Thursday, December 25, 2014

2014 Christmas gratitude and reflection.

Dear beloved creative friends:

I want to thank you for supporting Joyousbrush Club in the past or present in journeying with me in search of aesthetic excellence, as Confucius' explains :". What the "Great Learning" teaches is: to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. "  The aesthetic excellence is in the condition of the soul, be it rich or poor, splendid or barren.  Brush painting is the language we use to explore, communicate and enrich our soul.  Brush painting techniques or the products is only the means for such reflection.

Confucius continues: ". The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to.To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end.

The rest he states here is the vision, the aim or the ultimate goal.  What better rest can we find than in the Christmas story.  The ultimate wisdom demonstrates how to instill goodwill to sin ridden men, which is by replacing our sin ridden spirit with the spirit of truth and grace through whatever it takes kind of sacrifice.  So a child is born, a sinless son is given in order for the exchange life to take place.  He takes over our sin and it's curse as we take over His righteousness and blessing.  

Once the point where to rest is known, then the object of pursuit can be determined. Education should first instill goodwill to man then move on with the empowerment of achievements. The object of pursuit is to revive and nourish our poor spirit. Not to cover up with layers of masks but to calmly receive the amazing grace which allows us to see our soul in its deprived and depraved condition without fearing the curse associates with it.  With such acceptance we then can calmly, deliberately, diligently grow out of such condition.  The growth of a righteous spirit is to explore truth, to promote love and to pursue beauty.

I am one who received such grace, so I am administer the same to build communities of truth seeker, love promoter and beauty pursuer.

Merry Christmas to you all

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