davidaolson

[davidaolson]

Imagination Asylum

Imagination is the soul of the self.~N. Scott Momaday A crucial factor creating a separation gulf between man and other animals is our ability to imagine, to create what-if scenarios to stretch our understanding of existence and the laws governing existence. Even more astonishing, it allows us to create something that never before was known or imagined by another, in a sense, making us gods in…

[davidaolson]

The End of the USA is Nigh

Timendi causaest nescire — Ignorance is the cause of fear. ~Seneca All cruelty springs from weakness. ~Seneca The “land of the free and home of the brave” has devolved into “land of the oppressed and home of the fearful.” Tell them this and they will yank out their concealed carry guns and, maybe spit in your face, to exhibit their bravery not realizing the gun they are toting is the hard…

[davidaolson]

Victims of Religion

Believers are also victims of religion.~Ricky Gervais I experienced an aha moment the other day, a mega-watt lightbulb moment illuminating a truth previously hidden in the deep shadows cast by my lack of awareness, disdain for religion, and a closed thought to an idea that seemed radical at the moment but, upon reflection, a fiber of common sense truth. I imagine it was similar to the lightbulb…

[davidaolson]

Arrogance or Hubris?

We must understand ourselves within nature and the animal world. We are part of a larger whole, not rulers over some imaginary natural kingdom.~don Jose Ruiz Is it profound arrogance or simple hubris that drives humanity to believe we are separate from nature and have dominion over the natural world? Sure, we mostly have dominion over ourselves within the boundaries established by the government…

[davidaolson]

Blind Does as Blind Is

I don’t think we go blind, I think we are blind, blind but seeing, blind people who can see, but do not see. ~José Saramago A stark contrast separating science from religion comes about from science being dedicated to discovering what they don’t know so they can fill knowledge gaps whereas relation is happy to claim God is the answer filling any blindspots with mythological nuances no matter how…

[davidaolson]

Becoming God

No matter how far you travel, you can never get away from yourself.~Haruki Murakami Since Limbo is no longer de rigueur in the Catholic canon and the simple fact I’ve been baptized twice so could never be eligible for the imaginary place of natural happiness for those who died without personal sin, I can only conclude I have been banished to a state of perpetual purgatory for my soul will never…

[davidaolson]

The Eternal Indian

You can live close to something for almost your entire life yet not know it exists. Such is the case of this statue I visited today. The Eternal Indian, sometimes called the Black Hawk Statue, is a 48-foot sculpture by Lorado Taft located in Lowden State Park, near the city of Oregon in Northern Illinois. Dedicated in 1911, the statue is perched over the Rock River on a 77-foot bluff overlooking…

[davidaolson]

Talking in Code

We used our strong language – the language they told us not to speak in school – funny how they find it useful after all.~Navajo Code Talker One of the darkest periods in US history was the forcible removal of Indigenous children from their parents and confining them to “re-education” schools where they were shorn of sacred hair and beaten when speaking their natal languages. The historical fact…

[davidaolson]

Exposing Myself

If you ask what my poetry is I must tell you I don’t know; but if you ask my poetry, it will tell you who I am.~Pablo Neruda I have heard numerous times that an artist encodes themselves in their work. Not purposely. It is a natural outcropping of the creative process, a process as intimate as loving another human being. Perhaps, the reason I feared making art for large swaths of my life is that…

[davidaolson]

Insect and Intellect

A lie is more comfortable than doubt, more useful than love, more lasting than truth.~Gabriel García Marquez If recent events spanning the past ten years, have taught me anything it is that the typical American cares little for any truth that would undermine the lies they hold so dear and near to their deceitful hearts. It is not just little lies like your new hairstyle is becoming or, yes, your…

[davidaolson]

Allegiance to Art

I give what art demands.~Carolyn A. Dahl What does art demand? Easy. Everything. Heart, mind, body, and soul dedicated to art with no less zeal than a zealot willing to sacrifice themselves for their religion. And that is why I will never be a great artist. I am a reluctant enthusiast, a part-time creator saving a large chunk of my time to simply, “Be!” Or it may be a convenient excuse to cover…

[davidaolson]

The One True Path to God

He was twirling his lucky Raven feather between his thumb and forefinger.~Gary J. George By their nature, feathers are imbued with a magical mystical quality helping the mind soar to unforeseeable, unfathomable heights, elevating the soul into ethereal realms with a flock of kindred creatives. At least, they do for me and, I suspect, for the gaggle viewing Earth as the one true god, and nature…

[davidaolson]

To Write and Read is Divine

Libraries exist to satisfy people’s thirst for knowledge.~Haruki Murakami The decisive factor contributing to human ascendency from tree-dwelling, shadow-hiding primates into the dominant species on the planet is our unique ability to encode thought into a set of symbols for future reference rather than being slaves to the instincts encoded in our DNA. Writing and reading are human superpowers.…

[davidaolson]

Family Frolick

I have been enjoying painting these scenes with the big horn critters. But, I think the well is beginning to run dry.

[davidaolson]

It's not Black and White

Our god has no rules only ceremonies to know him better.~Lakota Warrior Part and parcel of being raised in a monoculture is the gradually built hubris wherein the world is divided into two distinct antithetical halves. They are ‘our way’ and the ‘wrong way.’ It sets the stage for the curse of binary thinking, an almost complete inability to see shades of grey, including the inability to…

[davidaolson]

Where Went the Wise?

Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by rulers as useful.~Seneca the Younger It is amazing that words uttered when years could still be written with two digits are a laser light exposing reality 2,000 years after the fact. It is a perfect example of Santayana’s maxim that the past is repeated by those who can’t remember (or read) it. None of us were in…

[davidaolson]

The Ultimate Insanity

Man is the most insane species. He worships an invisible God and destroys a visible nature. Unaware that this nature he’s destroying is the God he’s worshipping.~Hubert Reeves In some cases, familiarity brings a measure of acceptance. In others, familiarity brings about contempt. Ubiquity becomes first invisible before transforming into a constant grating on the nerves at its everpresent…