freedom
"Exile accepted as a destiny, in the way we accept an incurable illness, should help us see through our self-delusions"
I am here. Those three words contain all that can be said- you begin with those words and you return to them. Here means on this earth, on this continent and no other, in this city and no other, in this epoch I call mine, this century, this year. I was given no other place, no other time, and I touch my desk to defend myself against the feeling that my own body is transient. This is all very fundamental, but, after all, the science of life depends on the gradual discovery of fundamental truths.
I have read many books, but to place all those volumes on top of one another and stand on them would not add a cubit to my stature. Their learned terms are of little use when I attempt to seize essential experience, which alludes all constructed ideas by definition of their construction. To borrow their language is helpful in many ways, but it also leads imperceptibly into a self-contained labrynith, abandoning us in alien corridors which contain no exit. An Intelligent Prison constructed by our own hands, a space we willingly enter with nary a protest to the resounding echo of the locking door. An Illusion of Redemption that Affirms our Position in Personal Exile. How does one truly differentiate the Pursuit of Essence from the Higher Bounds of Intellectual Enslavement and Spiritual Existentialism?
What differentiates the teachings fo the Baal Shem Tov from that of Chabad Chassidus? Waht si teh Enhancement of Illumination? The Baal Shem Tov produced a Divine Product. He reminded a bewildered flock of their own Existence, aknowledged the Core of their Spiritual Identity. The Chassidic Master spoke to the Original Breath that had all but been stifled. And yet this Rejuvenation was a Desperate Maneuver. The Baal Shem Tov taught what can be defined as a ten-step program of Simplicity. A model method that persistently guided the route to the Basics: Infuse Gdly Goodness, practice Human Kindness, and Brotherly Love. Find Gd again in the Simple. The Baal Shem Tov's message created a short-cut to Essence. His were teachings that led to a single goal: the exemplification of life with the Simple Essence of Essence Itself.
The Alter Rebbe taught Consciousness. Here enters the Master of the Method. A Teacher of the Cohesive Life. It was the Moment of Revelation, unveiling the Formula of Cohesion, the Process of Fusing that which is Known with that which remains Unknown. The Alter Rebbe taught the Complexity of Essence, the Differentiation and Individuality that accompanies Oneness and enhances its Ultimate Union. Product was replaced with Process. It is a Process of Awareness that combines the force of the Evolving Self with the steadfast Core of Gdliness. With this Birth, life-saving solutions were replaced with the ever-present Life Long Question. What is the Act and Art of Becoming? What is Essence in its Expression and Manifestation within the Personalized Soul? What is the Meaning of the Meaningful? Chabad Chassidus is a perspective, a penetration, a Lens of Divine Consciousness that peers into the Reality of the World and the many layers of the Soul. It is the View of Transformation. For this reason Chabad is not a Goal but the Objective of a bottomless Depth. It is the Identified Self and its Divine Definition within the Complexity of Oneness.
Prison comes in many sizes, shapes and forms. There are the walls of Mental Constriction that hinder the Liberated Mind, the walls of Divine Doubt and Spiritual Inhibition that shadow the Creative Spirit, and the walls of Mundane Routine that impair the Freedom and Curiousity of the Soul. We need not feel the cool iron against our cheeks to know that we have locked ourselves away in exchange for that which does not exist. We need only the Lethargy of Limitation, the Boundary of Boredom, to know that we have confirmed the Impossibility of Possibility. Thus, condemning ourselves to a Life of Silence. We need only feel the Space of Superficiality to know that the Spiritual Self remains trapped in the Illusion of the Physical Realm. We need only to reach down and feel the Comfort of Clothing and the Dependency of Layerings to realize that we have not sufficed the Existence of Essence.
We must offer resistance. We must resist the Urge to Retreat into the Folds of Anonymity, the Escape of Habitual Reality. Although I cannot invent a new langauge and I am forced to use the one learnt in the world, I can distinguish, I hope, between what is innately mine, the Memory of my Remembering, and what is merely the Fashionable Formulation of Fictional Friction.
