Before Descartes got himself dubbed the Father of Modern Philosophy, he was a career mathematician (credited with discovering the concept of Analytical Geometry) and a well-renowned physicist. Add to that the fact that he was a devout Catholic living in fear of the Great Inquisitor's wrath due to his Galilean leanings, and you have a dude with some heavy issues. And that was before he went all philosophical.Descartes took radical skepticism to the max: he decided to doubt everything, and quickly discovered that this perched him on the precipice of madness. He was a Rationalist, meaning that you can know things without having to rely on sensory experience. Certain ideas are innate. But he suffered over the body-mind disconnection (dualism). Suffice it to say that the guy went through a lot of blood, sweat and tears before reaching his simple and elegant conclusion: Cogito, ergo sum.
Blackie the Horse didn't seem to suffer from too much cogitating; for the better part of his life (28 years of his venerable 40), he stood in the same pasture, in the same spot, facing the same direction, masticating. I eat, therefore I am. There's a bronze statue erected in that very same spot now, honoring that venerable master of doing, basically, nothing... Maybe he was on to something. What do you think?
Well, Blackie certainly makes me feel better about any lack of progress in my life. And, if I had his patch of real estate, chewing and staring into the blue, wavy yonder would come easier. As it is now, I chew and stare at youtube videos or Chelsea Lately. Personally, I think a mix is best: bleeding, sweating, and tearing your way on the road to the mecca of idleness. As long as that idleness can be disturbed with some nice, healthy moments of insanity and chaos. My sense of balance is periodic excess in either direction. Perhaps I need a good doctor...
ReplyDeleteBlackie's motto - "I eat, therefore I am".
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