One of the suggestions Wyrmfang, as my predecessor as guide of the Eye aspect, wrote regarding the contemplation of ideas etc. was that by the act of simply writing things down, one can develop or solidify an understanding of things. (Incidentally, this also opens one’s thoughts up to something similar to the editing I mentioned in my previous blog even if, instead of reading someone else’s work, one simply returns to their own work after a week or so.) With this in mind, I thought I’d post the latest example of something I intermittently wrote over the space of a month or so, as an attempt to relate some separate ideas more coherently, i.e. the major theses in Carl Jung’s ‘Answer to Job’ (psychology), Shaul Magid’s Hasidim on the Margin (mythology), and Jacques Derrida’s The Gift of Death (philosophy).
A major difficulty in posting anything like this is that it’s predominantly written for my own understanding and benefit, although the footnotes briefly contextualise important concepts I mention without explanation – if I was writing an article primarily for other people to read, I’d probably try to contextualise/explain things more clearly. However, despite this, I hope my example can demonstrate the value of something like this, even if it’s not easily understandable.
Finally, I am quite an academically minded person (or at least have delusions of grandeur), so this is reflected in how I understand things, but isn’t a necessary approach. Although I’ve written about traditionally ‘wordy’ subjects, this approach could just as easily work with descriptions of art (novels, paintings etc.), experiences (religious, everyday etc.), and so on.