Prison being a Construction, must be Spiritually Deconstructed. Be brave. Awareness is the key to Freedom. Stand undaunted, empowered by the certainty that you have something important to say to the world, something no one will be called to or ever able to say. A voice that was never heard and that will never be heard again. Believe in the Consciousness that Defines your Being. With this the feeling of True Individuality, one Meshed with Oneness, the Origin of Originality begins to stir and awaken. Slowly it Remembers its Original Purpose, its Initiation, its One Word. Painstakingly does it begin to explode in a kaleidescope of color, brilliant flashes that form coherent black letters on the purity of a single white sheet. Letters that write but a single sentence. The Name. The Identity. The Reason. A single phrase which, when truly weighed, suffices a life's work. A single statement that recognizes and affirms that the Soul's most natural Belonging is with Unity, in the Constant Movement of Creativity and in the Sanctity of Absolute Freedom.
I am here. Those three words contain all that can be said- you begin with those words and you return to them. Here means on this earth, on this continent and no other, in this city and no other, in this epoch I call mine, this century, this year. I was given no other place, no other time, and I touch my desk to defend myself against the feeling that my own body is transient. This is all very fundamental, but, after all, the science of life depends on the gradual discovery of fundamental truths.
I have read many books, but to place all those volumes on top of one another and stand on them would not add a cubit to my stature. Their learned terms are of little use when I attempt to seize essential experience, which alludes all constructed ideas by definition of their construction. To borrow their language is helpful in many ways, but it also leads imperceptibly into a self-contained labrynith, abandoning us in alien corridors which contain no exit. An Intelligent Prison constructed by our own hands, a space we willingly enter with nary a protest to the resounding echo of the locking door. An Illusion of Redemption that Affirms our Position in Personal Exile. How does one truly differentiate the Pursuit of Essence from the Higher Bounds of Intellectual Enslavement and Spiritual Existentialism?
What differentiates the teachings fo the Baal Shem Tov from that of Chabad Chassidus? Waht si teh Enhancement of Illumination? The Baal Shem Tov produced a Divine Product. He reminded a bewildered flock of their own Existence, aknowledged the Core of their Spiritual Identity. The Chassidic Master spoke to the Original Breath that had all but been stifled. And yet this Rejuvenation was a Desperate Maneuver. The Baal Shem Tov taught what can be defined as a ten-step program of Simplicity. A model method that persistently guided the route to the Basics: Infuse Gdly Goodness, practice Human Kindness, and Brotherly Love. Find Gd again in the Simple. The Baal Shem Tov's message created a short-cut to Essence. His were teachings that led to a single goal: the exemplification of life with the Simple Essence of Essence Itself.
The Alter Rebbe taught Consciousness. Here enters the Master of the Method. A Teacher of the Cohesive Life. It was the Moment of Revelation, unveiling the Formula of Cohesion, the Process of Fusing that which is Known with that which remains Unknown. The Alter Rebbe taught the Complexity of Essence, the Differentiation and Individuality that accompanies Oneness and enhances its Ultimate Union. Product was replaced with Process. It is a Process of Awareness that combines the force of the Evolving Self with the steadfast Core of Gdliness. With this Birth, life-saving solutions were replaced with the ever-present Life Long Question. What is the Act and Art of Becoming? What is Essence in its Expression and Manifestation within the Personalized Soul? What is the Meaning of the Meaningful? Chabad Chassidus is a perspective, a penetration, a Lens of Divine Consciousness that peers into the Reality of the World and the many layers of the Soul. It is the View of Transformation. For this reason Chabad is not a Goal but the Objective of a bottomless Depth. It is the Identified Self and its Divine Definition within the Complexity of Oneness.
Prison comes in many sizes, shapes and forms. There are the walls of Mental Constriction that hinder the Liberated Mind, the walls of Divine Doubt and Spiritual Inhibition that shadow the Creative Spirit, and the walls of Mundane Routine that impair the Freedom and Curiousity of the Soul. We need not feel the cool iron against our cheeks to know that we have locked ourselves away in exchange for that which does not exist. We need only the Lethargy of Limitation, the Boundary of Boredom, to know that we have confirmed the Impossibility of Possibility. Thus, condemning ourselves to a Life of Silence. We need only feel the Space of Superficiality to know that the Spiritual Self remains trapped in the Illusion of the Physical Realm. We need only to reach down and feel the Comfort of Clothing and the Dependency of Layerings to realize that we have not sufficed the Existence of Essence.
