I would like to admit first and foremost that the Bugbee book has been one of the most dense things that I have ever read and I am not sure that I understand most of it, but the parts that I think I understand have cause me to stop and think, and I think that thinking is always good (as opposed to having nothing going on in your head). Even if I do not understand what I think I understand from Bubgee, the book (particularly the section I presented to the class) has caused me to think, and that is a good thing.
The one thing that I have been thinking on the most is the quote from Bugbee that says "at the heart of true contemplation is disinterestedness." The way that I took this is that to truly stop and contemplate the world around you, you must first take a neutral stance where you do not decide from the start what things are going to get your attention; only then can you truly contemplate. Whether or not this is exactly what Bugbee was going for, I think that the way I interpreted it is nonetheless worthy of some reflection and is definitely applicable in real life. So many times in my life (which has only just recently completed its second decade) I have so much going on in my head at a given time that I am only thinking on those things that I am preoccupied with. Through anxiety and worrying I decide that the things I am anxious about are the things that are going to get my attention and other things, which may also be important or even enjoyable for me to ponder, are pushed to the wayside. I would not call this way of thinking comtemplation. I would call it, simply, anxiety. So I think that to really stop and have true contemplation, you really must be disinterested and take a neutral stance.
That's my take on the quote. I enjoyed this particular section (i.e. the one with the above quote in it) the most out of any section so far.
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