Art and Beauty

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  “But the voice of our age seems by no means favorable to art, at all events to that kind of art to which my inquiry is directed. The course of events has given a direction to the genius of the time that threatens to remove it continually further from the ideal of art. For art has to leave reality, it has to raise itself bodily above necessity and neediness; for art is the daughter of freedom, and it requires its prescriptions and rules to be furnished by the necessity of spirits and not by that of matter. But in our day it is necessity, neediness, that prevails, and bends a degraded humanity under its iron yoke.” —J. C. Friedrich von Schiller. “Letters upon the Æsthetic Education of Man.” (1795)

A Hot Summer's Day

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Here are two scenarios. The first is: You are standing by the edge of a swimming pool on a hot summer's day. Your flesh is hot; the water's cold. It's not going to be pleasant when you first hit the water. The longer you hesitate, the harder it becomes. Your friends call out, "The water's fine. Come on. You can do it. Just dive in!"

Now here's the second scenario: You are hesitating by the water's edge. Suddenly you see your beloved four-year-old sink beneath the water in front of you. He's drowning! Do you still think about the cold water? No! Not for a second.

Every day 150,000 people sink into the cold waters of death. Do you need to be coaxed to dive in to reach them before they pass into eternity? There goes another minute. Gone forever. Go share your faith while you still have time .

From: Way of the Master Minute.

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