We must offer resistance. We must resist the Urge to Retreat into the Folds of Anonymity, the Escape of Habitual Reality. Although I cannot invent a new langauge and I am forced to use the one learnt in the world, I can distinguish, I hope, between what is innately mine, the Memory of my Remembering, and what is merely the Fashionable Formulation of Fictional Friction.
Prison being a Construction, must be Spiritually Deconstructed. Be brave. Awareness is the key to Freedom. Stand undaunted, empowered by the certainty that you have something important to say to the world, something no one will be called to or ever able to say. A voice that was never heard and that will never be heard again. Believe in the Consciousness that Defines your Being. With this the feeling of True Individuality, one Meshed with Oneness, the Origin of Originality begins to stir and awaken. Slowly it Remembers its Original Purpose, its Initiation, its One Word. Painstakingly does it begin to explode in a kaleidescope of color, brilliant flashes that form coherent black letters on the purity of a single white sheet. Letters that write but a single sentence. The Name. The Identity. The Reason. A single phrase which, when truly weighed, suffices a life's work. A single statement that recognizes and affirms that the Soul's most natural Belonging is with Unity, in the Constant Movement of Creativity and in the Sanctity of Absolute Freedom.
posted by HindiK at 5:10 AM
24 Comments:
a question in good faith-
if you could sum this post up in one sentence, what would it be?
(u start asking how to discern between whats "essence", and whats a "higher enslavement". fair enough. but you dont continue the thought. you continue to say that the besh"t preached essence, true, but there is a positive extension, namely, chabad? [besides the illusionary extension of "higher enslavement" which is negative? were you going dow that path?] please synthesize....)
Firstly, I apologize for the spelling mistakes and typos [5am typing leaves much to be desired] that might have caused some confusion.
The point and synthesis of this entire piece:
The Pursuit of Consciousness must be Conscious. Thereby one lives in a state of Absolute Freedom, and one is not a Prisoner of Reality or a Trajectory of Essence but the Unity of Essence Itself.
I hope this clarifies.
thank you- but it actually just leaves me with undefined and vague terms whose capitalisation leaves me wary.
no insinuation as to your grasp on the idea; i just don't get it.
I realize your stylistic idiosyncrasies are essential to your identity, but I can't help notice how artificial and meaningless your phrases have become, especially when you capitalize them. It's like those people who talk and make quotations signs with their fingers for every other word--we'd have understood what they meant without the incessant "quote unquote". Same with your mass-produced slogans. Is Pursuit of Consciousness less of a pursuit when it's just pursuit? Or how about a Trajectory of Essence and the Unity of Essence Itself? Clarity is key here. What you've put together is a remix of too many hollow sound bites that don't add up to anything! I don't want to sound harsh and offensive, but truly- you're a talented writer and this is simply not one of your best. Maybe I'm missing the point and it's actually a code that needs to be cracked to be understood.
I appreciate the feedback. I am glad you voiced your opinions both on my overall work and on this specific article.
Yes, to some degree I will claim stylistic 'rights' as to why I chose to capitalize certain words and phrases. Grammar, in my humble opinion, is meant to enhance writing, and so following in the tradition of e.e. cummings and at times Daniel Defoe [who has a mad caps guy] i cap what I feel helps make my point.
the caps noun-ifizes what i am trying to say. which means in english, more than articulates... like THIS IS THE POINT, non descriptive, HELLO: NOUN. [kinda like THE END]
like you said, essentially there is no major difference between 'pursuit of consciousness' and Pursuit of Consciousness. However, to me, as the authoress, i feel that there is. This is the One and No Other. The reason we caps the He when referring to Gd is not due to respect but because there is He and No Other. [wild! Ultimate Noun Usage]
as far as what i personally meant when scribing this in the pre-dawn hours...well, someone earlier today told me how coherent the article was, and both of you believe it's majorly inconsistent and unclear. The article is about Creativity and yet you feel its Cliche.
