gooollysandra

Thoughts on thoughts and images of beautiful things

Tag Archives: changing

Changes

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It’s amazing how sometimes we can see things with such clarity, confidence, and excitement, and other times be struck with fear, apprehension, and indecision. If this is sounding a little bit like bipolar disorder, that’s not what I’m getting at. It’s not an extreme fluctuation in mood and emotion, but rather a fluctuation in outlook and attitude towards things. The difference, I think, is that what I’m talking about is dependent on outside factors that infringe upon us, rather than internal insecurities and fears that run rampant, as is the case with bipolar disorder (this is all coming from someone who has never had bipolar disorder – I am simply trying to point out what the difference is, in my humble opinion).

So how do we compensate for this vast difference in outlook, which can affect our lives in such dramatic ways? For example, it can affect how much (or how little) we choose to go after a career, how we choose to approach relationships and people we care about, how we treat others based on how we feel about ourselves, etc. It’s hard to find that middle ground, realize when we’re there, and are at a point where we can make decisions and move forward  from that unbiased position with the most clarity we can hope to have. It truly might be impossible to realize when we’re at that point, so we can’t necessarily wait to reach that point. We might just have to go for it.

Phases

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One has to wonder if life is nothing but phases of interests that come and go, or if there is a constant driving force that propels us forward. Lately, as I’ve noticed my interests changing pretty drastically over time, I’m worried that the former might be the case, at least for me. And if that is so, how are we to ever know when we can commit to something without being concerned that we’ll soon move past that phase? I don’t think this is necessarily a bad thing, as I do believe an ever-evolving, ever-growing nature is healthy and should be cultivated, but it does make it awfully hard to know when we are ready to commit to something…

Experiences as works of art

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John Dewey believes that certain extraordinary experiences can be works of art – the kinds of experiences that make us feel completely in the moment and that are really memorable. I have to agree with him because there are certain experiences that stand apart from others because there is a certain feeling of genuineness about them – things like a Sunday drive or an outing to a place you’ve never been before that you end up thoroughly enjoying even though you had no expectations.

Many of the experiences that we have on a day-to-day basis do not possess an extraordinary quality. However, some experiences seem to evolve in a way that is very satisfying to us and perhaps we learn something from the experience that helps us makes sense of our lives or enlightens us in some way, giving us direction.

Likewise, many things in life are constantly evolving, which is why it is so important for us to fully immerse ourselves in an experience so that we do not miss the evolution of the experience. Dewey argues that it is when we are fully immersed in an experience that we are living most artfully. If one focuses on an experience and becomes part of the experience and directly involved with it, rather than standing outside the experience looking in on it, one can have a truly magnificent experience. On the other hand, if one goes through life not paying much attention to his experiences, therefore preventing the possibility of an extraordinary experience, this would be an indifferent stance toward life and not recommended by Dewey, or myself. Clearly, the former attempt of truly immersing oneself in an experience in order to have a unique, extraordinary experience is the better path through life, as it is richer and more fulfilling.