June 14, 2014

Breaking Free



I love spending time with my mom. She always tells me "what an easy baby" I was. Always smiling and contentedly watching sunbeams. But I guess I had my difficult side as well.

Mom also always reminds me of how I quit kindergarten a few days after it started. She supported my decision 100% then, and still does.

As I have strove to colour outside the lines, I have used the keys that my mom and my dad gave me growing up. These have been supplemented by a host of reading material that filled in the spaces.

One of the early books that fanned the flames of my desire to break free was by Robert M. Pirsig.

“He felt that institutions such as schools, churches, governments and political organizations of every sort all tended to direct thought for ends other than truth, for the perpetuation of their own functions, and for the control of individuals in the service of these functions. 
He came to see his early failure as a lucky break, an accidental escape from a trap that had been set for him, and he was very trap-wary about institutional truths for the remainder of his time.” 

― Robert M. Pirsig, Zen And The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values

9 comments:

  1. You also soind like you are pretty easy to get along with as a grown up chappie too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. T.M.,

      I get a bit grumpy when in extreme pain… but who doesn't? Usually I am a pretty gentle soul.

      Enjoy your crackling wood fire - I would love to sit by its warmth and talk about things.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous6/15/2014

    This reminds me of a song by Harry Chapin called "Flowers Are Red." He does an introduction about what inspired the song in his live performance on a you tube video titled "Harry Chapin: FLOWERS ARE RED 81." It's about education and painting flowers. You can see it here:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1y5t-dAa6UA

    There are some of us that absolutely crave being outside the lines, outside the institutions. And we'll risk it all over and over again to satisfy the compelling need to be free. We struggle to find peace in the civilized and cultural-ized environment we find ourselves landed in. We struggle to find our place. Our very lives seem to depend on being outside the lines. It is oxygen for us, the essential element that births life into us, sustains us.

    Perhaps the craving lives in all of us. Just that some can hear it louder and respond by quitting kindergarten, quitting crap consumption, quitting 40-hour a week work entrapment, just quitting a lot of things.

    It is a pleasure to meet someone who quit kindergarten! I'd think it pretty rare and quite special to have parents who supported this decision! Cheers!

    Deeply moving and stirring post, Gregg. Thanks much-ly for this one.

    Robert P. Prisig and the artist who drew the fence becoming free birds are likely ones who crave being outside the lines. Do you know the artist's name or where this fence/free bird drawing came from?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anon,

      Thank you for the encouragement and the link to the Harry Chapin performance. It is good to hear from kindred spirits, and I agree that 'The Craving' is indeed in all of us.

      Cultural programming is hard to overcome, but certainly not impossible. Having parents that have a bit of rebel in them helps the next generation break free themselves. Things are getting better.

      I had some difficulty finding the artist that did the piece above. However, the Brazilian artist Socrates Magno Torres has an image that is very similar called "Transfiguration" (actually I like it better).

      Perhaps the image I used is by the same artist as a variation on the theme.

      Delete
    2. Anonymous6/15/2014

      I found Torres "Transfiguration" from the info you gave. Quiet remarkable. After posting question, I thought artist might be hard to find out since so many images are available on the internet and original artist is often not attached to images. Sorry and thanks. Terri

      Delete
    3. Terri,

      No problem. I like a research challenge, and do like to give credit for artist's work when used on NBA. Plus it was good to find "Transfiguration" and the Brazilian artist that created it.

      There is so much good stuff happening in South America that we NEVER hear about up north, unless it is to criticize their anti-capitalist, pro-socialist agenda. I call it governments putting people first. Or 'sharing' like we are taught in preschool.

      I thought that was you when I read your wonderful comment. Thanks for confirming that.

      Delete
  3. Hello!
    I would like to know if you drew the image shown in this post. I wanted to ask for permission to use it along with my senior quote. It would be displayed in a yearbook.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The image is not mine, but is similar to a piece by artist Socrates Magno Torres that can be found online. Hope that helps you.

      Delete

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