mostly we go in circles. in our thinking A leads to B to C. we've built a personal logic over time, and we're convinced it's right, the only possibility. in this sense most of us conservative, no matter our political persuasion.
as my friend marilyn says, people who consider themselves always right have a lot of energy. they certainly make it hard for the rest of us, the self-doubters, the ones who exist in pale shades of grey. we get trampled, steam-rolled, as these un-doubters rule the roost.
my union friend charlie once told me, you need two people to challenge authority, to strike from different directions. this proves to be a good policy in the practical world. you need an ally, and thus to believe you can always go it alone can defeat you and your cause.
do we all have causes? of course! people who hate to pay any taxes say to hell with everyone else. this is especially true of government workers whose whole lives have been paid for by the public till. the paradoxes never cease to amaze me.
ah, though what i've said brutally true, you can break the hold of the logic gripping your mind like an octopus, the temporary solutions you've adopted over time to survive, which ultimately solidify into doctrines and knee-jerk reactions. therapy's one. that's the counselor's job, to show you the facts of your existence can be computed in different ways, leading to new results and resolutions. alas, the success of even the most powerful applications don't necessarily free you. lobotomy might be an example, or shock-therapy. the correct drug can do wonders, if one exists for the problems you're having.
my preference remains elsewhere: in the world of art. nobody seems to know what art really is! astounding, after all the talk. well, i'll give you the secret: art re-arranges your dna. it cuts deeper than the banter of freud, the facility of jung, the persuasiveness of present-day practitioners of reality therapy. the latter simply says, conforming you'll be happy.
when an artist creates from the deepest self, the result's radical, a feeling of euphoria that can last for at least two days. i've just come from the film broken embraces by the spanish filmmaker pedro almovodar.
i left laughing, in love with the world and happy with myself. outwardly, i suddenly could speak to people and feel free. i wanted to advertise what i'd just seen and encourage everyone to go. why?
this director simply isn't conventional. he accepts what the rest of us consider outrageous (when we have to keep up a face and be socially acceptable), his characters more honest than most of the people you know. enveloped by his world, we absorb a new equation for our emotions. and our judgements of ourselves lift, if only for a few moments.
