designed to profit from an aura of prestige or
prominence. Ethical behaviour is a concerned attitude that recognises the need
for everyone to have a fair chance to succeed in life. However, there is also
the recognition, that people have to shoulder, to some extent, the consequences
of their actions. Ethical behaviour recognises the importance of justice and
fair treatment, but, this implies, also, a swift, decisive and fair retribution
for those who violate the codes of justice.
27 I believe, that there is a great
deal of beauty in the behaviour of a personality who is fully committed to an
attitude of fairness and justice, and, I think, that it is possible to see, and
admire, a measure of excellence in such a behaviour-pattern, in particular,
when the going gets rough, and an individual requires a great deal of courage
to maintain his stubborn and opinionated attitude; yet, a truly concerned
attitude will also examine, continuously, whether or not the adopted attitudes
and concerns remain justified and appropriate; whether or not any criticism
leveled against it, contains a kernel of truth.
.......
Chapter 7
Content
Reflections about the difficulties of being a philosopher.
We have to be knowledgeable, before we can appreciate the hallmarks of beauty and
perfection.
The need to be active and willing to learn.
It is good to be patient.
Fortunately, not everyone wants to be an artist or a philosopher.
The dangers of indulging in enjoyment; a slide into egocentric attitudes and
activities.
The synchronisation of emotions leads to a coarsening of attitudes, and the
disappearance of critical faculties.
The boundaries between a concert and a riot.
The classical concert.
Mass-communications and the many opportunities raising the level of conscious
awareness.
Let us be aware of the abyss of mutual annihilation.
1 Our personalities, as well as
the motivations behind our behaviour, remain complex, and it will be difficult
to maintain a rigorous attitude of self-righteousness, even, if it is solidly
based on a comprehensive belief structure that takes into account the
existential requirements of all peoples in the world. Such a broad-ranging
philosophy is still incomprehensible to most people, and, if one tries to
reveal some of the background thoughts that lie behind one's attitudes,
perceptive people will question our right to impose a particular perception of
reality upon them.
2 The argument, that one does not
"impose" a particular view-point and, that everyone is invited to
study and debate these ideas, does not find much of a response. People refuse
to make an effort to study a strange and complex philosophy, and, they see only
the dogmatic aspects of an attitude, without looking, whether or not the ideas
behind such an attitude are a solution to the problems of society. Immediately,
people's defensiveness comes to the fore, and one is accused of
"preaching"; of imposing a particular view-point, and, people clamor
for the right to "be different", without knowing at all in what way
they would want to be different.
3 People in our times have a
tendency to hide behind "their rights", in particular, the right to
freedom of opinion, and, they resent, intensely, to be put under the pressures
of a particular philosophy, in particular, if this philosophy does not come
from an authoritative source. They reject, immediately and intuitively, any
moral or ethical restraints, without making an effort to understand the nature
of, and the need for, such restraints. Unfortunately, many people are so
ignorant and selfish, that they can not understand what is wrong with the world
or their social environment, as long as their particular niche is not seriously
affected by the turmoil around them.
4 Any philosopher, worth his
salt, has to learn to be patient, and, he has to learn, that he can not force
any of the people around him to take note of what he has to say. First, his
works will have to be recognised by a far-away stranger, and, then, if a
readership is slowly building-up, the people in his own environment may, finally,
start to take note, because, then, the works of the philosopher are filtering
back into the community along the proper authoritative channels.
5 It is, therefore, useless to
try to argue and discuss one's ideas with "local people". I do not
say this in a mood of bitterness or disgust, beause it is such a logical
psychological mechanism, and, I would probably obey this mechanism, too. If my
neighbour invents something that is outside my sphere of knowledge and concern,
I would probably fail to recognise the value of his invention, and, I may only
take note, if somebody else has recognised the value of the invention and is
marketing the product commercially.
6 We see, here, some of the
limitations we all are subjected to, whenever we are required to judge
something that is unfamiliar to us, and, it is logical, that we tend to rely
upon "the experts" to judge the value of something we are not
familiar with. If the experts agree that there is something of value, we may
start to take notice.
