the most true genius

In many ways,
the work of a critic is easy.

We risk very little,
yet enjoy a position over those
who offer up their work and their selves
to our judgment.

We thrive on negative criticism,
which is fun to write and to read.

But the bitter truth we critics must face
is that in the grand scheme of things,
the average piece of junk
is probably more meaningful
than our criticism designating it so.

But there are times when a critic truly risks something
and that is in the discovery and defense of the new.

The world is often unkind to new talent,
new creations.

The new needs friends.

Last night,
I experienced something new,
an extraordinary meal
from a singularly unexpected source.

To say that both the meal
and its maker
have challenged my preconceptions
about fine cooking
is a gross understatement.

They have rocked me to my core.

In the past, I have made no secret
of my disdain
for Chef Gusteau's famous motto,
"Anyone can cook."

But I realize only now
do I truly understand what he meant.

Not everyone
can become a great artist,
but a great artist
can come from anywhere.

It is difficult to imagine
more humble origins
than those of the genius...


- Ratatouille (2007)

Glaube

Wir glauben, Erfahrungen zu machen, aber die Erfahrungen machen uns.

(Eugene Ionesco)

follow your bliss, face your demons

The very cave you are afraid to enter turns out to be the source of what you are looking for. The damned thing in the cave that was so dreaded has become the center.

- Joseph Campbell (1904-1987)

Mount Olympus

Fabre’s Dionysus never gets tired of inviting spectators to “imagine something new”: man has to “take the power back / enjoy (his) own tragedy / breathe; just breathe, / and imagine something new.” Fabre’s production articulates at great length the need for another imagination. It constantly undermines patriarchal and fundamentalist power, contains powerful female roles, enjoys female giggling and tittering addressed to male gods. Dionysus and his new spouse, Dionysa, enter the arena of a political warzone, grinning and sneering at men’s inability to do better, inciting them to have the courage to think for themselves, more autonomously than ever, and to dare to feel and get into real contact with their entire body. As part of the poststructuralist revision of myth, Dionysus stimulates man to awake from the clichés that kept him prisoner and to assume a new, symbolizing position; or, as Dionysus ironically points out, “Look at your horizon and see the vast cage / in which you have to dwell. . . . The gods you like were made by you and your obsession / for punishment.”

Prometheus I

Mit anderen Worten, wenn ich meine Freude und mein Glück als Möglichkeit anerkenne, dann muss ich laufend was tun. Und ganz bestimmt gehört es dazu auch mal unangenehm zu werden, nein zu sagen, wo ja erwartet wird oder gegen Vereinbarungen des Kollektivs anzustossen und eigene Vereinbarungen organisieren.

Das erfordert, dass ein Mensch aus der Masse empor steigt, der die alleinige Verantwortung für sein Leben übernimmt, immer wieder sich aus unerwünschte Abhängigkeiten befreit und der imstande ist, seine Selbstbestimmung zu beschützen und zu verteidigen.

Dieser Mensch ist nach heutigem Stand nie das Ergebnis von Erziehung oder Kultur allein. Er muss sich ständig neu erschaffen. Damit wird er spirituell sein eigener Gott. Allerdings nach einer Auffassung, die das Verständnis des Durchschnittsmenschen bei weitem übersteigt. Deswegen ist es sehr gefährlich diesen Zustand an Menschen mit programmiertem Verstand beschreiben und mit ihnen zu besprechen.

Allein das Verständnis erfordert eine katastrophalen Transformation und daher wird es meist in Parabeln gesteckt und so übertragen.

Viele Menschen die da euphorisch reden, wissen gar nicht, was sie tun. Sie müssen eine Zeit lang reden, um in Gang zu kommen und dann aber schweigen um ihren Handlungen die nötige Ernsthaftigkeit zu verschaffen, um ihre eigene Transformation zu vollenden.

Ideale

Ideen erstreckten sich auf die ganze Welt, die sie verbessern wollen. Ob die dazu gehörigen Methoden recht oder unrecht haben, steht auf einem anderen Blatt.

Why myths?

Edwards: Why the big secret? People are smart. They can handle it.
Kay: A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it. Fifteen hundred years ago everybody knew the Earth was the center of the universe. Five hundred years ago, everybody knew the Earth was flat, and fifteen minutes ago, you knew that humans were alone on this planet. Imagine what you'll know tomorrow.

Edwards: What's the catch?
Kay: The catch? The catch is you will sever every human contact. Nobody will ever know you exist anywhere. Ever. I'll give you to sunrise to think it over.

[starts walking away]

Edwards: [shouting after Kay] Hey! Is it worth it?
Kay: Oh yeah, it's worth it...
[starts walking again, stops and turns back briefly]
Kay: ... if you're strong enough!