27/1
Socrates states no truth exists in the realm of change and decay. That is our world. He says there is only perception. That makes sense to be, seeing as “truth” or what we call truth varies per person. That means we all have perception but then would we have to change out definition of perception to truth? But it’s not truth. But our eyes intake things that we do not see. So even that works with theory. Our mind interprets our visual blind spots. So everything is inaccurate. Woah. Truth requires goodness. Does that mean there is no goodness at all? So are all humans inherently evil? This is getting off topic, but I am curious. So does it mean that since there is no truth, nothing is as it seems?
29/1
Today was the continued debate of truth and reality. We began a story about truth. More or less, the plot was that of an execution in a penal colony. I still, as 2
Today we discussed Sisyphus and his obvious snide behavior towards the gods. In an almost mockery, he continues to push the rock, knowing he will fail. The gods are angered that they cannot defeat his spirit. They can punish him, but are unable to change his mentality. I agree this story is still applicable to modern times. Many people resist authority, or whatever. Blatant disregard, you can punish but you can’t defeat a person’s will. It is human nature at its simplest form.
6/2
Today was a debate of Disney’s princesses, heroism, and punk music. Let alone black and thrash metal. Oh, and somewhere in between we talked about Socrates and his belief that knowledge is born with us. We know tings already and only need to remember them. Sounds plausible. Maybe. Well, what I want to know is if that happens, how does one account for learning disabilities? Our brain refuses to be at its best, to know all it can know? One of these days I am determined to take this up with Socrates. It is proven that as a general rule, girls are better at English and boys are better at math. Do some genders only know certain things? Are we all born with the same knowledge? Or the same capacity to remember? What happens with Alzheimer’s, where our brain looses memory? Is this a case of the slate being wiped clean again? Humans are against an unstoppable force. We will never remember fully. Due to this, we will never being as knowledgeable as we can be. I wonder if this is the case. It all sounds rather unfortunate, just enough for it to be true.
11/2
Today was a discussion of characters acting as catalysts in a story. We thought of works such as “The Great Gastby”. We also discussed how when we are born, we loose our knowledge. We all come from a place full of all knowing and forget it when we come into the world. It’s all rather thought provoking. The poem itself is by Wordsworth. Irionic last name. It’s an excerpt from "Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood" I summarized the basic point to the piece already. The line “Heaven lies about us in our infancy!” really stands out to me. I think it is simply a great line. He states that life is similar to a prision. I am taking this as heaven is only availble to the dead, having nothing to do with good actions or positive lifestyles. This is an interesting point, along with the apparent fact that children are all knowing. I am taking it that innocence and knowledge are relative. Ahh, so many points to think about.
12/2
Today was the discussion that art is the only true form of knowledge and truth. This is a bvit warped, does that mean artists are all knowing? That would be pretty nice. It’s rare, ecspecially in this country that anoyone thoinks of the artists. Art is looked at as a form of entertainment. I never did agree with that. In any case, how would one go about intrepreting the truth or knowledge in a work of art? A lot of artists are a bit wack in the head. I don’t even mean cutting off your ear or painting with your mustache. I mean we are all a bit nuts. In any case, I think it is a point to consider, with or without the melting clocks. It is all so cryptic though. Perhaps humans are doomed to search for the truth. Have I mentioned this before? It seems déjà vu to me.

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23/2/09
Can good come from evil? What good happened after the Holocaust? I mean, history is bound to repeat itself. I don’t think any good came from it. Genocides only exterminate, they cause no good. Khmer Rouge, Final Solution, Darfur, Apartheid in South Africa. What good came of these horrific events? Nothing I can think of. People suffered. Everyone complains about what they have. It seems to me that there is evil and enough good to prevent us from all going insane. If you contend with too much evil, you most likely will go insane. It all seems so pessimistic. Is death the good for our suffering and contending with evil? Is death the answer to our problems? That leads to wondering if the only point to life is to contend with evil. Wow.

25/2/09
All of my files have been deleted. Awesome. I hate technology. Bravo on my part for at least backing this all up. Well, here I am thinking about a poem I read.
It is called "Spring and Fall:to a Young Child" This title, at first glance, bore no meaning to me. Then it was brought to my attention of looking at it as spring and fall, the actions, not the seasons. Today was my first glance at a second meaning in writing. I don't mean this as I haven't looked for meaning behind words, I mean it as words a as group. If that makes any sense. I also haven't had time to give poetry much thought. As for the poem, an adult speaks to a young child about leaves falling off trees. One day the child won't care about the leaves, understanding without the emotional display. The poem tied to man's loss of innocence and the cycles of behavior.

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9/3/09

"From The Republic of Conscience" by Seamus Heaney
I read this poem today and immediately thought of going on a trip to Ireland. The poem seemed filled with superstition. I like it though. I am taking it literally for the moment, but not for long. I like the display of human nature that I often don't seem to find in poetry. The old man in the homespun coat. Good visuals. People, their daily lives. Their beliefs. It is all displayed in this poem.

11/3/09

Today we read a speech by Martin Luther King. It was his acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize. Alfred Nobel, who was he? You hear names of something you know nothing about. Conscience and what it means. Will the world be a better place if people followed it more? I wish I knew. My thoughts are all twisted up. And King wanted equality between races, do we even have it now? I cannot tell. I know there is racism still.

12/3/09

"The More Loving One" by WH Auden was today's reading. We talked about what is worse than indifference in man. Is there anything? Can indifference be the root to the majority of our problems? No care for anything, thus no morals for any act done under this mindset? It seems feasible, or is it plausible? For me, the last stanza is a bit like accepting evil in the world, if used in a different context. The darkness of despair, of knowing no hope exists in the world. How awful of a concept. Then again, what if things are like that now and we are blind to it? It may be best to admire that which will change steadily, but slowly.

20/3/09

Art. We looked at Manet's painting. It was of a famous prostitute, which is the only reason people wanted the work taken down. What categorizes it as art instead of porn? Its intention? It seems so. It is interesting thinking about people's mindsets on a topic. I am an artist, so I guess my point on it is jaded. Then again, if you have no knowledge, do you have a write to discuss art? Do artists have to train to be considered artists? Or is anyone with a message deemed worthy? I agree the artwork's background influences us, but should it? Should only certain things influence us and others we ought to ignore?

23/3/09

Does art invoke a sense of irresponsibility in its viewers? Can it bring out the wrong reactions in its viewers. I personally think everyone should be educated as much as possible before being subjected to something new. That might control poor reactions. Not that I am a fan of control but I guess some of it necessary. I do think people need education because I think a lot of problems are caused by ignorance. If you look at society, it does seem to be that way. With art, it is easy to dismiss, and I think it is not as much of a danger as some other facets of society. I do think things have improved since I learned about art. It has a new meaning for me.

24/3/09

Summary of Poetics
Artists and poets deal in the possible. History is only the past, philosophy is only the logical approach to things. Art covers all areas.
We learn universal truth about human nature through art. Finally, an explanation I can cope with. Thank you Aristotle, you have improved my day. Now I do art for a purpose, though art is still my rock. I can envision things.