One or Two Ideas
| From James Joyce's A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man:
The dean returned to the hearth and began to stroke his chin.
--When may we expect to have something from you on the esthetic question? he asked.
--From me! said Stephen in astonishment. I stumble on an idea once a fortnight if I am lucky.
--These questions are very profound, Mr Dedalus, said the dean. It is like looking down from the cliffs of Moher into the depths. Many go down into the depths and never come up. Only the trained diver can go down into those depths and explore them and come to the surface again.
--If you mean speculation, sir, said Stephen, I also am sure that there is no such thing as free thinking inasmuch as all thinking must be bound by its own laws.
--Ha!
--For my purpose I can work on at present by the light of one or two ideas of Aristotle and Aquinas.
--I see. I quite see your point. |
Besides being Mondrian's birthday, today is also the dies natalis (in the birth-into-heaven sense) of St. Thomas Aquinas and, for those who believe worthy pre-Christians also enter heaven, possibly of Aristotle.
Pope Benedict XVI explained the dies natalis concept on Dec. 26, 2006:
"For believers the day of death, and even more the day of martyrdom, is not the end of all; rather, it is the 'transit' towards immortal life. It is the day of definitive birth, in Latin, dies natalis."
The Pope's remarks on that date
were in St. Peter's Square.
Pictorial version
of Hexagram 20,
Contemplation (View)
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