Hoppy gardening!
by Asky (who grew the heart-shaped tomato which was the inspiration!)
Month: June 2022
Philosophy Tuesday
The other thing about humility that really trips us up is its seeming proximity to humiliation. While the words do share a common Latin root, their meanings are, however, far apart. While in some ways humiliation might help prompt us to be humble, being humble is not the same as the harsh, floor-dropping, painful loss of pride, self-respect, or dignity of humiliation.
And let’s be frank here for a moment – being humiliated hurts. It’s not a pleasant time. No wonder we’d avoid humility if it even carries a whiff of that floor-dropping monster! Being humiliated leaves us feeling lonely, unworthy, and unwanted. We are excluded. It is a break in belonging.
So it’s good to make clear the distinction (again, despite the fact they sound similar) between the unpleasant humiliation and the centering and peaceful realm of being humble.
There’s a really funny bonus thing here though: all that unpleasant stuff about humiliation? That is exactly what being humble prevents, for if we don’t have some overblown, aggrandized, conceited view of our self, then we can’t be knocked down. So while we often think that humiliation is foist upon us by others, the agency is really ours by choosing humility. If we don’t put on airs, the floor can’t open up beneath us – we’re already grounded.
Being humble connects us to others. It allows us to be related to one another, without the specter of better/worse, or worthy/unworthy. Though cultivating humility, we get to share in our common humanity through our unique self-expressions.
(One more bit next week to finish off this triptych.)
* An interesting addition: Arrogant (ie non-humble) people who feel threatened (and thus are in fear of being humiliated) will lash out to attack or humiliate others in an effort to retain their fragile façade. Again, a humble person is resistant to being humiliated, for with a level-headed view of themselves there’s nothing to shatter.
Architecture Monday
Check out this nifty school right next to the California Science Centre. Adaptive reuse + a new wing by Morphosis. And as a Morphosis building you know you’re going to get a lot of hyper expressive screens, stairways, and outdoor pavilions, but this comes with a bonus covered courtyard nestled within the historical structure plus green roofs and a berm that embraces the new building.
Next to a science centre, art museum, olympic stadium, and soon to be motion picture museum, plus a DC-8 as an entry piece, and nifty architecture… pretty darn cool.
The Dr. Theodore Alexander Science Center School by Morphosis
Wonder Wednesday
A classic but still an amazing canadian lynx photo!
photo by Nicolas Dory
Philosophy Tuesday
Humility. Something we often have a rather… odd relationship with. Starting with: What is it even?
One thing it is not is about erasing ourselves. It is not about the total diminishment of the self. It’s not about becoming invisible or meek. I think it is often viewed in this way thanks to a false-dichotomy trap of taking humility as being the “opposite” of conceited, arrogant, self-absorbed, dismissive, and cocky.
But it is not. Instead, humility is being modest and about being real.
I would instead place humility as being on the middle path. It is between being arrogant and being effacing. I am reminded of a phrase we used at our Kung Fu school: “Practice with a confident, not conceited, attitude.” When we are being humble we can still be confident, and participatory, and legit, and opinionated, and all of those things. At the same time, we also stay mindful of our level of expertise, of what we don’t know and of what we can learn (and that we can ALWAYS learn), of the contributions of others, of the role fortune plays, and so on.
In this way we contribute and express ourselves within, and conscious, of the larger game. We assert ourselves while remaining respectful, open, and in tune with what’s so. We simply have a modest opinion of our own importance – neither overblown nor undervalued.
More next week….
Architecture Monday
An old and run-down church. Stripped to its bones, leaving bare its wonderfully rugged stone construction. Soaring upwards, it imparts a sense of solidity and longevity.
Into that verticality is placed an elevated chapel, raised and ensconced in a forest of wood. Beside and above, a new elongated concrete barrel vault hovers away from the existing walls, mediating the light from the windows and providing acoustics for the choir.
The rest of the furnishings are equally slender and spare, playing well as a counterpoint to the rough walls. Opposite the new chapel in the apse is a remarkable focal point: panels of thin marble create a screen before a full-height window, a glowing ribbon blazing into the interior.
This one isn’t quite an adaptive reuse, and it isn’t quite a renovation either… perhaps a re-inhabitation? Whatever we might classify it, it’s splendid.
Imaculada and Cheia de Graça Chapel by Cerejeira Fontes Architects
Wonder Wednesday
Lovely piece that captures the wonders of practice with the glory of flow, the pure joy of movement, the calming of mind, the expansion of presence, and the passion of being alive.
(Even if they are holding the Guan Dao incorrectly…)
Philosophy Tuesday
“Here’s what I have learned after 40 years of making stuff for a living. I can break a milling bit on this mill, I can be really REALLY mad at myself and the world at the fact that this screw-up has taken me more time and I gotta redo this thing and I can feel all those feelings and I can still, in the mist of that emotional turmoil, walk over to my end mills by 64th drawer and pick up another one and bring it back over and take out the old one and toss it out, put this back in… Just perform the actions. I don’t feel good, but I don’t necessarily have to feel good in order to proceed.”
What I love about this quote is how it expresses the beauty that comes from integration. To experience all of our humanness, without denying anything, without resisting anything (and giving them unforeseen control), and without capitulating to anything (and giving them foreseen control). To be whole and not suffering, engaging all of ourselves as we move forward, creating as we go.
Architecture Monday
There’s a lot of great design bits here, let’s step through some of them!
Using the natural slope of the site, rather than digging into it or obliterating it, the cantilevered design also creates a double and rather stylish carport, split by the entrance stair. (On which I really cannot help but notice the distinct lack of handrails…)
A combination of voids and extrusions creates a great mix of indoor space and outdoor courtyards and balconies. Besides being lovely, this also allows in tonnes of light.
The main framing of the house is a series of large timbers arranged in a grid pattern that is exposed, creating both a steady rhythm and also a sense of continuity throughout the house and rooms. It’s also a sculptural element in its own right heading down the spine of the house.
The second floor is more like a series of lofts, allowing first floor spaces to not only gain awesome height and light, but it also sets up for cross-level views.
Very nice design. It’s not a big house (it’s about the same as mine) nor an “extravagant” one, but it feels way more expansive and expressive and a joy to live in than the common suburban product.
Return to Wonder(land)
Though I’ve posted about it a bunch, including reminiscing about my earliest visits when the park was still young, I hadn’t actually visited Canada’s Wonderland since 1995 or so. But a few weeks ago I got a chance to do just that! Visiting home during the more summerly months there was no way I wasn’t going to go and see what was new… and, of course, ride every coaster I could as often as I could. DO NOT STAND UP! Continue reading
Lynx Thoughts 