Search for Beauty 2017

As I sit here and listen to the latest single from Electric Wizard, I can't help but wonder why I enjoy music that sounds overwhelmingly heavy and includes grotesque lyrics. Electric Wizard is a well-known band within Doom Metal circles, utilizing catchy and slow guitar riffs with fuzz that would peel the paint off walls if played too loud, deep booming bass, and psychedelic effects while singing about summoning demons and the impending doom of the listener. I'm forced to admit that I love this kind of music, but I'm still not sure how to articulate why. Since this is my first blog post of the semester, I hope to continue this discussion with myself and as time goes on, perhaps be able to intelligently say why I like this music. Everything about it is dark, evil, and horrible. So why do I like it? I think it's because it's novel. Most things that people enjoy are meant and designed to be enjoyed, whereas Doom Metal is not. It's the opposite. Yet at the same ...

Thus far our class has discussed quite in depth the concepts of beauty, ritual, religion, dance, art, the sacred, and the transcendent, among other things. "Ritual and art stem from a common impulse." Fascinating. "Most primal ritual (from which eventually evolved what we now know as art) has a religious significance." Splendid. "Beauty serves as a reminder or gateway to something transcendent." Cool. Harrison has showed us that art is not imitation but the recreation of an emotion, feeling, or encounter, as is religious ritual. Van der Leeuw has shown us how art has evolved from the significance which made it sacred (or sacredness which made it significant) into a more empty and profane performance. We've discussed involvement and spectatorship ("where ritual ends and art begins"). But there is one significant question which I feel compelled to ask:  to what end?  I realize that this is a bold, perhaps even brash question to pose, which ...

Last week in Environmental leadership, we discussed Thoreau's Huckleberries. One of my earlier blogs discussed Emerson's views on beauty which is very related to Thoreau since they lived together and Thoreau formed many of his views from Emerson's beliefs. He discusses the importance of education but focuses on how nature is a better teacher than books. This reminded me of how we talked about first and second realities. Books could be considered second reality since they only describe what the author has experience. Similar to artists drawing or painting existing animals and people. An individual going out into nature and having their own personal experiences and connections with nature would allow them a first reality and greater understanding of nature. This also allows the individual to better admire the seer's perspective. For me personally, the art I find the most beautiful is when it is very realistic and detailed paintings of nature and the world around the a...

Today in class we discussed a reading about the LaShaw cave and also the Vanderloo reading. Kip discussed the concept of the cave drawing and paintings being a second reality since the first reality would be the actual horses and buffalo themselves. It made me wonder about our own reality. Some people argue that seeing is believing while others argue that your eyes can deceive you. I thought about if your eye sight could be considered second reality while touch is harder to manipulate and there be a more concrete first reality. In neuroscience, I've learned about mirror neurons which can not distinguish between self and others and therefore are responsible for a certain level of empathy. When Kip talked about the mirror concept of looking at our reflection is both looking at ourselves but also looking at something different it reminded me of this. The readings also talked about how we discover ourselves in others. So much of the beauty in art is subjective to what we as individua...

I had to read Emerson’s Nature essay for my environmental leadership class earlier this week. In it, he addressed the concept of beauty relating to the natural world. Emerson argued that all natural things are beautiful and this judgement is based on our perception and emotions. I’ve always found the natural world exceptionally beautiful. It was interesting to read another man’s perspective on his belief that essentially anything the light touches is innately beautiful. This is a different take compared to how we’ve been discussing the beauty of art lately but is related to our discussion of ritual and human interactions which according to Emerson would be described as beautiful. I have a hard time fully appreciating art museums although I appreciate the human aspect of the talent of the strokes and dedication. However, I am endlessly fascinated with the landscapes found in nature. My environmental leadership teacher discussed the diversity of leaves and snowflakes in nature which are ...

Tonight I witnessed something truly beautiful. The campus ministry, Cru, gathered in the chapel full of new faces and fresh first year students. I was running late, but when I arrived I did not feel late at all. I felt overwhelmingly welcome, included and invited in by new and old friends alike. Community is a truly beautiful privilege in life. I walk through the doors and the worship team was leading the filled room in song. There were no microphones, but we were going to lift our voices and our instruments to glorify Jesus regardless of technical difficulties. The night went on and the speaker delivered a message on the call to love Jesus and to love each other, which is a beautiful message in and of itself. However, the time came to close in song. This was when I recognized something spiritually greater than myself, while still not of its own divinity. In this time I experienced the biblical meaning of church. Again we stood to lift up the name of God. I closed my eyes, for I did no...

Welcome to the Fall 2017 Search for Beauty blog site. Make sure to start the blog with your name and the subject of the entry, just as I have done with this first post. Blog entries will be considered informal writing assignments and as such will be graded more in relation to content than style. Blog entries will contain questions and answers to questions, as well as reflections that relate to daily classroom discussions, completion of exercises, and reading assignments. Any questions the student has while reading or completing assignments should be written in their blog. Reflections may relate to connections the student makes between discussions in this class and those in other classes, between arguments raised in the readings in this class and those raised in other classes or from informal conversations. Students are encouraged to apply the ideas learned in this class to activities that take place outside of the class. These applications make great reflections. ...