My Rainy Sky
I would like to begin by mentioning that Kaki King has finally rescheduled her tour date in Minneapolis. Sure, this may not make the morning headlines, but it is certainly exciting for me. She’s coming back to the Cedar at the end of June, and whatever else is going on, I will in fact be there… and not just because she has a crush on me. Can you blame her?
Here we are at the end of another week. What have I been thinking about, you ask? No answer is required, of course, but since you asked so politely…
Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth. —Marcus Aurelius
Perhaps one need not be an emperor and philosopher to grasp his insight. My only question would be this: does such a thought encourage the reader to lose touch with reality, or to hold on tighter? Would it be reaching to say that the answer depends on your perspective?
You would probably agree that this sentiment applies particularly well to our interactions with other people. The trick, of course, is to avoid allowing this knowledge to give you the undeserved burden of superiority. Maybe it requires amendment to be useful in social interactions. Everything we speak is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we project is of our perspective, not of the truth. That’s it–at last! This can only lead to world peace and an evolutionary leap in consciousness!
Alright, I may be getting ahead of myself. Perhaps this thought should serve only as a caveat to our own powers of observation. World peace may have to wait. Perhaps, then, we should place this alongside another sentiment:
That which is really beautiful has no need of anything; not more than law, not more than truth, not more than benevolence or modesty. —Marcus Aurelius
So, then, is the truly beautiful an exception? I’m not sure that Aurelius thought so. His Meditations extend far beyond the scope of this writing. As such, I can only speak for myself. Beauty is no exception, but it has no need to be. The only thing that stands in the way of seeing beauty is your own thoughts, which are often a handicap, and not just in sight. Just because they are my truth does not mean they are yours.
The service to and quest for such truths leads us in surprising directions.
On a lighter note, my distraction tonight has been the odd, cute anime Spice and Wolf. Have you ever envisioned an anime written by an economist? As you may have surmised from the picture, yes, it involves a wolf-deity-girl. Ignoring the plot and execution completely, I’d be quite interested in conversing with a 600-year-old pagan god of harvest. There is more fan service than purveying of wisdom in this show… and that proportion is my only disappointment, though it’s not a surprise.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s not a complaint. As far as distractions go, this one small shortcoming can be overlooked. And besides, now I want my own wolf-deity-girl. Er… don’t mind me. Moving on!
Have I mentioned that I really like the music of Zoë Keating? Well, I do. You know I can’t leave you without a song.
