Sunday, November 21, 2010

to rebel


the 
pontiff 
of 
my 
selfishness
ennobles 
my
languor.
I 
yearn 
to
rebel 
with
deeds 
of
virtue. 




Poem © 2010 by R. Burnett Baker 
Photo © 2005 by R. Burnett Baker 
Photo of an outdoor wall sculpture in Hong Kong taken by R. Baker, 2005
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3 comments:

  1. Tess KincaidNovember 22, 2010 at 9:59 AM

    I'm going to ponder that second line for the rest of the afternoon. Beautiful.

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  2. TrulyfoolNovember 22, 2010 at 4:59 PM

    Rick,

    Like Willow, I went over this a few times. Finding surprises. It opens the question of what kernel within selfishness anticipates a rebellion toward virtue.

    I don't see that as contradictory. Just mysterious. 'Bad' impregnated with 'good'? The 'taiji'/yin-yang oppositional eye within the organism of its contrary?

    Dig it!

    TFool

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  3. R. Burnett BakerNovember 22, 2010 at 9:26 PM

    Willow, TFool: Indeed it suggests the cosmological concept of "taiji" as a taoist view of heaven/earth, gods/demons, old/new, and so on. But my thought process in this short piece also harkens back to the "yin/yang" contrasts, if you will, between Confucian philosopher Mencius, and the philosopher Xun Zi.

    Mencius believed that man is inherently altruistic, while Xun Zi argued that man is inherently evil, and must work to change that nature.

    I have always sided with Mencius, (sometimes just barely!) but this piece suggests that there is a part of the human condition that requires us (me) to constantly look inward and affirm that what we (I) are (am) projecting outward is good and favorable to those around me in particular, and society and the greater good in general.

    To some degree, I would suggest, these philosophical thoughts and contrasts are similar to dramaturgical social models as presented by Erving Goffman (and others before him) that suggest a person's identity is not a fixed entity or ideal, but rather one that is constructed and reconstructed in relation to interactions with others.

    Thus, I would argue that these modern social philosophies indicate that we DO indeed have an altruistic nature since we can reason and analyze our behaviors as being acceptable or unacceptable in accordance with accepted moral norms. Whatever those are!!

    It is easy to get caught up with ourselves and our desires. There is that part of me that recognizes that, and something in my mind/heart/soul that tells me to stop and listen to the good in others.

    Wow. Didn't I get long winded about a 16 word piece! LOL.

    Thanks for your comments!!

    Rick

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