Chi-Meditation Experience

           On February 16, our philosophy class participated in a meditation procedure conducted by a Chinese-yoga master translated in English for almost the entire class period. We all sat on top of our desks following every suggestion the master had to say. During a part of this experience, I was completely immobile, hands placed palms up like I was holding a sphere, eyes closed, and embarked on a journey within my conscious. The suggestions he offered us were difficult to understand, and tiredness and uneasiness of my body made such a long story interrupted constantly. The uncertainty of whether placing my hands up or eyes closed for this long created anxiety and anxiousness to move around or stretch, but the interesting part was, the master told us to imagine we were moving, mobile in every part of our body; thinking we were but not enacting. Not only did this create tension and  anger of how much he wanted me to do this, I looked around that almost all the class had given up on this meditation, so slowly cooling my grip, and realizing this meditation was a failure except for a few people still participating, I quietly withheld and waited until the presentation ended. In conclusion, this chi-meditation was a unique experience at first when true concentration was reached not realizing how much time was passing. Time was infinite and it felt like time stood still realizing this will never end. While my eyes were closed, I concentrated and created visual pictures of everything going on in my life and focused only on my conscious rather than everything around me. A part of me was concentrated, and the other part wanted to move around, and sadly, I was not able to keep this up for too long.

What is poetry? My favorite poem

   
  Leaving The Dust Bowl
   
 
Our house poked between the sand dunes
like a half-buried shrimp boat.
Sand leaned against the tops of fences.
We turned our plates on the dinner table
upside down
and covered the baby's crib with a wet sheet
at night to keep her
from breathing
grit.
Dust pneumonia was as common
as rash and bankrupt farms.
It's time to leave, Mother,
I said. We gave our land
to the bank. We gave our mule
to Jordon, who took on the burden
of trying to feed it.
Don't worry, Mother. California
is like a big green harbor
waiting for us. Mother nodded. We tied on
the beds and furniture and cooking pans
and threw in the kids
out of sentimental reasons
and pointed the car
west.

 
   
  Bob Bradshaw

Philosophy of Art Notes

-Sublime: thinking of the vastness of space
-space pictures: aesthetically and sublime pleasing
-overwhelming; scared sublime
-pictures tell stories
-before Darwin, fluffy cuteness depicted the world
-Nature depended on destruction about "eat or be eaten"
-"destructive elements" rather than "aesthetics"
-Calliope news of epic poetry, releases emotion and power


-Tolstoy quote:
-reason why you like art because it has a sixth sense; but biased opinions
-Art that forces a reaction out of you- Tolstoy: hate it view
-Emotional part and morality: unifying
-institution not the same as feeling; have says sensory perceptions is first; cognition is the slave of emotion
-expression is cognitive
-post modernists concerned about what art does rather than he wrote it
-true poetry with no utilitarian traits
-The core of art: intuitive