7 What does this have to do with
the mark of excellence and the beauty of pefection? Perhaps, these
considerations are only indirectly related to the topic of our essay, but,
indeed, I would like to emphasise the idea, that the judgement of excellence
and the feelings of beauty require a high level of knowledge, familiarity or
expertise. If I am ignorant about a project, I have no way of judging the
quality of what I am looking at, and, I am unable to judge, whether or not a
product has been crafted with meticulous care. The more familiar we are with a
particular field, the more intelligent our judgements can be, and, for these
reasons, it is clear, that, dull and lazy people, will make dull and lazy
judgements, which are ignorant and of no value to those, who are mentally a
little more active and alert; who are willing to put a little effort in
understanding, whatever they are being confronted with.
8 The mark of excellence and the
appreciation of beauty is not for those who are dull and without backbone. The
appreciation of beauty and excellence requires a measure of courage and
character. It requires a willingness to learn and understand, but, even so,
after we have grown to maturity, we do not learn much new material anymore,
and, if we reach maturity of our chronological age with an immature and
under-developed mind, we will stay this way. However, we can not really blame
people for being dull and ignorant, for being lazy and conformist, because most
people could not be any different, even, if they tried, and, fortunately, it is
only given to a few people to be highly gifted artists or opinionated thinkers.
What would the world come to, if everyone aspired to be an artist or a
philosopher?
9 It is good to be patient, and,
it is good to realise, that the strong feelings of beauty and admiration, which
arise when one is confronted with something, or someone, who is excellent, is a
private judgement. This judgement depends on the level of affinity or expertise
one happens to have in a particular field. Most people are more down-to-earth,
and do not get carried-away by any particular emotion of excitement in their
contacts with people or works of art. They continue to do their work, so that
you and I can eat, and may feast our eyes and ears upon a thing of beauty.
10 You know, the appreciation of
art becomes so easily an egocentric excercise that is irrelevant to others. Let
us all be patient, because, what I think is a mark of excellence, and,
therefore, of great value to me, may be irrelevant for others, and, if others perceive,
primarily, an egocentric and unconcerned orientation in my activities and
enthousiasm, they will not be easily persuaded to share this enthousiasm or
view-point. The enjoyment of excellence, beauty and good craftsmanship is, in
essence, a private affair, and, we have to be careful, that it does not become
too much of an egocentric affair.
11 Let us see, whether or not there
are more communal ways of enjoying the beauty of something excellent and good.
We are then approaching the mechanisms of emotional synchrony in a
"mass-event", and, it is doubtful, that the exhilaration or ecstasy
associated with a mass-synchrony of emotions, has anything in common with the
refined judgement of an individual evaluation. Look at the excitement of a good
concert, a moving play, a funny movie, a religious revival, and, we see, that
the object of our attention is enhanced by the effects of an emotional
synchrony, when we experience the same feelings together with a group of
people. Are we still talking about a judgement of excellence and the experience
of beauty, or, are we talking about an undifferentiated mass-hypnosis, where
there is very little left of a judgement of excellence or the appreciation of
beauty?
12 Indeed, it seems, that, in a
mass-event, or, an experience that is influenced by the mechanisms of emotional
synchrony, we are dealing with a rough, primitive surge of emotions, where
people "feel good", without knowing, why they feel good, and, without
knowing, why a particular expression or art-form has meaning for them. A state
of mass-synchrony, or mass-hysteria, seems to be dominated by a strong
emotional surge that is mutually re-enforced by the large number of people
involved. Such a mass-synchronisation of feelings seem to inhibit any tendency
towards a critical evaluation or judgement of the material presented.
13 The reason is, probably, that
the presence of a mass, or mob, gives, subconsciously, a feeling of power, and,
within the anonymity of the masses, we abandon all inhibitions or cautionary
forms of behaviour. Here, we have, also, the makings of a mass-riot, where
people go beserk, but, the mood is then ugly, and the results are destructive.
No-one would equate these attitudes and forms of behaviour with the
characteristics of beauty and excellence. Yet, the boundaries are vague,
especially, if we look at the hysteria that can be so easily generated by a
popular rock-concert, or the incendiary oratory of a demagogue. People can
easily be swept-up in their emotions, and a frenzy of enthousiasm can easily
erupt into acts of destruction.
