Simplicity, Art, Culture, and Education(From a speech by Frank Lloyd Wright, San Rafael, 1957).
By being simple, one is sensitive to the trees, to the birds,to the mountains, to the wind, to all the things which are going on about us in the world. Most of us live on the upper level of our consciousness; there we try to be thoughtful or intelligent, which is synonymous with being religious; there we try to make our minds simple, through compulsion, through discipline. To be simple in the total process of consciousness is extremely arduous; because there must be no inward reservations, there must be an eagerness to discover, to inquire into the process of our being, which means to be aware of our fears, of our hopes, and to be free of their bondage. Only when the mind and heart are really simple are we able to solve the many problems that confront us.
Knowledge alone will not solve our problems. You may know, for example, that there is reincarnation, that there is continuity after death. You may know, but life is not necessarily changed by your theory, information, or conviction. It is much more mysterious, much deeper, much more creative than that.It is only through direct experience that our problems are solved, and to have direct experience there must be simplicity, which means there must be sensitivity. Only mind that is capable of adjusting itself to the present can meet the power influences and pressures constantly placed upon us by our environment.It is only when a mind is sensitive, alert, aware and capable of receiving that there can be happiness. However complex our problems, we shall be able to see them in a new perspective if we approach them with simplicity.That is why it is so important to be aware, to have the capacity to understand the process of our own thinking, to be cognizant of ourselves totally; from that there comes a simplicity, a humility which is not a virtue nor a practice but a state of being.Maturity is a road, not a destination. The gate is narrow, and simplicity is the key.
Culture and education are two very different things. Culture is the developing of the idea by way of itself, and education is informing, teaching, telling the individual. It is only by a natural growth that you can attain culture, but you can return from school conditioned instead of enlightened. Education today doesn't mean culture. Sometimes men are educated beyond their capacity. Education today is not even on speaking terms with what we should call culture. We need culture more and education less. We acquire it through a new sense of what constitutes humanity under harmonious conditions. There is a tremendous reflection.When you reach the higher spiritual realm that we call art, you begin to look for things that are creative rather than just repetitive. There is where you are in the realm of culture, rather than education.Culture is not for the crowd. Culture is an individual thing. And that is what our forefathers said when they declared that the individual is sovereign. The sovereignty of the individual. That means a certain aloneness to begin with. A certain rejection of the common man as common, but insisting on his privilege to the uncommon that exists in every human soul today and this is the country that declares it.
How do we become true, good, happy genuine, joyful and free? Never by magic, never by chance, never by sitting and waiting, but only by getting in touch with those who are good, true, happy, and genuine,only by seeking the company of the strong and the free, only by seeking spontaneity and freedom from those who are themselves spontaneous and free.
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Twelve Cardinal Rules
The following are twelve rules I wrote. I realize these rules may seem somewhat controversial and judgmental, however, I believe they include the necessary guidelines for maintaining friendship.
Twelve Cardinal Rules (Retitled How to Play in My Sandbox)
By Elizabeth Gerringer
1. Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you, but don't expect that because you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. If we are kind to someone, someone will be kind to us, but not just because we are seen being kind before others. If we do a favor for someone, do not expect gratitude, and do not remind or ask them if they appreciated the favor. Wait for them to tell you.
2. Warn your friends if they are in trouble or in danger, or warn anyone before they are attacked, which means to warn them before and not after. A sense of fairness means I need to be told something is wrong before I am accused of doing something wrong. This does not mean disobeying laws or imposing morality. It only means others have no right to assume a unilateral decision over our lives.
3. I need to keep my promise. This does not mean that because another person says we agree to something that we do agree, or because we are listening to someone, we agree with what they say. It only means that we are trying to understand their point of view, even though their view may be different from ours.
4. It is as blessed to receive as to give. Sometimes people need to give but this does not mean we are entitled to receive what another person has unless he gives it to us. If someone gives me something based on some assumption of favor and the favor isn't rendered, or I was not told it was based on the assumption of favor, he has no right to ask for it to be returned. If you borrow something from me and loan it to someone else, you should tell them it belongs to me, especially a book I may have written, and I have a right to ask for the money from profits gained from it.
5. If someone asks me to work and I work and they are not happy with the work, they should pay me or return the work.
6. If you invite me to your house as a guest for a couple of days, you have no right to charge me money unless you tell me in advance and I agree to pay you.
