The idea of sideways attention is a striking one, and reminds me of one of my favorite lines from the Upaniṣads: "the gods, it seems, love what is hidden and hate what is obvious".
Fascinating conversation! I learned a great deal, and it's an area of exploration that I've given a great deal of thought to over the years; many aspects of the conversation resonate with my own work and experiences, though not to nearly the degree by which they have been elucidated here by Yara and Graham. So many thanks to you both for having the conversation and sharing it with us.
Not every man has an obligation to mingle in the affairs of the world. There are some who are developed to such a degree that they are justified in letting the world go its own way and in refusing to enter public life with a view to reforming it. But this does not imply a right to remain idle or to sit back and merely criticize. Such withdrawal is justified only when we strive to realize in ourselves the higher aims of mankind. For although the sage remains distant from the turmoil of daily life, he creates incomparable human values for the future. Work on what has been spoiled.
This is great, and I’ll be adding “art as attentional ecosystem” to my list of answers to “what is art?”
The idea of sideways attention is a striking one, and reminds me of one of my favorite lines from the Upaniṣads: "the gods, it seems, love what is hidden and hate what is obvious".
Fascinating conversation! I learned a great deal, and it's an area of exploration that I've given a great deal of thought to over the years; many aspects of the conversation resonate with my own work and experiences, though not to nearly the degree by which they have been elucidated here by Yara and Graham. So many thanks to you both for having the conversation and sharing it with us.
Not every man has an obligation to mingle in the affairs of the world. There are some who are developed to such a degree that they are justified in letting the world go its own way and in refusing to enter public life with a view to reforming it. But this does not imply a right to remain idle or to sit back and merely criticize. Such withdrawal is justified only when we strive to realize in ourselves the higher aims of mankind. For although the sage remains distant from the turmoil of daily life, he creates incomparable human values for the future. Work on what has been spoiled.
This is epic