Mist in the Mountains

 Today in Art History we looked at a painting of mist in the mountains by Wang Lu 

https://smarthistory.org/wang-lu-landscapes-of-mount-hua-huashan/

Wang Lü, Landscapes of Mount Hua (Huashan)

Therein is the mystery of human existence, an individual seeking wisdom or some form of revelation and enlightenment in overwhelming, sublime mountains. That is the dream of most philosophers.

This evening I am on the cusp of a momentous parting of realities in my country. On one hand lies a path to more acceptance, compassion, an understanding of our place on the globe, our being a part of nature, of the beauty of diversity. On the other, the barbarism of despotic rule, fueled by intolerance and hatred of what is different, hatred of the "others." There is a path of destruction of enemies, cruelty, lack of care and empathy for those in need or less privileged. It is the path of bigotry and of no connection with nature or our planet. 

No one seems to know what future will unfold for us. Though, like a few others I admire, I feel a momentum, a surge for the change Kamala Harris embodies. She could be the present world spirit riding on horseback along the evolving Tao, the Way of being. Could be. 

So, tonight, Darryl made Pumpkin butter and biscuits, which with cream cheese, completed our dinner. It is a cold autumn night with cold drizzle falling, some fog, like the mist in Wang Lu's mountains. The seasons change, though another hurricane, Rafael, rises from the waters of the Caribbean. So too, all the seeming permanence of the mountains are shifted by the mist, the white paper of the artist, left untouched. Thus emptiness is the substance shifting and making the reality of the mountains. The wandering philosopher sits on his promontory staring, mesmerized, enchanted. . 

Jack