Think it over twice

Today I shared my table with another customer, at the Bookworm. As I sat with my glass of wine and couscous smoked salmon, I slammed down a huge brick of a book, “Aristole”. The man at our table was courteously interested in my choice of reading. And what followed was a fast pace power packed conversation on life, literature, philosophy, democracy versus communism, business versus academics, language skills being good for the brain, inter-racial couples, sail-trips and Apollo ruins, Christian Catholic sordid churches and Ibiza’s odd mixture of Arabic architecture and European folk.

Perhaps the most interesting comment my table partner mentioned was how exciting the age of Aristole must have been- to discover the written language as a means of communication and the technological know-how to transmit it must have been a euphoric period. When people started to put thought into written words they also started the 2nd loop process of thought- editing one’s thought. Just as a business plan in one’s mind sounds like a million-dollar deal, on paper it looks like a structured business venture to be developed further. Set opinions gets in motion upon re-examination.

Perhaps it is this euphoria, learning to express myself in a new language, that spurred me to love tango to the point of fanatic dedication. I wish I had learned Chinese characters to be able to express myself in script. But until now, the spoken ability was enough to my needs. And Chinese cultural imagery did pervade my mind. I can see how being able to go through my lines once more can bring this much more insight into my thinking.

Here’s to all the editors who have the geek reputation of feuding over grammar and syntax issues: hip hip hurray for allowing me to “think” twice!

On this “twice” process, my exploration goes on.

Beijing, end of the week, August 31 07 (My niece—Mélodie’s—two year old birthday)

Education: Teachers vs. Self-learning

Education: Teachers vs. Self-learning
Seeing a few friends going back to school, and a few others basking in the thesis-writing glow, makes me think twice about learning what I need from books. By myself. I always was bored out of my wits in school. Seemingly never learning what I couldn’t learn on my own in half an hour at the library. But then, having an excuse to be at the library, working on a paper due yesterday, is the best excuse ever to take the time for myself. A meeting with my brains, the neurons, all the thinking mechanics in there, and a piece of paper/pen to jot down my thoughts.

In learning tango, though I have grown with the dance pretty much without a teacher, all my breakthroughs in technique, and the added insights I have with tango dancing, come from teaching/teachers. I learn with a teacher. I perfect my body-tool with a teacher. I learn about the philosophy of movement and music, of balance and grounding with a teacher. I adore it. In fact I am ecstatic when I go in a class wondering what else new I could possibly learn—knowing I have loads to work on but thinking I know all the kinks that have to be worked on. And this is enough to fill my life full time for the next 4 years—I come out of class with extra thinking material. It is surreal.

If I could learn at school in philosophy, what I learn in tango during a one hour lesson, I would gladly go back and get that excuse to spend more time in the library, alone with my thoughts and the writings of wise people. I am dearly looking for an excuse to spend time alone going through wise books. Philosophy, literature, creative process, oh and so much more. So I could then discuss it with a group of friends and write my own wise book.

Wishing I had time to read today’s craving: Baudelaire, Camus, and Persian poetry.

(My exploration goes on)

Beijing August 17.