[This, i feel, is absolutely fabulous, perhaps now I can claim that this is truly one of the best things i've ever written...]
i like the way work can be interpeted. in fact, as a general philosophy i think work should always be interpeted, as it is the only way to make it personal, meaningful and attempt to Create a Point, a Souvenir from the Reading.
Everything is up for interpetation. So really who cares what I Meant?
If you're really curious it had something to do with this verse:
"you're a slave to yourself and you don't even know it"
Mattisyahu
"King Without a Crown"
take it as you will, but take it all the same.
namastaei.
How Pathetically Cliche!
Hindy, your response is more Disturbing than your original post.
Hin.
Call me when u get there.
Or before.
0525 86 7702.
"Take it as you will, but take it all the same."
Woohoo! Look who's got the last word, eh? The only appropriate response is silence. (Silent gagging if necessary :))
[Just for fun...
"The brain struggling to understand the brain is society trying to explain itself."
-Colin Blakemore (from Mechanics of the Mind, 1977)]
i'm glad to see you have finally put down Seventeen.
just kidding love.
check this out, from cousin Mendy:
clarityforlife.blogspot.com
similiar sentiment, just so much clearer.
"take it as you will, but take it all the same."
I'm grasping for something... anything. In all seriousness - I'm a little surprised with your response. I thought you would have at least try cover up the blunder and given me a surrealist manifesto or some shpil about the objectivity of automatic writing (aka free association). Instead you're defending the clarity of your words as though it’s just that I’m not getting your perspective or can’t appreciate your creativity.
"Everything is up for interpetation. So really who cares what I Meant?"
That's a very sad state, my dear. What could possibly be your motivation in writing if you have no intention of communicating an idea? Artistic license (or your rights as authoress) can only be exercised in the context of some articulation.
Think about it in terms of art. Many people object to modern art because it isn't a clear representation of its source material and doesn't convey its subject to the viewer in direct terms. How often have you heard, "If Picasso meant for us to see a man with a guitar, why couldn't he have just painted the frikin man with a guitar instead of all these boxes and lines?" I can almost hear you huffing, 'how uneducated and simplistic'. For someone versed in art or at least open to another perspective, Picasso's boxes and lines are a brilliant representation (in another dimension perhaps, using deconstruction of the geometric space, etc) and the genius of his art is the ability to first see and then recreate on canvas a different visual reality. But most importantly, if you had asked Picasso about his boxes and lines, he'd fight to his death that the painting is in fact a man in a guitar!
Interpretation and meaning are entirely different things. Everything in the world is up for interpretation, because by nature we all see and understand things differently. But that does not give you the right to produce work without meaning (just because someone somewhere is bound to interpret it). Take much of the modern free-verse poetry produced today; it’s completely indecipherable. Walk through downtown Manhattan and 7 out of 10 people consider themselves modern artists. Their work, while enigmatic, trendy, self-conscious and possibly daring, is unrecognized and they’re mostly destined to remain waiters and latte makers because their work lacks meaning. Plain and simple.
I don’t want to pick on you—I’m just very disturbed by the notion of meaningless and careless writing. Many people try to pass off their mumble jumble as legitimate. Think of politicians who talk and talk but say nothing of substance. I believe they’re coached to talk around subjects so that they could never later be held accountable for their words—there’s no way to later prove that’s what they meant. But at least they’re honest liars. With art or writing the deception is more subtle, but worse, because it’s self-deception. To say this post was fabulous because nobody could figure it out is a clever way of justifying the fact that you probably don’t either know what it says and were hoping nobody would notice.
p.s. HL Kaye, I just realized that my last post comes across unnecessarily harsh. I don't know you at all, so any criticism I send your way is purely for the purpose of intellectual debate. You seem cool and up for it, but it couldn't hurt to add that I didn't intend anything hurtful.
Nehama,
In a wold where only words matter, the last word has value. In my world,however, it's the idea's that matter, not the sequence of words.
Also, there comes a point where the only response is silence. Omni and Eizer both pointed out the obvious. A desire to argue with the obvious can't be confronted. There's no way to convince someone who blinds herself. G'luck.
I have not been more entertained in months! play@namastaei indeed!
