The world is plural & has multiple meanings and interpretations in the mind, but in the body it has unity & universality. For this reason, wisdom is found in a balance between the mind & the body's observations - little justice can be found in universal rules & narratives, but confusion & hollow placelessness is found in the exclusive acceptance of multiplicity.
Both the acknowledgment of universality & of plurality are important in life. They are mutually stabilizing.
There are two ways of understanding the relationships between these acknowledgments: either complex, paradoxical plurality exists within universal reality, or the appreciation of plurality exists above or external to the whole.
I think both of these models have their share of accuracy, & neither of them sums up the relationship perfectly. In the one model, the stable and inclusive whole contains an inherent complexity, rife with internal contradictions. In the other model, the complexity perceived by the intellect exists 'in addition to' the central kernel of stability perceived by the body [including the physical matrix of reality].
While understanding & perceiving the connectedness of things allows us both to love unconditionally & safely in addition to developing a sense of position in the cosmos, the mind's ability to perceive difference allows us to accept others, demonstrate humility, & make decisions that are rational, pragmatic, & fair.
Picture of carrot slice by Mimi_K
The movement from a view of life as essentially simple and orderly to a view of life as complex and ironic is what every individual passes through in becoming mature. But certain epochs encourage this development; in them the paradoxical or dramatic outlook colors the whole intellectual scene…Amid simplicity and order rationalism is born, but rationalism proves inadequate in any period of upheaval. Then equilibrium must be created out of opposites. Such inner peace as men gain must represent a tension among contradictions…A feeling for paradox allows seemingly dissimilar things to exist side by side, their very incongruity suggesting a kind of truth.
ReplyDelete-Mark C. Taylor
...i found this in one of our theory readings.