7. If you are a guest in my house and are in an accident, I am responsible. If I am a guest in your house, and I am in an accident, you are responsible.
8. People have no right to assume that others have a problem just because they want to know something someone else knows, and people have no right to assume that if we have accomplishments and are of a certain gender, that others of the same gender or another gender are entitled to the same thing.
9. It is wrong to punish good and to reward evil. Given a choice between rewarding good and punishing evil, it is best to reward good. We should forgive others, but this does not mean that our forgiveness gives them the right to commit the error a second time. We could forgive any number of times, but forgiveness should not be taken for granted.
10. People who violate laws should not be deciding on their own jury. Violation of the law means to be advised it is a law, to disregard the law, to be apprehended, tried, and convicted by a jury of at least nine, and for the case to be subjected to all available appeals.
11. A person who associates with a person who is a suspect or accused of a crime should not be considered guilty of anything as a result of friendship with that person.
12. When a person confesses a sin, then the person to whom the confession is made is not obligated to reveal the sin to anyone who could cause harm to anyone. A crime is different from a sin because a crime is harm to others and a sin is harm to ourselves.
Twelve Cardinal Rules (Retitled How to Play in My Sandbox)
By Elizabeth Gerringer
1. Do unto others as you would like others to do unto you, but don't expect that because you are nice to others, they will be nice to you. If we are kind to someone, someone will be kind to us, but not just because we are seen being kind before others. If we do a favor for someone, do not expect gratitude, and do not remind or ask them if they appreciated the favor. Wait for them to tell you.
2. Warn your friends if they are in trouble or in danger, or warn anyone before they are attacked, which means to warn them before and not after. A sense of fairness means I need to be told something is wrong before I am accused of doing something wrong. This does not mean disobeying laws or imposing morality. It only means others have no right to assume a unilateral decision over our lives.
3. I need to keep my promise. This does not mean that because another person says we agree to something that we do agree, or because we are listening to someone, we agree with what they say. It only means that we are trying to understand their point of view, even though their view may be different from ours.
4. It is as blessed to receive as to give. Sometimes people need to give but this does not mean we are entitled to receive what another person has unless he gives it to us. If someone gives me something based on some assumption of favor and the favor isn't rendered, or I was not told it was based on the assumption of favor, he has no right to ask for it to be returned. If you borrow something from me and loan it to someone else, you should tell them it belongs to me, especially a book I may have written, and I have a right to ask for the money from profits gained from it.
5. If someone asks me to work and I work and they are not happy with the work, they should pay me or return the work.
6. If you invite me to your house as a guest for a couple of days, you have no right to charge me money unless you tell me in advance and I agree to pay you.
7. If you are a guest in my house and are in an accident, I am responsible. If I am a guest in your house, and I am in an accident, you are responsible.
8. People have no right to assume that others have a problem just because they want to know something someone else knows, and people have no right to assume that if we have accomplishments and are of a certain gender, that others of the same gender or another gender are entitled to the same thing.
9. It is wrong to punish good and to reward evil. Given a choice between rewarding good and punishing evil, it is best to reward good. We should forgive others, but this does not mean that our forgiveness gives them the right to commit the error a second time. We could forgive any number of times, but forgiveness should not be taken for granted.
10. People who violate laws should not be deciding on their own jury. Violation of the law means to be advised it is a law, to disregard the law, to be apprehended, tried, and convicted by a jury of at least nine, and for the case to be subjected to all available appeals.
11. A person who associates with a person who is a suspect or accused of a crime should not be considered guilty of anything as a result of friendship with that person.
12. When a person confesses a sin, then the person to whom the confession is made is not obligated to reveal the sin to anyone who could cause harm to anyone. A crime is different from a sin because a crime is harm to others and a sin is harm to ourselves.
Monk's Morning
The Monk decided to hide in his cave of gray.
He lived in a village and then went away.
He lost his fair love and lived in he hills.
Where he was awakened each morning by spry whipporwills.
He stared at a far mountain and wished he was there.
Walking and talking with his maiden so fair.
She played a flute to lure him back.
One morning he decided to pack.
And walked several miles toward the tune.
Before he realized it was really a loon.
So he turned around back to his cave.
Yes, indeed, he was very brave.
He lived in a village and then went away.
He lost his fair love and lived in he hills.
