Feel Volume of Space

 "And I'm not entitled to nostalgia about all that lost wealth and glamour from a century ago. And I am not interested in 'thin'. I want to know what the relationship has been between this wooden object that I am rolling between my fingers - hard and tricky and Japanse - and where it has been. I want to be able to reach to the handle of the door and turn it and feel it open. I want to walk into each room where this object has lived, to feel the volume of space, to know what pictures were on the walls, how the light fell from the windows. And I want to know whose hands it has been in, and what they felt about it and thought about it - if they thought about it. I want to know what it has witnessed."

Edmund de Waal, 'The hare with amber eyes. A hidden inheritance' (2010), 15-16.

Eat Lunch With New Kid (rule #9)

 

P.S. This is a poem from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882). Analysis of this poem: here.

P.P.S. Rules for sons:

1. When shaking hands, grip firmly and look them in the eyes.
2. Don’t enter a pool by the stairs.
3. When entrusted with a secret, keep it.
4. Write down your dreams.
5. Return a borrowed car with a full tank of gas.
6. Never be afraid to ask out the best looking girl in the room.
7. If you need music on the beach, you’re missing the point.
8. Be confident and humble at the same time.
9. Eat lunch with the new kid.
10. Give credit. Take the blame.
11. After writing an angry email, read it carefully, sleep on it for a night and then delete it.
12. Never turn down a breath mint. (Someone is politely saying you need to brush your teeth.)
    

Ordinary Things

 

The Red 10

My presupposition is that Poetin and his comrades - for lack of a good word for this group, hereby baptized, 'The Red 10' - are primary and personal responsible for the war between Russia and Ukraine.

What's puzzling me is how their motivation to wage war fits into Maslow's Motivation Model. What's in it for them? Why? They have enough money. They have enough power. You would then assume that the deficiency needs are satisfied. Or do they still feel anxious and tense about their acquired (some will say: stolen) rights?  

Is it because money and power corrupts people? How to define being corrupt in this context? Is it because they want to be in the history books - make Russia Great again - as Peter the Great #2022? Isn't this Self Actualisation?

Some say, "Make love not war!" I guess for 'The Red 10' love is not the core of life. For them love, flowers, books and other art-stuff in general are items one buys at a shop. Deficiency needs.

For me personal the dimension - or level - of 'having (almost) absolute power at your disposal' is not accounted for in Maslow's pyramid. We can put '(corrupted) power' away as immaturity and some kind of psychological disorder, but if you do you do an injustice to the human species.

(Aside, what also is not accounted for is the dimension of culture. Read for culture also: storytelling and narratives.) 

P.S. Mark, Maslow himself never created the image of a pyramid to represent the hierarchy of needs. Some use another image (source): the image of (interfering) waves

 

Wondering why not use one of these images of representing Maslow's hierarchy of needs': DNA string, 11 dimensional cube, rooms in a house with windows, a cold and warm buffet diner,  and ... - there must be more.

The Art of War and Culture Harmoniously Woven

Martin van Creveld claims in his book 'The Age of Airpower' (2011) that since World War II the countries with nuclear weapons only fight with countries that don't have nukes. All their wars are low scale and are never a real threat to the homeland. And the glory and power of military aviation in Yugoslavia, Irak and Libya? Low scale wars against non-nuclear dwarfs! If Van Creveld's claim is true the NATO will not fight with Russia about Ukraine. 

On days like this I want to read Ernst Jünger's diaries in Paris during World War II. Being a soldier and at the same time being able to discuss with Carl-Heinrich von Stülpnagel (1886 - 1944), the Military Commander in German-occupied France about the philosophy and worldview of Plotinus (3rd century BC). The art of war and culture harmoniously woven into heart and head. One can love culture and at the same time being able to embrace war. We can pretend that war is alien to the human species, but if you think so I think that you're not looking properly in the mirror. If you want peace prepare for war and if you have to ... fight that war.

P.S. I wrote about Van Creveld's book before: here.

P.P.S. This post was not planned. For the most part I refuse to let my mood and my days be guided by the agenda of others. There is soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo much unnecessary fuss and distraction on TV, in the newspaper and on the Internet. But on days like these, I have to reflect on what's going on, take a stand and speak out loud. 

Detachment?

 

I can look for "hours" to this object. Look at the images. The images behind the images. The different cultural influences. What is nor said nor shown. Imagine where all the precious stones came from. Imagine who made it where, how and for whom. Imagine which ladies (only "ladies"?) have worn this. The pride with which it was worn. Or was it worn with detachment?

P.S. Sold by Skinner Auctioneers in 2010 at auction Fine Art Nouveau, number 2529B, lot number 795: here.

The Ability To

 

If we are allowed to read for 'education' following and fulfilling one's own curiosity - next to following courses in a classroom at a primairy school, highschool or university - then I completely agree.

P.S. Robert Frost 1874–1963 wrote this quote in 'Reader's Digest', April 1960. I could't find an online edition of this publication. I am curious in what context Frost wrote about 'education'.

Vielleicht Brauch' Ich Noch Mehr Zeit

 

 

Song: here.

Goes Soft

A song that feels like a poem. From band SALES with their song 'Rainy Day Loop' (2018). Song: here.

Me Before You

She was 15 years old and I was 16. She was my first love and I was hers. Two days ago T. was suddenly on my mind again - I have no idea what triggered this. I felt the need to talk to her. What went "wrong" 40 years ago? We were so in love and at the same time we were not able to communicate. How was our us for her?

We were classmates in highschool. After graduation I saw her twice on a class reunion. The last time more than 20 years ago. We talked a little but only skin-deep. If I remember well she has one boy and one girl and married to the boyfriend that came right after me. 

I knew she was interested in me after I came back from a holiday in Spain. Suddenly she looked differently at me. Eyes. Small talk. Teasing. After a few weeks I gathered all the courage and called her from a pay phone (not from home). I got her on the phone and not her older sister or one of her parents. I invited her to meet at the marketplace in G. And there we met for the first time. Just the two of us. We held each other's bikes and talked for hours. That day I knew I was in love and I knew she was in love too. At a schoolparty we kissed for the first time. For "hours". Months flew by. We went out together a few times with her group of friends, she came over for coffee to my house, we wrote letters to each other that we handed over at school ... but in a way we didn't communicate. She broke up. Clumsy. And it hurt me a lot.

How was our us for me? In retrospect I think we were too insecure and inexperienced. We were not able to talk about our insecurities and feelings. Neither of us were able to let each other cross that threshold. What I learned from T. is how beautiful it is to be in love. To talk endlessly and kiss. To have your significant other close. To smell her. To look in her eyes.

I would like to thank her for the love and confidence she gave me. In retrospect we were green as grass and not ready for a serious relationship yet. The strange thing, after T. I always was able to share all of me. I knew - without realizing it at the time and having words for it - that in a perfect relation I had to share all of me: sweet and sour, and everything in between. Even if it doesn't make sense.