Eizer.k- delightful! (Uh, sorry it's at your expense, Hin, though I do respect your intelligence enough to assume eizer.k's assumptions are presumptuous, at best. [And, ishechad, if our point of contention begins and ends in your world, well... :)]
All the bestest and a toast to clarity...for life!
[And, ishechad, if our point of contention begins and ends in your world, well... :)]
Sorry, but I didn't get that.
I do respect your intelligence enough to assume eizer.k's assumptions are presumptuous, at best.
Talk about presumptious! Also, isn't this our very point of contention? The very fact that there exists this "poetic license" which automatically pardons the writing from analysis and criticism is what is so disturbing. You're relying on your impression of Hindi as a smart girl, to replace your better judgment.
Eizer K. do not apologize, insult has no place in this context, and I am fascinated by your argument.
I have just returned from hours of cramming molecular biology because my final [as the MTA strike has ended EDDIE!] has been rescheduled bright and early for the morrow, so rest assured that lack of immediate response does not indicate mulling over insulting posters.
ooh boy, where to start.
I like the fact that you bring up Picasso and the notion of dimension. Is writing a one-dimensional medium? Ultimately, yes. it is simply words spelled out on paper in linear pattern. Flat. But is it really one-dimensional? Can a writer not construct a multidimensional universe and intricate geometric plane with but the use of a pen? Yes. They can. Dimension, in this context [and I believe what you are calling Picasso's] is a Construct. It is paint on canvas, it is ink on paper. Essentially no difference, and yet somehow all the difference.
I'd just like to say that as a general principle, my personal writing [which i differentiate from my blog writing] i do not usually edit. It is conscious, but still retains its spontaneity, personally i practice free writing, or stream of consciousness, a technique to improve my personal writing removed from the blog forum. The fact that this piece differs from my 'normal' blog style is indicative to the fact that is simply another dimension of my work and not an attempt at artistic pretentiousness.
that aside-
i believe that every artist is a teacher. indubitably there is a message, and i appreciate the articulated way in which you pointed that out. what is art without meaning? it is a one-dimensional slop of pain on skin. i concur. in fact i couldn't agree more. what i meant by 'who care's what i meant' was somewhat misinterpeted. i'll explain my lack of coherency...
'take it as you will' and 'who care what i meant' simply mean that i believe in subjective analysis. there is no real criticism and interpetation that are not subjective, personally i feel that it is only in subjectivity that art is ever meaningful...
this explained, i recognize that there is a point to what i have written. there is meaning in it, true meaning, not what i think you are calling 'modern' by the meaning of meaninglessness...
of course i wrote it for a reason.
of course there is a point.
a point, that I made, that I created, in my own personal subjectivity, and life reference.
when picasso painted his 'blue series' or 'man with guitar' or my favorite 'the women of avigon' he was not painting tangible objects as they appeared in reality, but as you explained, as they appeared to him in His Reality, in his subjectivity, in his viewpoint.
to me that's art. art is the ability to convey subjectivity to the viewer. to enter the world of millions of viewers and effect Their Worlds. to let your eyes change their vision.
if my work had any meaning, removed from my original intention, that makes it subjective, that makes it interpetable, that lets it enter Your consciousness, that makes it art.
and that's why i flattered myself.
;)
nothing is said or done without a reason. i am firm believer that every action, thought and written word holds worth and value, whether we are conscious of it or not.
as a general 411 i do not feel a need to write anything to 'sound intelligent' or to engage in the 'artistic pretentiousness'. i spend most of my day writing academic papers and analyzing other peoples' work [and some of it i genuinely feel is meaningless] and have no reason nor desire to mimic their creativity, i'd be happy just discovering the depths of my own.
Simply this piece was my attempt at grappling with a concept that i have always meditated on. If we are all Essentially Essence how can we be Individually Creative?
provactive notion, something that just always bugged me. time and space [or in my science zone'd head pH and Temp.] and other variables were in place and condusive for mad scribbling session on this.
