Goodbye!

Well, it certainly has been quite a journey in this class. In this last blog entry I would just like to thank you all for your contribution to the course, because between blogging and class discussion I truly have expanded my understanding of philosophy and human nature as a whole (and I am not just saying this to please Professor Johnson, I truly have ;) ) I hope you all have a wonderful summer break!

I am not an artist.

"Painting is easy when you don't know how, but very difficult when you do." ~Edgar Degas

"Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up." ~Pablo Picasso

     Upon looking up quotes about art, these two definitely stuck out to me, and this is most likely because I in no way consider myself an artist. Only on occation have I been able to produce some nice sketches or creations. My best friend on the other hand has a natural ability to draw fantastically and I think this is part of the reason I always wished I could. It has always seemed that everyone around me has some sort of natural talent, where as I have nothing. Nevertheless, this friend of mine decided last winter than she would try to teach me how to draw some basic things. First of all, she was not a very good teacher because she had a natural ability to correctly place the lines of the drawing and was consequently bad at attempting to explain how she knew what to do. Second of all, the more she said the more confused and frustrated I got. I was pretty much ready to give up entirely until last summer. I found an old sketch book in a pile of my things and decided to print a few interesting pictures offline and attempt to draw them. After sitting in my dimly lit room late into the night, I actually produced some acceptable looking drawings. They did not look identical to what I was trying to copy, but they were still good. Then it hit me that I simply have a different drawing style than she does. Therefore, when she was trying to teach me I was not able to produce things in the same manner that she could.
     I believe that if I actually took an artclass I might actually be able to learn how to be a better artist. I would never be as good as someone with a natural ability, but nonetheless. This leads me to wonder, can anyone learn how to be an artist or do people need to have a natural tendency or ability to be able to create art? As humans, I also wonder how much we are capable of actually learning. There is a show on MTV called MADE in which a teenager gets a coach and is made into anything they want to be: a break dancer, surfer, a beauty queen. But, could someone ever truly transform themselves into anything they want?

The Oddities of Museums

     All of this contemplation about art has really led me to realize how odd museums, especially art museums, really are. As humans, we give money to walk into a building and look at pictures we could easily see online or in books. Not all of these works were even intended to have an audience. Some pieces were created for others to enjoy, but I suspect that most of them were created when the artist felt they needed an outlet for emotional release. In this sense, I feel that if I were an artist, having my painting hung in a museum would be somewhat embarrassing. Imagine that you are upset and paint a magnificent piece. While most people will not understand its meaning because it is so abstract, you still know that you bared your soul on the canvas and are letting the eyes of the public tear it apart. Nevertheless, why do humans find art museums, or any museums for that matter, so fascinating? After all, people of ancient times would most likely laugh if they knew their shoe or toilet was on display. I suppose people enjoy museums partially because of reputation society has created for museums and galleries. People are made to think that they are intelligent and sophisticated places, and that is most likely why people force themselves to go to a museum, even if they know they will be bored. Humans are curious creatures, and they often go to art museums while on vacation so they can brag that they went. They would not want to hear friends tell about their museum visits and not have any stories or experiences to share themselves. Likewise, humans like to look at artifacts because their curiosity drives them to know about the past. People understand that they can never know what the distant past was like, but they are so intrigued by the mysterious goings-on of another time that they will pay twenty dollars to go see the artifacts from the period. What type of museums do you enjoy more, those that display only art or those that display artifacts?

Art Museums!

In response to Jenny Beers's question, "Do you like going to art museums? A lot of people think it is utterly boring, how about you?"...

     I honestly have mixed feelings about art museums. Since I am so interested in archeology I enjoy museums such as the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, for it contains a wealth of artifacts as well as a decent sized collection of art as well. In the eighth grade however I did go to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. This museum was truly impressive and even at that age I was able to appreciate the museum's collection. But, I only spent a few hours there and I am unsure if I would be able to stay longer. Unlike many people who visit these museums, I do not spend twenty minutes looking at one painting. I stop and gaze at one that catches my eye for a minute, then move onto the next one. I do not get bored per say, but I definitely have to be in the mood to visit an art museum. Additionally, I believe that half of the draw of such a museum is the amazing architecture, with the sweeping galleries with their high ceilings. As for modern art at museums such as Mass MoCA, well, I have already blogged about my dislike and misunderstanding of them before.
     I tend to find small art galleries more interesting than huge museums of art, and perhaps this is because it is simply enjoying art in smaller doses. This past summer on the way back from Plum Island Beach my two friends and I stopped to browse through downtown Newburyport, Massachusetts. It is a gorgeous little area, and we walked into a couple of small art galleries there. The art was truly magnificent in this one gallery that sticks out in my memory, and I wish I actually had enough money to buy some of the works there. So, I will say that I sometimes enjoy going to art museums, and while I do not find them immediately boring, after a few hours, I do begin to feel that they are. Have you ever seen a famous painting such as the Mona Lisa in person? What did you think of it? Did it live up to your expectations?