14 During a mass-event, people may, initially, be brought into an appreciative and somewhat uncritical mood, if the artists or speakers are able to bring them something they like, and, once people have abandoned, to some extent, their reserves and their critical faculties, we see, that the tone of the emotions and acts of behaviour become easily somewhat coarse. If we scrutinise, carefully, a work of art, and, if we come to admire it in the privacy of our home, or, at least, as an individual student, communicating with the works of a master, our critical faculties are highly active, and, because we are familiar with a particular work, we will notice any imperfections or deviations in interpretation, as we follow, e.g., a musical composition through its presentation in a concert hall.
15 Under such circumstances, the
concert hall with all the people in it, the coughs and sniffles, as well as the
creaking of the seats, become an irritation and a distraction. In the austere
atmosphere of a difficult classical concert, where a masterpiece is being
presented to a critical audience, we see an attitude that is fundamentally
different from a rock-concert, where a large group of young people are waiting
for an opportunity to start screaming. Yet, if a classical artist, by sheer
mastery, authority and genuineness of his performance, is able to break-through
the critical hostility of an informed audience, then, even, a sophisticated
audience may, eventually, capitulate and give the artist a standing ovation,
after he or she has given everything for the sake of his or her art.
16 It is clear, that a performance
for a mass-audience has to take into account the expertise and familiarity of
the average listener for whom the performance is taking place, and, if one
misjudges, what the audience can, and will, appreciate, we see, that
disillusion and disappointment, or, even, bewilderment are inevitable. Here, we
see, also, the importance of the expanded exposure that has been made possible
by the introduction of the phonograph record, because, now, many people, who
would only occasionally be exposed to music, do have a chance to develop their
musical taste and judgement, and, it is, now, much easier for a large number of
people to become familiar with a vast range of artists, compared to the time,
that music was the prerogative of a few privileged people, who had access to a
concert hall, or a musical instrument of their own.
17 The possibilities of
mass-communication will, therefore, increase the number of people, who can
become familiar with a particular artistic or philosophical work, and, this
points to the importance of the techniques of mass-communication in the
education of a population.
18 Let us be aware not to confuse a
primitive synchrony of emotions with the experience of beauty. A primitive
sensation of "feeling good" may be ugly and harmful to the people
invoved, as well as to others. In extreme cases, the feelings of hatred and the
acts of violence can be experienced as "beautiful", in particular, if
our minds are pre-occupied with a violent hatred for our enemies, and, if we
have become obsessed with the desire to destroy those we hate. We become
delirious with delight, if we see our enemies smashed, but, rarely, do we
realise, that we encourage, at the same time, a similar feeling or attitude in
our enemies. They, too, will experience a frenzy of delight, if they see the
possibility to crush us for good, without any mercy, and, they will not rest,
until we have been eliminated.
19 These are destructive and utterly suicidal feelings and emotions, and, unfortunately, we are richly endowed with them. Let us be aware of the deceptive aspects of "feeling good", especially, when we give-in to the primitive desire to taste the fruits of ultimate triumph, because, in our confused and turbulent times, it is likely, that we will drag ourselves, and our enemies, into an abyss of mutual annihilation.
.......
Chapter 8
Content
The beauty of an ethical personality.
A fundamental decision; security through force or cooperation.
The wide-spread use of force in inter-personal relations.
A wounded sense of justice.
Ethics and diplomacy.
The need for an articulate public opnion from peoples all over the world.
The varying aspects of "patriotism"; a legitimate defense versus an
opportunistic grab.
There is no globally valid code for ethical conduct, as yet.
Can a war ever be justified?
Breaking-out from a vicious circle.
The tragedy of ignorance and inertia.
A stinking chaos, and sinking in a morass of confusion.
A fatal flaw.
Educating our people with a moral and ethical purpose in mind.
Examples of symbiotic relationships.
The efforts associated with creating a master-piece, and the challenges of
long-term viability.
1 Let us examine, then, in the
last chapter of this essay, not only, the beauty that is apparent in an ethical
personality who is broadly concerned with mankind as a whole, but, let us,
also, discuss the reasons, why there is a great need to stimulate a wide-spread
awareness of, and sensitivity for, the experience of beauty. Let us see, why
the ability to recognise a mark of excellence in the behaviour of human beings,
is so important for our collective well-being.