Where he was awakened each morning by spry whipporwills.
He stared at a far mountain and wished he was there.
Walking and talking with his maiden so fair.
She played a flute to lure him back.
One morning he decided to pack.
And walked several miles toward the tune.
Before he realized it was really a loon.
So he turned around back to his cave.
Yes, indeed, he was very brave.
Save the Dance
In June one sunny year after graduating from high school, feeling betrayed by my high school friend Julius who asked me to dance who then laughed as I stood up and said, "Do you really think I would dance with you?", I boarded a train to San Francisco at Clinton, Iowa, sailed past Treasure Island after studying postcards of movie stars and eventually visited the homes of celebrities along the green tree-lined hilltops of Santa Catalina Island.
I saved my money from weed-salvaging and corn-detassling to pay for my transportation. Dad gave me a healthy allowance for my work in the farm fields.
Mother and Dad saw me off on the train, waved slowly, tears of pride shining from their eyes.
Aunt Miranda couldn't join us to the station, she was in a wheel chair with a crocheted shawl drawn across her knees, but she smiled brightly and pressed a green velvet ribbon into my hand, green, she once told me for prosperity and hope.
Aunt Miranda once told me the best advice she could give me was to look everyone straight in the eye, to answer truthfully, and to smile slightly. Every problem can be interpreted in terms of three, she once told me. Three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. Three in religion, father, son, and Holy Ghost, and three in ourselves, past, present, and future. Think in terms of three and you will find your way in life, she once told me.
Symbols of childhood raced across my eyes, thoughts of mother as she ironed my dresses in the morning before school and prepared my lunch with great care and of Dad who took me to town for ice cream when it rained in the summer fields.
After several weeks work in my uncle's store, I returned home briefly with hat and gloves as I was trained to do after completing finishing school to be met with questions of where I might be from by local neighbors, and then when in San Francisco again, dressed as I was taught, meeting new questions of where I might be from.
At fifteen, I looked nineteen, rather plain, with a mind like a many-spoked wheel and several interests, each arrow pointing outward while moving to the next as the hands of a clock marked the time as though it never began and would be in tune with the universe forever.
Years later, when I lived in Pacific Heights in California facing a lovely view of the ocean I painted pictures and wrote poetry, worked part time for an engineering firm and attended some post-graduate classes through an extension division of U.C. Berkeley.
City life in San Francisco was not like riding horseback on the farm or wandering dreamily through the meadows in springtime seeking daffodils or baby yellow meadowlarks.
San Francisco, a favorite of dreaming idealists where diversified culture is accepted as casually as the brisk ocean fog, arguing seagulls and flocks of unwanted pigeons. One must remember to respect the saints, to attend religious services, and not to be surprised to learn some churches in San Francisco teach political theories instead of religion like on the farm communities of Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, one can leave their screen door unlocked while visiting a neighbor for a cup of sugar, but in the city, one quickly learns the visitors are identified as pushovers by more experienced travelers and newcomers should try to remember their childhood training and not talk to strangers.
Based on a thesis about Watergate, I received a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, a prize I treasured almost more than the memories of a happy childhood on the Wisconsin farm.
At Berkeley, I studied nuclear physics, was told it was a secret, but children learn fast, and there is theater in most of us.
I hoped to continue to study music, paint, and create beautiful dreams for others to follow, to remember the best of the past and look forward to a bright future.
My teacher at U.C. Berkeley, Miss Virginia, met me at the Faculty Club as she promised, the exclusive building sheltered in a ravine behind a bridge, just hidden from view.
The walls of the campus dormitory of Cheney Hall were brightly painted with diagonal lines. The Museum of Art was a delight to the eye with large sculptured rectangles, as though placed from above, resting on one another in perfect balance, with the sunlight gleaming through in afternoon glory. Brightly colored paintings by Hans Hoffman greeted visitors, abstracts, pen and ink drawings, and molded chairs were placed facing each other side by side, as though conversations were just completed.
Who walked these halls, where are they now, the artists, teachers, and attorneys? Are they crying, are they happy, did they learn while they were here? Will I find new friends here? Where is the bookstore? When will the campus bells ring?
While I was pondering the relationships between the arts and sciences and my good fortune at winning a scholarship, I recognized the outline of someone who resembled Julius and he walked over towards me.
