Musings

I have to agree that J.S. Bach is the best, as the global consensus confirms. The Glenn Gould Goldberg variations are as serious a recording of music as I have ever encountered. Seriously. Bach was an absolute technical master, and his proficiency of the elements of his brand of Baroque classical music are shocking. But dude, I really wanted Chopin on there. He only composed for the piano, and was very particular about the type of music that he would write, but my oh my some of his Ballades, Etudes, Preludes, are on another level of music. He understood how to “tap into the unconscious” as Tommasini describes Claude Debussy, better than anyone, in my opinion. Even Debussy. Still, though, this whole series is an excellent read, and a healthy reminder about that incredible contribution to society Western classical music had.

The Top-10 Classical Composers Of All Time (well, according to the New York Times)

We are living in the middle of a revolution in consciousness. Over the past few decades, geneticists, neuroscientists, psychologists, sociologists, economists, and others have made great strides in understanding the inner working of the human mind. Far from being dryly materialistic, their work illuminates the rich underwater world where character is formed and wisdom grows. They are giving us a better grasp of emotions, intuitions, biases, longings, predispositions, character traits, and social bonding, precisely those things about which our culture has least to say. Brain science helps fill the hole left by the atrophy of theology and philosophy.

This is pseudo-science and, as Kedrosky pointed out, a bit zealous in its “ardor for neuroscientific determinism” but honestly, it rings a chord, which is to say that it correctly points out that it is more difficult to find a life of spiritual and emotional satisfaction than it is to make a million dollars. We have control over our conscious lives, and our rational brains tell us to achieve according to a certain rubric. Our unconscious lives, though – our instinct, our spirit, our animal being as it were – operate much differently. The rules of engagement are different, as are the metrics for success. I’m working on focusing more on the unconscious, and less on the conscious. More quality time with friends, loved ones, and future loved ones. And more singing. And more prayer.

Social Animal

“He must have been a pretty well-trained lion to have the discipline to stand on boxes, face a camera, roar into a microphone, and not attack the crew.” Seriously.

Shooting Leo The Lion for the MGM Logo