“the experience of hearing Judy Garland sing ‘Over the Rainbow.’ When the song and the credits end, I am left with the feeling that ought to be a paradise, and I am reminded of C.S. Lewis’s famous quote: ‘If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.’ We do not need to only participate in dark or troubling stories, but we do need to give priority to stories that haunt us, unsettle us, and expand us, whether through beauty and delight or tragedy. We also need to make time and space to interpret the stories through dialogue with others. Living in an atomistic culture, our default response to receiving a story is not to interpret it in community. We may have a personal opinion about it. We may tweet a 280 character review. We may debate parts of the story. But most of us are not inclined to take the time to slowly work through the meanings of the story and dialogue with one another. In other words, the prolonged, thoughtful, charitable dialogue about stories I’m recommending will not happen naturally. We need to intentionally pursue it.”
Alan Noble Disruptive Witness
No eyes but charming hair. I wonder if the “hair trigger,” so to speak, would bring as many faces into perspective if one were to “set one’s mind to it,” so to speak. As scan the trees and bushes in view from my windows, I suspect they hold such visages in their branches. Or the boles of trees make faces with twigs and branches standing in for hair, like Tolkein’s Ents.
Laurna – It’s a good question. It took me a while to see my first face after determining to do so; we’ll see if the subconscious trains itself for a “hair trigger.” 🙂
You just introduced me to a brand new word: pareidolia.
Made my day!
Tom
Tom – Excellent.
Isabel – do you see a man or a dog in the moon? Usually I see a man, but if I work at it the dog comes into focus.
John – I have no impression of a moon face. I’ll look again in about 4 weeks. Do you see a dog’s head/face or the outline of a dog’s body?
Dog’s head. As with the man, it is the eyes that catch the focus
John – OK, thanks, I’ll take a look.
For me, the dog faces left. The “man” is face on.