2 We have to come back, once
more, to this most essential, and, perhaps, the most fundamental decision we
have to make during our lives; do we try to solve a conflict of interests by
negotiation and compromise, (by an honest effort to understand the reasons for
the arguments and view-points of those we are in conflict with), or, do we try
to solve these tensions by force?; by the power of the gun, or, more subtly, by
the power and weight of our position in society; by the monopoly we have as an
individual or a group, or, with the "help" we can secure from our
allies. (These allies are, often, not so much "allies by persuasion",
reflecting a voluntary choice, as well as "allies by force", because
of the lack of an alternative).
3 Indeed, are we not using force,
if we threaten or blackmail, lobby or bribe, buy or lure our allies into an
alliance with us? Are we not using force, when we make those, who work for us,
dependent upon us for their jobs? Are we not using force, when a dissenting
opinion is shouted-down with boos and cat-calls, signalling an essential
intolerance for a dissenting opinion? Are we not using force, when we suppress
and discourage an individualised opinion for the sake of solidarity? Are we not
using force, if we engage in a strike against a company, or society, in order
to get what we want, and, are we not using force, if we use our powers as an
employer to make people accept working conditions and wages we would not want
to work for, or under, ourselves?
4 There is a lot of force used in
the relationships between people, and, the use of force is not limited to the
dramatic clash of arms, when people go to war with each other. However, the
results of all these methods of using force are essentially the same. If we are
forced into a corner by a stronger power, we may feel just as insulted,
neglected or unfairly treated, as having been over-run by a superior military
power.
5 The essence, here, is the fact,
that the use of any form of force to stifle dissent, to quiet unrest, or to
silence criticisms, is an "imposed" settlement. It is a forced
settlement that does nothing to quieten the feelings of injustice and
unfairness. As a matter of fact, armed conflict is a more honest and open
solution of a tension, because both parties are able to fight each other in the
open, and, each side can fortify its resolve by shouting patriotic slogans. The
loser expects to lose then everything, because he has challenged, or openly
resisted, the will of a stronger opponent.
6 We still forget, by and large,
that, many conflict-situations are "solved", or disappear from the
focus of attention, not, because the roots of the problems have been dealt with
and an honest attempt has been made to reconcile the interests and view-points
of the opposing parties, but, because the weaker party has been forced into a
position of acceptance and silence.
7 Ethical behaviour is not just a
skillful diplomatic effort to defuse the tensions between opposing parties in
order to minimise the chances of war, as well as the harm that will come to the
peoples of the opposing camps, or to innocent by-standers, but, ethical
behaviour is a serious effort to make both parties see, where their opinions
and view-points, their goals and aspirations, are legitimate and just, and,
where these view-points and objectives start to infringe upon the rights and
aspirations of the other party.
8 We should not only try to
smooth or sooth an atmosphere of belligerence and uncompromising attitudes,
even, if such an effort is a necessary first step, but we should, ideally, be
able to point-out, clearly, where the principles of justice and equality should
lead to. In a conflict-situation between powerful nations, the mediation
efforts can do little more than promote a dialogue between the warring parties,
and plead for an end to bloodshed, suffering and destruction, because no-one
has the power to stop these bullies from fighting.
9 However, if we, the peoples of
many different nations, all over the world, would have a much better idea, what
a global society should look like, and, if we would be able to articulate, more
precisely, the rights and obligations of nations, communities and individual
people, regardless of their position in the world or their local environment,
we would have a much better chance to analyse a conflict-situation in the light
of a clear-cut framework of ethical principles and long-term social goals.
Then, it would be much easier to distinguish between a patriotism that defends,
legitimately, the cultural, religious or philosophical values of a social
environment, (including the rights and obligations of its members), and a
patriotism, that is narrow and opportunistic; a patriotism, that defends only
"national interests"; where the accent falls on an attitude of suspicion
and a hatred for "the enemy".
10 It would then be much easier to
judge anyone's attitudes and behaviour, and decide, whether or not someone's
belligerence is a justified rejection of an attempt to be exploited; whether or
not our "defensiveness", is, in fact, a hidden or covert form of
aggression, where we try to make use of the fact that our neighbour is in a
position of weakness. Indeed, are we trying to grab an advantage from a
position of strength, whenever we see an opportunity to do so? Are we calling
our actions a defense of our national interests, while, in reality, we are
planning to deal our arch-enemy a crippling blow with a "pre-emptive
strike"?
