grasping...

Anaxagoras contemplates the Universe

In discussing the mind, we come to the best understanding of it through the use of metaphor and analogy. When we describe the acquisition of an idea, we say that we grasp it, thus using language of the human hand as though that idea is an object and the mind is an abstract hand with fingers exploring tangible and tactile qualities.

I am on my way to a funeral in Houston and had dreams last night in which I was viewing the interconnectedness of all things.

Our hands in their exploration of objects inform us of the separation between them. It is by making things from raw materials in our own hands, that we come to grips with the origins of distinct objects.

The wooden box is not distinct in full form from the forest in which the wood grew. Nor is it completely distinct from its ultimate destination as it's abandoned to decay and to return to the soil from which the forest came. By being involved deeply as a creator, we come to grip  with the origins and destinations of all things. By crafting objects in our own hands, with our eyes directed toward the capture of beauty and the creation of utility, we begin to grasp the interconnectedness of all things.

When we begin to do so  conventional things begin to fall apart. English class is no longer just the study of language. History is not only a dry recitation of the past. Mathematics is not just numbers, as the student has learned it has use in the interconnectedness of all things. And woodworking in school is not just making objects from wood, but instead is the process through which the child begins to grasp the interconnectedness of all things.

As we make things of useful beauty, with the simple hope that they will last through the ages, we are in alignment with creation and the forces of the universe.

Make, fix, create, and share with others the opportunity to do so.