I have written before (in Music Memories) about the different ways in which various pieces of music trigger very specific recall about some past event. Just the other day I had an experience which both reinforced my previous ideas and caused me to think about a new aspect of this.
Philosophical
So What Really IS Important?
We are only a few days into the new year and already items in the news have shocked me – have inspired me – have worried me – have surprised me – have saddened me – have ….. What we find out about the happenings around the globe has the capacity to affect us in a huge number of ways. What about – and this is entirely in keeping with the blog theme – the things we don’t know about?
Out With The Old!!
Having just checked back I discovered that since I started on this blog I have a woeful record when it comes to writing anything at the start of the year! Not a single post (until now) written in January of any year. I don’t think there is any particular reason for that – but it is time I broke the pattern. The other good reason for a post this month is that it completes 12 consecutive months with at least one post.
Discworld – The Next Chapter
Just yesterday I wrote about how I like to visit different “worlds” when I am reading. Last night I got to the end of the story of one of those worlds. Knowing that it was his last novel, getting to the end of Sir Terry Pratchett’s “The Shepherd’s Crown” was always going to be tinged with disappointment – not in the story itself, but because we will never know what happens next to the many characters that we have met through the Discworld series.
Just – WHY?
As we progress through life there is – at least for me – an increasing realisation that there are things that we do – that we enjoy doing – that are seemingly unproductive, unnecessary or just a “waste of time”. Yet we persist in doing them. For some people these can be harmful – to themselves or others – for others they are entirely benign – and yet the question remains – WHY?
A Matter Of Taste
A recurrent theme on the blog is the matter of “taste” in regard to the arts – especially in regard to music. It is well understood that “what you like” is determined by all sorts of factors and quite naturally varies from person to person – that song that “brings tears to your eyes” may well “bring tears” to someone else’s eyes for very different reasons!
The Shepherd’s Crown
And so it ends….. I have started to read the last Discworld book. Glad that it includes the Nac Mac Feegle😀
Satin Island
A bit of a ‘departure’ for me – I read this only because my wife got it from the library and didn’t like it – not enough ‘story’ for her. I took a while to get into the book – it is certainly not what you might call a “page turner”. One of the reviews on Amazon describes it as “clever but empty”!! I read it to the end – was I any the wiser? Perhaps not – but it was an interesting collection of ideas – and the central character’s job title (corporate anthropologist) was intriguing. Ultimately it probably raised more questions than it answered.
Its Not Just Me
With a huge shout out to Confirmation Bias I am always ecstatic (OK maybe that is a bit too strong) when I find that others are speaking similar messages to my own. Have a look at this video – What is the Speed of Dark – and see how it mirrors many of the underlying themes of this blog site.
…and Another Quote
Our ignorance encompasses, at least, all the things we know we do not know (known unknowns); all the things we do not know we do not know (unknown unknowns); all the things we think we know but do not (error); all the things we do not know we know (tacit knowing); all taboos (forbidden knowledge); and all denial (things too painful to know, so we suppress them). Medical ignorance seems especially threatening to many of us. If, however, we are to cope with our vast ignorance of the human body, its powers and processes, we must learn to acknowledge our nescience and optimize it. To do so, we need to rethink the nature and interrelations between knowledge and ignorance. We need to expand our capacities for self-learning and refine abilities to map our complex experience.
Ann Kerwin