The McDonalds of Art!

[cousinlucky]

In 1966 I was in my second year of my machinist apprenticeship at the General Dynamics Quincy, Ma. shipyard. The union was debating about a strike because I was running a horizontan boring mill all by myself. I was still supposed to be in training but the manager had me working right in front of his office to show what a great program he had going. No strike was called because I was transferred to the " tool room " to fashion special tools for the ships.

At any rate I read an article today about a guy who taught his students so well that they are now competing with him. This reminded me of my instructors:

http://www.spiegel.de/international/...,433134,00html

[fingal]

Hi coz - that document is apparently 'nicht gefunden'. I'm sure that's an interesting link though ... when it's Ja! Gefunden! This is the link?

[cousinlucky]

Thanks Fingal, my computer ineptitude knows no bounds!!

[eraker]

achso! an interesting read.

Danke!

[fingal]

Thanks Fingal, my computer ineptitude knows no bounds!!

Well I was thinking (a habit I've been accused of over indulging: mostly by my mother) and I reckon we're all inept at something. I think it's a good starting point for learning; a lot like your article up there.

I mean, those people in China are probably very poor economically, but I would be prepared to bet that in time, at least a few of them will decide, 'We want to paint our OWN pictures. We're sick of copying everyone else!' And I would also be prepared to bet that (no matter how long it takes) some great work will be produced.

Interesting how human creativity can kick in and sort things out. As for copying the work of great masters ... that's not such a bad idea in the short term. But I remembered a Zen poem I once read (assuming it really is a Zen poem):

To follow the path:
look to the master,
follow the master,
walk with the master,
see through the master,
become the master.

And yes ... my mother is quite right: I think too much.

[cousinlucky]

My mother has told me on many an occasion that I think too much. She stopped saying that to me after a high school math teacher of mine gave me a zero on a math test because I used an algebra formula that I had developed while doing my homework. My uncle and grandmother went to the headmasters office and raised hell soon after.

When the headmaster asked the teacher why I had been given a zero my math teacher said I could not use the formula because he had not taught it to me and that when i got into trionometry the formula would not always work.

The headmaster asked me where I got the formula from and I told him that I came up with it because using it cut in half the time needed to do my math homework. I figured out the formula all by myself and had been using it a long time to do my homework.

The headmaster ushered me and my family out of his office but we could hear him screaming at my teacher from out in the hallway.

You will find a lot of sites on the Internet where people familiarize themselves with the works of Lao Tzu. Like many teachers of Oriental thought Lao Tzu gained his wisdom by understanding and applying the principles of yin and yang. Thus he was able to understand the complexities of the I Ching.

There are multitudes who deny that yin/yang had anything to do with Lao Tzu's works or his thinking. They are not able to see through the teacher and are therefore unable to really grasp their teachers or go beyond them.

What is important Fingal, is that you think clearly!!
I bear witness that you do.