That was the kernel of my meditation, if we engage in the analyzation and studying of other peoples' work does that essentially lead us to unveiling the depth of our own? or simply deeper into a 'prison', inhibiting us, and limiting us in our discovery of Genuine Creativity'??
as a teacher first, and artist [somewhat] second, i apologize for my lack of organization. [but having just stated that it was more personal as oppose to public, that's the artistic side on free reign]
right now i'm typing fast [sorry for lack of editing] as i must leave cyberspace and finish studying.
but please-
feel free to respond and challenge any of the points i [hope] i have made.
shabbat shalom
namastaei.
and dovid-
i am saying just the opposite, so you are stuck having to read the long ramble i just posted.
and as a general public service announcement: please, there's no need to get personal.
i love when people intellecutally debate [yes, even if it is a waste of time, but so is TV and everything else] and engage in a dialogue... [if we did it more often maybe we'd have better schools and less nuclear warheads] but as soon as you get personal, you get insulting, offensive, and general tones that lead to Escalation [and consequently atom bombs raining down on Nagasaki].
i hate Escalation [as a noun mostly] keep to the dialogue and no one has to agree ever.
makes the whole discussion complex and absolutely fascinating.
thanks guys.
beuna sera.
Hindi, I'm sorry if you thought what I said was confrontational or personal.
I just really think there was a heavy streak of narcissism in this post and its subsequent defenses.
And if I do get personal, I must say in my own defense that if there's one thing that really frightens me it's the misuse of intelligence. Most of the political stances I take issue with are defended I['d like to] think with very catchy ideas and slogans, which wither, however, under the inspection of a scrutinous eye. In this particular case I am not too troubled by your elusiveness, because this article is harmless in implication. But in general, if writers feel they have a license, ultimately society is threatened. No artist should escape accountability.
(In case you don’t remember, this was my stance in my comments on your post about socialism too.)
That said, I am a big believer in a return to classical values (and method) in society and in art. Again, no one should escape accountability.
I do respect your intelligence enough to assume eizer.k's assumptions are presumptuous, at best.
Huh? … please note that I never used the words presumptuous or pretentious to describe this post. I could definitely find some of that on this blog ;) but this post would not qualify.
In this particular case I am not too troubled by your elusiveness, because this article is harmless in implication.
Great point, but a shame on Hindy’s part to put forth a piece that effectively has zero implication.
-----------------------------------------
Hindy- you make a fair point. Your art is your subjective experience, so who’s to judge or appraise something that is so personal to you. The fact is you cannot hold people to this ‘standard’, because this idea can be true in only two conditions: (1) in an ideal world, where peace, love and universal acceptance rule and critical evaluation, otherwise known as common sense, is out the window, or (2) when dealing with intentionally narcissistic expression, where the goal does not include communication. You don’t fall into either category, so I just don’t think the concept of ‘take it as you will’ is a viable defense.
p.s. In light of Dovid’s so-called offense, I just want to say that calling someone’s art (writing included) narcissistic is not always considered an insult. Many artists will outright tell you that their work is an exploration of the self and the limits of personal expression; their work is intentionally consumed by their egos. In the rare case where said artist has a ‘self’ that is actually worth displaying, their art is original and meaningful. In most cases though, it’s cliché, self-indulgent and wholly uninteresting to anybody else. A truly talented artist will use their personal lens to recreate and express in a visionary way the greater world at large. The result here is equally unique and personal, but the meaning extends much further.
Edmond it takes meiosis for us to see each other...
pathetic.
i am thrilled to hear about your fashion success.
post details on your new line, [becuase yes, i have friends that are slightly more fashion oriented then me'self]
come visit me at my bakery studio [with those 300 candles of yours- i just found out no electric] i'll be there writing The Book...
best regards if you crash Adam again.
cheers dahlin'
Hon, just glad you’re just living up to Ben Franklin’s adage- “If you would not be forgotten as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading or do things worth the writing.” Obviously your work IS worth reading AND worth debating. ;)
change of heart from my opposite zodiac sign...
;)
thanks m'dear.
i knew you'd see the light.
;)
i once read that Ben Franklin electrocuted a crowd of people that were snooping outside his house...
how cool is that?
LMAO! and i enjoy reading your thoughts too.. myabe a bit eratic and nutty and extreme and a bissel meshuga... but your fun.. keep blogging..
next time around then.
when we're both cats.
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