Art, Death, Memory
Posted: October 30th, 2004, 12:02 am
Memory, Art, Death
We have given up on the old myth of the immortality of the soul. In fact, we never believed in it to begin with, but it cleansed our ideal ego like a bath in holy water cleanses the conscience. No longer do we need to drink the alchemical elixirs of mercury. We can stick to more organic modes of poisonous enlightenment. They are always bad for the physical health, in the end, but in the meantime, great for the spiritual health.
Now, we try to live forever in the memory of others. In the memory of a culture that will endure despite the death of its individual constituents. In this, the work of art, the text preserved, the message that carries a meaning that outlasts the speaker, in this the soul objectified becomes almost immortal. But even culture cannot last, and the meaning of this soul will inevitably be transfigure in the journey across time. But there is no alternative to the passage of memes, and perhaps if we are really bold or narcissistic or virile, genes.
Teach another and you extend the life of your mind. Leave an artifact or document or monument behind, and you can pretend to have attained the state of immortality.
We have given up on the old myth of the immortality of the soul. In fact, we never believed in it to begin with, but it cleansed our ideal ego like a bath in holy water cleanses the conscience. No longer do we need to drink the alchemical elixirs of mercury. We can stick to more organic modes of poisonous enlightenment. They are always bad for the physical health, in the end, but in the meantime, great for the spiritual health.
Now, we try to live forever in the memory of others. In the memory of a culture that will endure despite the death of its individual constituents. In this, the work of art, the text preserved, the message that carries a meaning that outlasts the speaker, in this the soul objectified becomes almost immortal. But even culture cannot last, and the meaning of this soul will inevitably be transfigure in the journey across time. But there is no alternative to the passage of memes, and perhaps if we are really bold or narcissistic or virile, genes.
Teach another and you extend the life of your mind. Leave an artifact or document or monument behind, and you can pretend to have attained the state of immortality.