The flaw with words is that they always make us feel enlightened, but when we turn around to face the world they always fail us and we wind up facing the world as we always have, without enlightenment. For this reason, a warrior seeks to act rather than talk, and to this effect, he gets a new description of the world--a new description where talking is not that important, and where new acts have new reflections.
Don Juan in Carlos Casteneda's Tales of Power
For however long I can remember I have found solace in philosophy and day-dreaming. I have long struggled with the idea that one has to "do" something. Believe me, I would much rather make it up in my head. And I did--and enjoyed it. Only recently have I found that I had been imprisoning myself. I had limited my options.
It dawned on me one day that I lived in a world of action, of doing. That everything I perceive with my senses is in constant movement and change. Things weren't getting done in my head, which was becoming more and more like cotton wool, despite the wonderful stories I had made up. And so I found that a small, purposeful act, one in the direction I wanted to go, (for example, it could be Halfland), opened up new options and, as Casteneda says, "new reflections." And I broke out of my prison. Sometimes it is just a minute or 5 minutes that opens doors and possibilities. After all, our life here is just one single moment after the next.
About Me
- Ulysses
- I'm the husband of the creator of Halfland. I am committed to the completion of the 3D animation project that my wife has been thinking about for years. I am the co-author of three books with my spiritual teacher of 35 years, John-Roger. The latest is called The Rest of Your Life: Finding Repose in the Beloved. I am president of the Movement of Spiritual Inner Awareness and have my own consulting practice, Artistry: Moving All of Life into Loving. I will be posting twice a week. My wish is that you take away something of value from your visit to this site.
7 comments:
I love this concept! It's so true, and at the same time, fascinating in how it parallels the kind of stopmotion films I like the most, where the story unfolds through action rather than dialogue. This makes them universal, in that everyone can understand despite language barriers.
And posts like this are helpful to more than just Shelley. I have a tendency to dream rather than do as well. Here I am, commenting on your blog when I could be wrapping something with thread or dabbing epoxy putty on something! I'm gonna DO SOMETHING before I go to bed!
New motto I need to adopt: DO SOMETHING EVERY DAY
"Do something every day"
sound good, and yet I doubt I'll ever be able to follow.
I must admit I enjoy day dreaming about my projects, I dare say... sometimes even more then I enjoy making them. they are always so much better in my mind... no material or financial boundaries and no gravity - my nemesis!.
regarding the action over dialogue, definitely. even more so from my point of view, as english is not my first language. even when putting the language aside, animation is so much powerful and can better reach it's full potential when it pronounces with action alone, IMO.
Hi Hila, nice running into you here! I just finished putting some paint on some puppets (thanks to Paul's inspiration). You know, I want to say right here, that the only times thus far I've really gotten a lot of work done on an ongoing basis is during our little marathons. I sort of balked at the last one, and that's when my progress halted. I tried to get a Januthon going, but my success has been less than stellar. I intend to go back to what I was doing that actually worked.... do a little work every day (it can often turn into a lot - it's the starting that's the hard part) and post a pic on my blog.
yay! Mike, you really are amazing. You embrace what works and then lead the way for me.
I had to read Paul's post three times, the last one after reading your reaction to it. Now I get it!
I'm doing it today!! Hey Hila, let's do it, just any little part, even if we don't *feel* like it!
Mike, Thanks for your comments and for your kind mention in your blog.
Hila, If I read you right you said that gravity was your nemesis? Stay tuned to this site—I’ll have a lot to say about that in the coming weeks. One more thing, if cluttered had stayed in your mind I, and many others, would never have been reached, touched and inspired by it. Expression means letting your thoughts and feelings be known to others.
I'm intrigued to read what you have to say about gravity.
I'm delighted that you like "cluttered" and don't get me wrong I would love for all my day-dream projects to come to life. I just enjoy lingering in the dream of a project, just before realty comes crashing down on it (realty refers to materialistic constrains as well as my inability to create certain things) and all that is left for you to see is a fraction of my vision.
of all my projects I think "Agora" is the closest to what I had in mind for it. I'm not sure if I'm not saying that just because I have the habit of liking my last project more then everything I made before. which makes it really hard to let go and start something new.
The opposite of gravity = levity
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