The Artist

Poetry 1 Minute

A Life of Virtue: An Introduction – A Life of Virtue: Philosophy as a Way of Life

The objective of A Life of Virtue Blog 


The artist retreats into himself 
He closes his eyes and surrenders to his imagination 
His mind opens a gate to vast inner landscapes 
Time collapses, the heavens slowly unfold 

The artist loathes mundane ‘everydayness’
He raises his brow at the gossip, trends and fashion of the masses 
They are those who walk blindly, who worship false idols;
Who revere fancy things, shiny things, the kind in which envy brings  

For the artist, his path is clear 
He follows his call towards Truth and Beauty 
His pen is the hammer which frees us from the chains of conformity
His art shakes us out of the prison of ‘routine’ 
His words pull us towards the divine, the sacred 

The artist is our liberator 
He lights a flame deep within our souls, and
awakens us from our dogmatic slumber 
This paves the way towards authenticity and self-actualization 

The moment is fleeting yet urgent 
We receive our gift 
A new way of living,
A new way of being in the world

We scrape away the superficial rot amassed in our souls, and
seize the possibility of true freedom

For in order to find ourselves, 
We must first lose ourselves


 
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Published by Andrew

I write about philosophy and culture and the search for meaning in the modern age.

Published

7 thoughts on “The Artist”

  1. The artist loathes mundane ‘everydayness’
    He raises his brow at the gossip, trends and fashion of the masses
    They are those who walk blindly, who worship false idols;
    Who revere fancy things, shiny things, the kind in which envy brings

    “Beware of artists. They mix with all classes of society and are therefore most dangerous. ~ HRM Queen Victoria”

    Otherwise, beautiful.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. Thank you and great quote.

      I was inspired to write this based on Ralph Waldo Emerson’s “The Poet” and Camus’ Create Dangerously: The Power and Responsibility of the Artist which I read recently.

      Wondering what you think the role of the artist is in this day and age?:)

      Like

      Reply

      1. Same as always.

        He lights a flame deep within our souls, and
        awakens us from our dogmatic slumber
        This paves the way towards authenticity and self-actualization

        More like kindles a flame. The flame is already lit. Not sure about the artist who can’t see beauty in the “mundane,” though. Such “loathing” could be indicative of a blind spot.

        Before enlightenment, chop wood, carry water; after enlightenment, chop wood, carry water. ~ Zen proverb

        Liked by 1 person

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