11 Unfortunately, we do not have a
system of globally acceptable ethical guidelines as yet, and, we do not have a
series of clear-cut concepts with which to analyse and judge the behaviour of
people, leaderships, communities or nations. We have no clear-cut criteria with
which to judge our own drives, motivations and goal-patterns. Nevertheless,
most of us formulate a few common-sense principles which guide us throughout
our lives, because we feel, mostly intuitively, that there must be a better way
to solve conflicts than by going to war.
12 Yet, time and again, we are
faced with the difficult decision, whether or not a war can be justified, and,
we are, so often, tempted to believe, (and we are encouraged to believe), that
the war we are about to begin, is, indeed, justified. We are told by our
leaders, that or enemies are inhuman, God-forsaken villains, who can only be
devils or monsters in disguise. Rarely do we realise, that we are viewed in
exactly the same manner by those we call our "arch-enemies", and,
that it would be difficult for a distant and impartial outsider to decide, who
is right, and who is wrong.
13 Occasionally, someone with a
broad and articulate point of view will give us an idea, how to distinguish
between a legitimate defense against an unlawful intrusion of rights and
privileges, and, an opportunistic exploitation, where an essentially aggressive
attitude is rationalised. Occasionally, we see, that someone starts to show
some understanding of these matters, and, he or she may become a skilled and
convincing arbiter, who can "shame" both sides into acknowledging,
that they are both to blame for the situation of conflict. We may, suddenly,
recognise the value of such beneficial and far-sighted mediation, and, we are
rightly enthousiastic about such a personality and the insights that have been
displayed. We recognise, that these attiudes are an opportunity to break-out of
the vicious cycle of armed conflicts, imposed settlements, and the festering
sores of a chronically wounded sense of justice.
14 We all will have to give a lot
more thought to the requirements and definitions of "ethical
behaviour", and, it makes me sick with anger and frustration to see
hard-working and law-abiding citizens so completely unconcerned and ignorant
about the need for justice in inter-personal and inter-national relationships.
As long as their paticular world is being maintained, and, as long as all the
privileges they take for granted are unchallenged, they live their complacent,
unconcerned little lives, squandering their time with small-talk, while the
storm-clouds of large-scale conflicts and the fast-growing feelings of
resentment and anger amongst millions and millions of poor and deprived people,
are completely ignored.
15 The real tragedy is, that these
happy and ignorant citizens, who are slumbering in their under-developed
ethical concerns, will, some day, wake up, suddenly, because the forces of
chaos and decay will have reached their doorstep, too. They could have seen it
coming, years ago, if they had bothered to look and think about it, but, as
long as the flood-waters of chaos and discontent, injustice and deteriorating
conditions did not touch their little world, they did not even bother to look
and take note.
16 Now, they are becoming involved,
and, the only reaction they display is a non-understanding bewilderment.
"Why me", they ask, and their undifferentiated emotions of anger and
confusion are exactly the same as those of the millions of people, whom they
have so completely ignored. If these citizens did nothing, and, if they were
not even aware of the happenings in the rest of the world, before their own
little world started to crumble, what right do they have, then, to expect, that
others, not yet affected, or, those, who have been struggling with these same
problems of social injustice for many years, will care one iota about the fact,
that, finally, these privileged ignorami are now involved as well?
17 Eventually, we will reap the
fruits of our ignorance and unconcern, and, when we, finally, are beginning to
learn, that there is something wrong, it may be too late to save ourselves, or
to be of any help to others. Unless we all learn to be more concerned about the
stinking chaos of social injustice, corruption and incredible discrepancies
between the rich and the poor, we will be sinking in this same morass
ourselves, and, our belated cries for help, as well as our frantic efforts to
institute changes, will only evoke hauls of scorn and laughter from those, who
have been hardened by the frustration of seeing us linger in an atmosphere of
unconcern and ignorance.
18 However, as we have mentioned,
before, this sluggishness in being moved to preventative actions; this laziness
in being moved by the problems and injustices of the world, as well as our smug
unconcern, (often hidden behind the facile attitude, that we are not to blame
for the problems of the world or the society we live in, and, that there is
"nothing we can do about it anyway"), is a fatal flaw in man's
psychological constitution. It may well be, that a majority of people will
indeed be incapable of expanding their sphere of reality and concern to such a
large social scale, and, it may well be, that man will never be able to solve
his problems by cooperation on a truly global scale. If such is the case, we
will become extinct, soon, because the demands for psychological adaptation and
changes in the behavioural response of the human being will have out-stripped
the capabilities of comprehension, fore-sight and planning. We will, then, join
a long line of extinct species', which have disappeared, also, because they had
lost the flexibility to adapt to swiftly changing circumstances.
