The acrylic artwork represents a person's life journey and the continuous search for truth, beginning with foundational beliefs from childhood and extending to personal explorations of religious and societal doctrines. It highlights the cycle of resignation, discovery, and ultimately realizing universal love, emphasizing that true freedom comes from transcending individualistic desires by embracing unconditional love for all humanity.
The teaching illustrates the challenging and fleeting nature of the pursuit of love, likening it to a journey marked by colored spots and constant efforts towards reaching an ultimate goal. Despite the struggles involved in this climb, achieving a state of love is depicted as the ultimate aim of the journey.
The Art of Epistemology: Journey Through Acrylic
I dabble in art every now and then, and this acrylic piece is a half-inch thick representation of a person's life. It can symbolize an entire life journey, a specific period, or even a single day. Its core theme is the search for truth. Embedded within this piece is a story, which I'll begin to unfold for you.
The Beginning: Birth and Childhood
This story starts with a black line at the bottom, which symbolizes our birth and childhood. It's the infancy stage, where multiple wires hold the two sides together, representing the inputs we receive about how to think, behave, and what actions are proper. Beneath these wires lies a steel bar, symbolizing the familial and societal beliefs instilled in us—whether beneficial or detrimental. This foundational stage embodies the strip of certainty, the definite truths taught to us, such as "two and two equals four," or the social norms like "always say excuse me after leaving the table."
The Journey: Searching for Truth
While some individuals remain in this realm for their entire lives, most begin questioning and thinking independently. They embark on a personal journey, seeking truth and attempting to discern what is good, real, and right. This search is depicted through the scratches and marks on the piece.
This exploration can encounter various truths embodied by different societal and religious beliefs. For instance, this representation includes elements symbolizing religions like Catholicism, Mormonism, and Buddhism. Each has its unique colors, signifying the specialized beliefs members hold, often trapping them within an insular viewpoint. Inside these sections, individuals may feel they alone possess the truth.
Obstacles and the Allure of Work
Part of the artwork features elements that appear inviting, such as a flower-like piece. It's intriguing yet perilous, constructed of sharp steel, representing temptations that may seem promising but can be treacherous.
The work also embodies professions and the roles individuals play in society, such as dentists, doctors, lawyers, or contractors. These sections symbolize how some people get absorbed in their work, becoming lost in it. Yet, for others, it's not enough; they continue to strive and scratch for deeper understanding.
In essence, the piece captures the ongoing human endeavor to challenge, explore, and identify personal and universal truths, navigating the complex pathways life offers.
The Cycle of Resignation and Discovery
Resignation: The Starting Point
At the beginning of this journey, people reach a point where they stop moving forward. This stage is marked by what I call "resignation." It is represented by a big, dark presence where individuals feel like giving up. Many who find themselves here become atheists or nihilists, losing their belief in anything substantial. This is a wide, expansive band of resignation as people grapple with life's complexities. They've been searching and participating in numerous ideologies, only to feel exhausted and decide to quit.
The Transition
However, for some, this stage of resignation is temporary. People often decide not to give up just yet. They step out of resignation and find themselves in a pit, hitting solid steel. Despite continuous efforts, they feel stuck, with the temptation to return to resignation being overwhelmingly strong. It's a stage where many have said that nothing can truly be known.
Breaking Through to Truth and Love
Nevertheless, a few manage to break through this hardship and reach a place where all the colors of life merge. In this phase, everything flows freely—this is what I would call the truth, or love. Both concepts are synonymous here. By moving beyond limited worldviews, self-centered pleasures, and various religious pursuits, one can overcome resignation. When this fight is won, you realize your capacity to love every being, unconditionally, because you acknowledge that you were loved first.
In this place of love, complete freedom is achieved. Without love, you're trapped by your desires and angers. But when you can approach every person and every situation with love, you've truly arrived at this upper echelon.
The Cycle Repeats
Yet, even in this place of love, challenges arise. Scratch marks above symbolize ongoing struggles. They reflect life's cyclical nature, where people periodically re-enter their struggles. Often, this happens with the experience of raising children. Parents might fearfully believe certain teachings are necessary, causing them to impose limitations once again. This creates a cycle where the process repeats for a new generation.
Conclusion: Embrace Universal Love
This entire discussion leads to one simple yet profound realization: God loves every person equally, regardless of their beliefs—be they atheists or followers of any religion. Many of us remain entangled in the colored spots symbolizing the journey, still scratching towards that elusive place of love. It's a difficult and transient climb, but reaching the top is the ultimate goal.
See you next week.
