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Human Activities
Feb. 24th, 2011 03:57 pmHistory, to me, or even reading about a particular experience, elevates it into something mystical, crazy difficult, unrelatable and unachievable. This feeling is a lie.
Human history was made by the acts of fellow human beings, something I am constantly made aware of in my Music History class. Mozart was a great virtuoso, yes, but he also traveled in horrid conditions, got sick, played string quartets for entertainment, rebelled against his father and employer, had money problems, oh, and along the way learned a lot about and composed many kinds of music.
We can do the things older generations have done. We DO do those things still. Mozart is still played today, for instance. On a more basic level: we speak, sing, teach each other, create art, observe religious practices, create stories, and make many, many things: food, medicine, clothing, shelter.
Sometimes I am amazed at how basic life is. I realized this while I was cooking, first. We only have three main types of food: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. We only have so many types of meat, veggies, fruits, and grains. Liquids, at their most basic level, all derive from water.
The beauty of food (and any other human activity) is when we mix these ingredients together in new/different/old ways. We can go Spartan-ly simple (fried eggs with salt and pepper), or ridiculously complex (10 ingredient omelet). We can surprise ourselves and others when we take our traditions (which were, once upon a time, innovations) and tweak them just enough to get a new experience.
If we are dedicated to a skill, we are able take something basic to the human experience and turn it into an art.
This all lead me to a question that I really like: What skills do I want to become good at? Personally, a lot of things: Teaching, music, drawing and painting, dancing, cooking, knitting/crocheting, flying, understanding people, having sex, writing, and there will be more as time progresses. This is the essence of human life, I think. Gaining skills and sharing them with others.
What do you want to become good at? What are the basic ingredients of your art?
Human history was made by the acts of fellow human beings, something I am constantly made aware of in my Music History class. Mozart was a great virtuoso, yes, but he also traveled in horrid conditions, got sick, played string quartets for entertainment, rebelled against his father and employer, had money problems, oh, and along the way learned a lot about and composed many kinds of music.
We can do the things older generations have done. We DO do those things still. Mozart is still played today, for instance. On a more basic level: we speak, sing, teach each other, create art, observe religious practices, create stories, and make many, many things: food, medicine, clothing, shelter.
Sometimes I am amazed at how basic life is. I realized this while I was cooking, first. We only have three main types of food: proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. We only have so many types of meat, veggies, fruits, and grains. Liquids, at their most basic level, all derive from water.
The beauty of food (and any other human activity) is when we mix these ingredients together in new/different/old ways. We can go Spartan-ly simple (fried eggs with salt and pepper), or ridiculously complex (10 ingredient omelet). We can surprise ourselves and others when we take our traditions (which were, once upon a time, innovations) and tweak them just enough to get a new experience.
If we are dedicated to a skill, we are able take something basic to the human experience and turn it into an art.
This all lead me to a question that I really like: What skills do I want to become good at? Personally, a lot of things: Teaching, music, drawing and painting, dancing, cooking, knitting/crocheting, flying, understanding people, having sex, writing, and there will be more as time progresses. This is the essence of human life, I think. Gaining skills and sharing them with others.
What do you want to become good at? What are the basic ingredients of your art?
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