19 Nevertheless, there is, at
least, the theoretical possibility to avoid such an event, which is, really,
only a disaster from our particular point of view. It is possible to avoid the
catastrophe of extinction, if we learn to develop a sensitivity for the sense
of justice, as well as for the universal right of every human being to a decent
standard of living. We may extend our lease on life, if we become sensitized to
the beauty of serious and honest efforts to restore, or create, a wide-spread
situation of social justice, and, if we learn to appreciate, and follow, an
example of hard work and dedication to the construction of a carefully balanced
and just social and natural environment. Certainly, we all have the
intellectual potentials to grasp these insights, and, there is no reason to
believe, that there is an essential inability to spread the conditions of
justice over the entire globe.
20 Here, we see the need for
education; not the sort of education, where we teach our youngsters, how to be
smart and clever entrepreneurs in order to grab as large a slice of the social
and economic pie as they can get their hands on, but, a sort of education, that
teaches, clearly, the essential principles of nature and life; an education,
that teaches the requirements of all living existence, the mechanisms of human
behaviour, as well as the similarities between us, in particular, between
those, who are arch-rivals of each other.
21 We can educate our youngsters,
as well as ourselves, in the advantages and virtues of seeking a stable form of
existence in a pact of essential equality and mutual cooperation. Natural
evolution has developed many successful symbiotic forms of existence. We see
them between cells and multi-cellular life-forms, and, this means, that there
is, at least, a potential for the capabilities of human perception and insight
to formulate a system of symbiotic and harmonious relationships on a global
scale.
22 The appreciation of beauty, the
recognition of excellence, as well as the motivations that lie behind a life of
dedication to the goals of perfection, are starting to move-out of the realm,
where they were considered to be the attributes of the exceptionally gifted
artist, the eccentric philosopher, or, the mad scientist, because, slowly, it
is dawning on us, that these qualities and attributes become increasingly
necessary to solve the many gigantic and overwhelming problems we are faced
with.
23 We all may soon need a good appreciation for the beauty of being alive, and, we may have to develop a sense of wonderment about our ability to think and create a coherent perception of our realities. Unless we abandon our complacent attitudes, where we take our existence, our environment, as wel as our particular local advantages for granted, we may well lose the ability to exist, just as a master-piece of art or a complicated technological achievement could not have come into being, without hard work, dedication, and the ability to recognise the mark of excellence.
24 For such a long time, maintaining our existence seemed a simple matter of taking what we wanted, and destroying whatever lay in our path, but, now, we require the same sort of effort and dedication to stay alive as is needed to create an artistic or scientific master-piece. Let us be aware of the fact, that a failure to appreciate the quickly changing criteria of human viability, will have to be paid-for with the price of extinction.
.......
Summary
1. A mundane discussion.
A non-combative struggle for beauty and perfection
Modern military strategists and their computers.
The differences between planning for war and the horrors of real combat.
People, who have become scarred and warped for the rest of their lives.
The blessing of not having to inherit "horrible memories".
The dilemma of the cultural code.
The need to check our conclusions and expectations against reality.
Rational analysis is a two-edged sword.
Is mankind already on its way to extinction?
2. Strength and dependence.
The same factors that led to evolutionary success become, so easily, a
liability and a reason for decline.
Is conscious awareness a narrow specialisation in function?
The fragility of the state of emotional neutrality.
The cultural and genetic codes.
Man's inability to check-out, experimentally, the consequences of a nuclear
war, in spite of the ability to create computer simulations.
Another essential flaw of human nature; man's innate tendency to destroy his
hard-won gains.
The mechanisms of social and individual decay.
An essential principle of the living organisation; the need for a certain level
of stress in order to maintain vital functions.
The role of hopeful expectations in the reality-perceptions of man.
The essentially psychological realities of all forms of awareness.
The beginning of a mechanism of "cultural transfer" when youngsters
imitate adult behaviour-patterns.
