Edition 005

The world of people is imperfect, and in its imperfection it is perfect. However, from a polarised, narrow perspective many of us view this idea as flawed.

We look out our window into the world of people, and we see all these things that could be so different. We believe that if those evil people only did things according to our righteousness of thought, then the world would be a better place.

Of course, with all those things that we wish were different, those things we see as wrong, we are the ones who created them. It is the mass psyche of humanity that makes these things, and it is our unconscious, automatic focus and attention to them that sustain them.

“The very best thing you can do for the whole world is to make the most of yourself.” ― Wallace D. Wattles

But we don’t see that.

We’ll suggest that the dark side of humanity is not in us, or if it is, we at least have it under control. We watch or listen to news reports of horrors across the world, which are of course well scripted and designed to maintain a particular mode of thought in the mass population, and we absolve ourselves of any liability.

The truth is that our perspective is limited. It is this narrow focus, virtuous and robotic mode of thought that is the problem and which serves to keep human beings in conflict both at a micro and a macro level.

What Can The Artist Do?

The artist must create for the sake of creating. In that mode, we are giving expression to that part of us that lives beyond the physical realm. We are allowing the surface level mind to step aside, and the broader perspective takes the lead.

This is the artist’s duty.

When we create from this psychical place, we are making the most valuable contribution to the world that we possibly can. Anything other than that is to offer less than we are capable.

The world is designed to inspire, to feed the muse. It is not our job to fix it. It doesn’t need fixing. It only needs our positive contribution, and we make this through our work.

If everyone, or even merely the majority of people could follow the inspiration to create, then there would be less poverty, war and injustice in this world.
But instead, we take up arms en masse against the things we dislike, foolish in the belief that we can change things this way.

It is easy for creative people like you and me to feel aggrieved and either disempowered or empowered by the behaviour of other people. It is easy to think reactively to circumstances, but it is a whole different level of mind to see the injustices of the world and realise it may be right and proper for those involved.

You and I don’t know the subsequent benefit others gain from those apparently negative experiences and it is not necessarily your role to do something about it.

At the same time, it may be right for you and me to become involved but only if we can do so from a confident, empowered place. Because you see, if you and I are in a lousy emotional state and attempt to intervene there will be the inevitable equally lousy result from our efforts.

You can’t make a silk purse from a sow’s ear.

It is more helpful to our collective and individual positive state of mind for us to practice and maintain an equilibrium of thought. It also allows that problem we noticed to burn out, which it will in its own time.
Often in our effort to end the suffering of other people we only serve to maintain the problem longer than it otherwise would have done.

The Illusion Of Light Without Dark

It is the age of hyper-positivity. A time when the purveyors of all things sunshine and light want you to believe that we can have a world without the darkness.

Both darkness and light, positive and negative exist in everything, and this world will always be a balanced reflection of that. To believe that somehow human beings are exempt from this, or perhaps that we have been granted the authority to oversee its playing out is naive.

Nature abhors a vacuum. There is always balance. The level of mind at which that balance occurs is up to us.

We are in many ways merely the observers, but we do have the ability to influence the ebb and flow of it.

We have the opportunity to contribute, and we do that by focusing in on that thing we love to do, that thing that engages us. We get to become lost in that place and make beautiful things solely for the sake of it.

When we come back from there, we have the opportunity to present what we created, and in that, we make the world a better place. We get to change the world one story at a time.

I genuinely believe it is that simple.

The Artist’s Manifesto examines this idea further in the chapter titled The Artist’s Duty. I wrote it as a reminder to myself of what I should be doing and why. It is my creative philosophy and I want to share it with you. The full length version will be available for free on larrygmaguire.com and the paperback available on Amazon in May 2018. The Artist’s Manifesto short form version is available here.

Poetry

I’ve chosen a couple of poems from around Medium this week. The first is from Mike Essig, called Comparison Shopping.

Comparison Shopping
Capitalist culture, a heartbreak hotel,
where everyone lives on lonely street,
only screens, never people meet.
A…medium.com

I asked my fellow Irishman Paul O'Mahony to share more of his stuff on Medium. I’m glad he did but I’d like to read more. Here’s one from him called After The Confession

After the concession
A black bird sits on a telephone line,medium.com

Short Stories

This week we had a Short Story contribution from Margaret Kruger called “Turbulence”.

Turbulence
Chapter 1 of a serial novel by Margaret Krugermedium.com

Here’s a story I read from Sherry Terry on Lit Up called Silence. It broaches the challenges of old age and loneliness.

Silence
Beulah reached inside the box of Kleenex for a tissue and pulled out a set of false teeth instead. She couldn’t figure…medium.com

Podcasts

Yesterday on The Daily Larb Podcast I got deep into the subject of time and the human condition. Check out the episode Lost In Time Consciousness.

Make A Contribution

I’m actively seeking writers to contribute to the focus on genuine content written, not to save anyone from themselves or anyone else, but to offer something real, of substance and of creative integrity.

If you are making something from the heart and with passion then I’d love to hear from you. Find out more & contribute here.

Like to make a suggestion?

Shoot me a mail: larry@larrygmaguire.com

See you next week