Monday, December 26, 2016

to be formed a carpenter...

Despite the weather being 30 degrees above normal, we had a lovely Christmas day followed by a wonderful dinner with friends... friends who share our views and our hopes, our level of intelligence and experience and with whom we could discuss strategies for putting our nation back on a progressive track.

If psychologists  have confirmed that donald trump is indeed crazy, then how do we manage to prevent him going completely off the deep end? Is there an effective management strategy for psychosis, and what is it?

Our friends had not heard Matti Bergström's theories about finger-blindness, but one, with his PhD in German, was well acquainted with the meaning of fingerspitzengefühl.

The following is from Emily Dickinson. The idea that when a person makes objects of useful beauty, the self is also formed for higher purpose had been widely understood, even here in the US, during the 19th century.
Myself was formed—a Carpenter

Myself was formed—a Carpenter—
An unpretending time
My Plane—and I, together wrought
Before a Builder came—

To measure our attainments—
Had we the Art of Boards
Sufficiently developed—He’d hire us
At Halves—

My Tools took Human—Faces—
The Bench, where we had toiled—
Against the Man—persuaded—
We—Temples build—I said—
                –Emily Dickinson

I have been planning for my new year, and have several classes lined up at various schools. My box making class at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking is already sold out. I also have a new website going online in the next few days. With the nearing completion of my box guitar book, I'll be considering other publishing adventures, including the possibility of a book about Sloyd. We are in fact, formed, not only by what we think, but by what we do and share with others. As described by Dickinson, My plane and I together wrought. An analysis of her poem suggests that she was describing how a publisher had attempted to get her to modify her poetry for his purposes. But (as is often the case when it comes to a craftsman's engagement in the arts) there were temples to build in which the self is formed in relation to higher purpose.

Make, fix, create and offer others through your example, the inducement to learn likewise, and thus form self in the image of creation.

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