These same mechanisms play a role in our tendency to identify with our heroes.
The relative judgement of excellence and relevance.
3. A review of the mechanisms of the genetic and cultural codes.
The transition from a passive to a more manipulative inter-action with the
environment.
The inter-play between the genetic code and the environment.
The origins of the three existential poles of animal behaviour.
Feed-back from the external and internal environments.
The central nervous system developed as a result of existential demands on the
animal way of life.
The "fine-tuning" of flexible behaviour-patterns.
The act of imitation has become an important short-cut in the process of
learning.
The need for "secondary learning".
The long learning period of the human being.
The inter-play between genetic and cultural factors in human viability.
From imitating a concrete example to the abstraction of an ideal; a slow and
incomplete process of psychological sophistication.
The value of having understood the fragile nature of human existence.
4. Sensitivity to beauty and perfection, seen as a stimulus for an
attitude of enthousiasm and dedication.
A guidance-structure for our vitality.
The tendency to squander surplus energies.
The mechanisms of a "Renaissance".
The essential instability of a condition of affluence.
Varying mosaics of social realities.
The need for beneficial, socially acceptable channels for dissipating vital
energies.
The worlds of sport and entertainment, and the phenomenon of consumerism.
The temptations associated with the need to "make money".
The "master", and his routine work.
A variety of goal-patterns.
When we dedicate ourselves to a combative objective; the guerilla-fighter.
The forgotten sacrifices of life and limb.
The dilemma of the soldier.
Shifting frames of reference for the judgement of right and wrong.
The anti-social individual, and his occasional contribution.
The persuasiveness of a socially responsible and responsive individual.
5. Various forms of achievement.
The process of maturation, and the development of a sensitivity to the
experience of beauty and perfection.
The "girl of our dreams", and the chances of finding her.
A wide variety of interests, expressions and paths of development.
The people we admire, and, what it reveals about our personality.
The bonds of loyalty and affection.
A chill sense of hopelessness.
The beauty of being a pillar of loyal support.
The articulate personality.
The need for honesty and openness.
A refinement of feelings and goal-patterns.
It is criminal to teach our youngsters to become insensitive bullies.
The beauty of an uneventful, clean and honest life-style.
6. Beauty and Perfection are largely "in the eyes of the
beholder".
Useful tensions for the genuine artist.
Works of art, and the judgement that a work is a master-piece.
The channels of authority.
The artist and his audience, several generations later.
Varying perspectives.
The artist and the art-lover.
Looking for a precise and perfect way to say it.
Mechanisms, when experiencing a sense of beauty.
Gnostic Sects, and their obscurantist jargon.
The non-ethical aspects of an intense search for happiness or
"salvation".
Non-mystical religions, and the attitudes of social concern.
The ostentatious "do-gooder", and the weepy sentimentalist.
The outlines of a broadly based sphere of concerns.
A definition of ethical behaviour-patterns.
7. Reflections about the difficulties of being a philosopher.
We have to be knowledgeable, before we can appreciate the hallmarks of beauty
and perfection.
The need to be active and willing to learn.
It is good to be patient.
Fortunately, not everyone wants to be an artist or a philosopher.
The dangers of indulging in enjoyment; a slide into egocentric attitudes and
activities.
The synchronisation of emotions leads to a coarsening of attitudes, and the
disappearance of critical faculties.
The boundaries between a concert and a riot.
The classical concert.
Mass-communications and the many opportunities raising the level of conscious
awareness.
Let us be aware of the abyss of mutual annihilation.
8. The beauty of an ethical personality.
A fundamental decision; security through force or cooperation.
The wide-spread use of force in inter-personal relations.
A wounded sense of justice.
Ethics and diplomacy.
The need for an articulate public opnion from peoples all over the world.
The varying aspects of "patriotism"; a legitimate defense versus an
opportunistic grab.
There is no globally valid code for ethical conduct, as yet.
Can a war ever be justified?
Breaking-out from a vicious circle.
The tragedy of ignorance and inertia.
A stinking chaos, and sinking in a morass of confusion.
A fatal flaw.
Educating our people with a moral and ethical purpose in mind.
Examples of symbiotic relationships.
The efforts associated with creating a master-piece, and the challenges of
long-term viability.
.......