Friday, December 5, 2008

Vanity

Sometimes I think I just want to be void.

Sometimes I don't want to acknowledge all of the substance that goes into my existence - the weight that hangs on every action. Because if you always are conscious of that, you can NEVER REST. You can never just vegetate. And sometimes I think the human soul needs that. But whenever I give in to vegetation, I inevitably end up in sin, because I stop caring about the eternal framework that surrounds me. Allowing yourself not to know, when you do know, is wrong. But it seems that it would be fake to just wrench my mind back into that eternal mindset of all-pervading substance, when nothing in my own soul indicates that any of that exists right now.

Buddhists embrace the void. And they typically practice the most humane conduct of any human group. But leaving a void open in the world always means it will be filled by the powers that rule this world, and Buddhism is thus a conduit for demonic activity. Humane conduct is only human, Love is supernatural.

But when you are not feeling remotely supernatural, and perhaps only half-human, how can you do anything short of just turning off for a while?

It would be nice to settle down into that vanity, and work with it, and then call it something. Call it art. Did I just call all of my art vanity? I suppose Solomon would agree...

I think I know the answers.


Don't look for anything of substance within your own spirit.

When at a loss, praise God.

But I suppose putting those changes into effect in my life just takes discipline. But love is definitely a type of discipline, and that is hardly ever recognized. To love someone is a conscious decision, an act of continual discipline, a covenant. And it is the exact opposite of vanity.



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Curtis!

Great to hear from you! I like your blog too! How did you find mine?

Anywho, in regards to this particular post, I believe that all art, on some level is a testament to vanity. That is in no way an attempt to put it down. It is what it is. And because it does more good as it is, than it does bad, who's to argue?

You're being followed.

Bruce Woodford said...

Hi Curtis!

I'm always challenged by your thoughts. And to see vanity as the antithesis of love is a thought woth a lot of meditation!

I think of the theme of Ecclesiastes...."Under the sun - all is vanity."

What a contrast to God's active choice chronicled in John 3:16..."For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son...!"

The more we ar conformed to the image of Christ, the less we will be given to vanity and the more we will invest in active conscious decisions (costly ones) to love God and others.

Thanks brother for your thoughts!
Bruce

Curtis said...

Hey man,

I suppose the way I found your blog would be called 'facebook creeping.' haha. I was intrigued by your quotes, and then I saw the link to your blog.

And yeah, I guess art and I are having some relationship difficulties right now, but we're working things out I think.. anyway, art is definitely part of my personality, so if that means that part of my personality is vanity, I'll have to work with it somehow.

But as you said, art 'is what it is,' and God said 'I Am what I Am.' And art and God are both uniquely creative. I just don't want to be attempting some sort of self-deification whenever I make art, if that makes any sense. Art is always so ambiguous, and I think I just want to organize my approach to it a little more.

You're being followed too.

Anonymous said...

Ever been to the Meeting House?

ncj said...

just testing, to see if I can remember my sign-in name!!

ncj said...

Once again, your thoughts and poetic voice pierce the reverie of my day, and join with me unto the One who already speaks His voice into it.
Except we all need to hear that Voice echoed through the voices of our brothers & sisters...
"I'm dead."
And Christ's resurrection, suffering, Love is the antithesis to all the void that attempts to suffocate us, and to the meaninglessness that attempts to over run us.
Thank Little Brother!-
Let's keep running that humble, love race, with all we have and all we are.
Lord Jesus -- thankyou that You came, and showed us The Way. Thankyou that if we abide in Love, Your kind of love, we're abiding in You. And You are life everlasting, and Live eternal. We praise you Christ Jesus!

In You, we go out to face our days, and our nights.
Amen