But he was not Julius, although he resembled Julius. I thought of Julius everywhere and eventually learned to dance professionally and taught ballet and the Latin dances.
During early years in California, I met many surprising situations due to my perceived knowledge of nuclear physics, but I hoped that when the eventual opportunity presented itself, if I saw him, if he could dance, and if he asked me, I would say to Julius, "I would love to dance with you."
I saved my money from weed-salvaging and corn-detassling to pay for my transportation. Dad gave me a healthy allowance for my work in the farm fields.
Mother and Dad saw me off on the train, waved slowly, tears of pride shining from their eyes.
Aunt Miranda couldn't join us to the station, she was in a wheel chair with a crocheted shawl drawn across her knees, but she smiled brightly and pressed a green velvet ribbon into my hand, green, she once told me for prosperity and hope.
Aunt Miranda once told me the best advice she could give me was to look everyone straight in the eye, to answer truthfully, and to smile slightly. Every problem can be interpreted in terms of three, she once told me. Three primary colors, red, blue and yellow. Three in religion, father, son, and Holy Ghost, and three in ourselves, past, present, and future. Think in terms of three and you will find your way in life, she once told me.
Symbols of childhood raced across my eyes, thoughts of mother as she ironed my dresses in the morning before school and prepared my lunch with great care and of Dad who took me to town for ice cream when it rained in the summer fields.
After several weeks work in my uncle's store, I returned home briefly with hat and gloves as I was trained to do after completing finishing school to be met with questions of where I might be from by local neighbors, and then when in San Francisco again, dressed as I was taught, meeting new questions of where I might be from.
At fifteen, I looked nineteen, rather plain, with a mind like a many-spoked wheel and several interests, each arrow pointing outward while moving to the next as the hands of a clock marked the time as though it never began and would be in tune with the universe forever.
Years later, when I lived in Pacific Heights in California facing a lovely view of the ocean I painted pictures and wrote poetry, worked part time for an engineering firm and attended some post-graduate classes through an extension division of U.C. Berkeley.
City life in San Francisco was not like riding horseback on the farm or wandering dreamily through the meadows in springtime seeking daffodils or baby yellow meadowlarks.
San Francisco, a favorite of dreaming idealists where diversified culture is accepted as casually as the brisk ocean fog, arguing seagulls and flocks of unwanted pigeons. One must remember to respect the saints, to attend religious services, and not to be surprised to learn some churches in San Francisco teach political theories instead of religion like on the farm communities of Wisconsin.
In Wisconsin, one can leave their screen door unlocked while visiting a neighbor for a cup of sugar, but in the city, one quickly learns the visitors are identified as pushovers by more experienced travelers and newcomers should try to remember their childhood training and not talk to strangers.
Based on a thesis about Watergate, I received a scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley, a prize I treasured almost more than the memories of a happy childhood on the Wisconsin farm.
At Berkeley, I studied nuclear physics, was told it was a secret, but children learn fast, and there is theater in most of us.
I hoped to continue to study music, paint, and create beautiful dreams for others to follow, to remember the best of the past and look forward to a bright future.
My teacher at U.C. Berkeley, Miss Virginia, met me at the Faculty Club as she promised, the exclusive building sheltered in a ravine behind a bridge, just hidden from view.
The walls of the campus dormitory of Cheney Hall were brightly painted with diagonal lines. The Museum of Art was a delight to the eye with large sculptured rectangles, as though placed from above, resting on one another in perfect balance, with the sunlight gleaming through in afternoon glory. Brightly colored paintings by Hans Hoffman greeted visitors, abstracts, pen and ink drawings, and molded chairs were placed facing each other side by side, as though conversations were just completed.
Who walked these halls, where are they now, the artists, teachers, and attorneys? Are they crying, are they happy, did they learn while they were here? Will I find new friends here? Where is the bookstore? When will the campus bells ring?
While I was pondering the relationships between the arts and sciences and my good fortune at winning a scholarship, I recognized the outline of someone who resembled Julius and he walked over towards me.
But he was not Julius, although he resembled Julius. I thought of Julius everywhere and eventually learned to dance professionally and taught ballet and the Latin dances.
During early years in California, I met many surprising situations due to my perceived knowledge of nuclear physics, but I hoped that when the eventual opportunity presented itself, if I saw him, if he could dance, and if he asked me, I would say to Julius, "I would love to dance with you."
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