"It is not sufficient to not be blind to see the trees and flowers. It also requires not to have a philosophy. When there is philosophy, there are no trees : there are ideas, nothing more."
To really see objects, nature and people in the completeness of their beauty it requires to stop judging, stop having ideas about it, stop categorizing, it requires to accept everything the way it is, to see the beauty means stop using our brain, the vicious filter of thoughts, stop giving names, it requires to forget all rules, conditionings, concepts and philosophies. It's apprehending what's around with the goodness of our senses, acknowledging the shape, the smell, the sight, the noise, the taste as belonging to one object, tree or person, acknowledging the magnificent unicity of the world.
(I wonder if Pessoa really understood what he wrote, it makes so much sense to me right now and above is my own explanation)
Everything we look at we look at with judgement. We project our beliefs and emotions onto others. It's impossible to perceive something without our critical eye, because even if we look at something and immediately our emotions turn positive- seeing a pretty girl or handsome man and immediately feeling attracted, a cat, a flower, a scenery, all which "take our breath away" - it is all in relation to our judgement, our preconceived beliefs, our associations and assumptions (those happen automatically, unconsciously, and even if you learn to be conscious of those it is still unavoidable). That is my belief.
RépondreSupprimerTo me it's not unavoidable, if at the moment you watch something you are conscious of your thoughts process so you can disconnect it, you can watch a spider, a rotten tree, an unhealthy human being with complete acceptance, without fear, judgment or ressentment, you see it and you accept it's living here at that moment under your eyes, it's not dangerous, it's not changing who you truly are, so it doesn't require any mental adjustments, self-reassurances or protective moves, you can accept it as something that is, like you yourself are, a whole being present in that exact moment, you can enjoy things with all your senses all along your way watching peacefully, lovingly at everything you come accross.
RépondreSupprimerIt's probably when you want to make something or someone yours and keep it with you persistently that it requires a work of the brain, through memories of emotions and intellectualism of that very thing or person, because you can't keep all that you perceive with your senses in your mind, all the things and persons you encounter, the brain is made to store but we can't remember so much, we can't give our all to everyone and everything, even if we'd like to we don't have enough hours in our days, that's certain, we have to make a choice and keep with us what makes us feel good the most, a favorite flower, a favorite dish, a type of songs, movies and books, a circle of real friends, one/few lover(s).
We can accept everything that is and feel peaceful about it, but if we want to interact we have to be able to choose, and it's in that condition that the personal criterias of our thoughts enter to help us, and so not be madly scattered all over or make too many mistakes.
(I'm not entirely sure about that last part, it demands more reflections, but interestingly i'm building here my personal opinion on that subject)
For example :
RépondreSupprimeryou can accept the intrinsic beauty of nettles but if you decide to touch it you have to know that you'll be unconfortably itchy.
Or you can accept the intrinsic beauty of a person but to decide to be intimate with her you have to know if it's good for you, and so not to regret it later, feel used or betrayed by someone you mistakenly imagined you could keep in touch with.
Here the mind is important to make a choice of interactions.
(In those examples you have to be able to carry a judgement : nettles are bad for my skin, and that person is bad for my heart.)
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