Reflections...

     As this semester comes to a close, I find myself at a loss as to what I should blog about. That being said, it is probably best for me to make this post broad and somewhat of a conclusion about my now refined view of human nature. Stepping into the classroom in January, I am sure that most students did not really know what they were in for. After all, "The Nature of Human Nature" sounds pretty vague. But, as the class progressed, I found it increasingly interesting through its discussion of a range of philosophical topics from altruism to the supernatural. Through blogging I have been able to think about these topics fully by applying them to the world around me and drawing examples from my own life in order to understand them. I now realize that human nature is simply those pre-programmed tendencies in our brains that are relatively universal across all humans, no matter what their culture is. As humans, we all act in certain ways and do certain things that we wish we could change. In other words, we discriminate against each other, wage war, and when it comes down to it, we always put our own interests above those of others around us. For thousands of years people have been trying to change these things, but if history can tell us anything, it is that we are most likely not going to change. In general, the broad themes of the future will most likely be extremely similar to those of the past, despite advances in such areas as technology. To quote a Kesha song, "we are who we are" and that is not going to change. Perhaps the best way to improve our future would be to recognize our weaknesses and attempt to modify our behavior so as perhaps it will one day evolve to be different. Do you believe that the human race will ever have the capacity to truly change? Do you believe that our race will ever become extinct?

Is It Possible to Treat Others How You Would Like to Be Treated?

In response to Shannon Ciuk's question, "Do you always treat others in a way that you would want to be treated?"...

     To be honest, no. In all actuality, I do not think anyone treats others how they would like to be treated. Situationally, there might be a few instances in which you refrain from acting in some way or stop yourself from saying something, for you realize you should be considerate. But, normally people act very rash, even if they try not to. For instance, imagine you are not on the best terms with your roommate. They have been waking you up in the middle of the night talking loudly on the phone, stealing your cereal, and snoring loudly at night. Essentially, little things are slowly adding up and making you angrier by the day. So, one day you come back from class and they start apologizing to you because they spilt nail polish on your rug. You loose it and scream at them. This is the natural reaction for many people given the circumstances, but imagine you are in the other person's shoes. They have been going through a very rough patch with their boyfriend and when he calls in the night, they get so worked up and forget that you are sleeping. They have no food left, and you had said at the beginning of the year that you would share, so they take a couple bowls of cereal. They have a really bad cold and that is why they have been snoring. As for the nail polish, that truly was an unfortunate accident. But, most people do not immediately think of all of these things. They only would think about how their roommate's actions are impacting them directly, not why the person is doing any of it.
     Basically, as much as people might try, it is very difficult to treat people how you want to be treated. In my above example, if you were the roommate, you would want the other to understand why you were doing what you were. Unfortunately, humans fight all the time because though they might deny it, they are all very self-centered. People care for one another, yet they always subconsciously have their own interests in mind. So no, I do not always treat people how I would like to be treated, but this is an unfortunate part of our nature. Do you think it is ever possible for someone to truly live selflessly, always putting others before their own, or will their own interests always take priority over that of others?

Should We...?

In response to Griffin Thayer's question, "Is it alright to celebrate the death of an enemy?"...

     For thousands of years people have had enemies, engaged in war, and fought with each other. As a consequence, billions of people have died because humans are so diverse in their opinions that they cannot get along together. Recently, the U.S. has succeeded in killing Osama Bin Laden. Within minutes that the news broke, my Facebook news feed had dozens of posts celebrating his death. There were a few posts though that condemned people for celebrating. The other day in class it was said that torture and murder are all based off of viewpoint. In other words, while we killed a mortal enemy, we also killed someone's husband. When soldiers are killed in the Middle East, their families are loosing a beloved member. It is all based off of perspective. I believe it is good that he is deceased and no longer a threat, but it does seem strange to celebrate someone's passing. Instead of having riots of celebration, such as there was at UMASS Amherst, perhaps we should just give a satisfied nod and move onto the others we perceive as threats. What bothers me is the fact that people are very quick to identify those they see as their enemies. In reality, we all are humans, and because of that, we should at least try to make an effort to live in peace. It seems like so many do not even want to attempt to do so. Do you think it will ever possible to have universal peace?