Reflection: Fate and Destiny!

When I read the lecture, the first thing that stood out to me was the theme of fate and destiny. I liked when you said "that you are locked into things and have little if any choice in the outcome of your life." This is depressing. And if life is indeed seen through this perspective then it is meaningless."  I had never thought about fate and destiny as something negative. I always had the common perception that things would work out for the best. But I can see how in Germany this idea of fate and destiny can make the germans feel hopeless. After the war, they were annihilated economically and nationally. The country was condemned and frowned upon by the whole world so their sense of national pride was destroyed. It seems natural that the Dada artists would reject this idea of fate and destiny because it would mean that they were resigned to this fate that was bestowed upon them.

Quiz 1

1.      What is nihilism? Is it correct to say it is thebelief in nothing?
Nihilism is an extremist idea which claims that life has no meaning. Yes it would be correct to say that nihilism is a belief in nothing because nihilist do not believe in anything but the fact that human existence is useless.

2.      What are the differences between Greco-Roman andJudeo-Christian values according to Nietzsche? Which values does he believe arebetter for living a full and healthy life and why?
Greco-Roman values support human nature while Judeo Christian values suppress human nature. Nietzche believes that Greco-Roman values are better for living a full life because they allow people to be who they really are and they allow humans to destroy which is what he thinks is their primary purpose.

3.      Why is Dada art so pessimistic and bizzare? Whatgroups in Germany society where Dada artists trying to discredit and undermine?
Dada art is pessimistic because it is a reflection of German society during and after the War. The Dada artists were trying to discredit upper society.


4.      How many jobs does Dr. Caligari have in the film?
Dr Caligari has three jobs.

5. Why does Siddhartha leave his father?
Siddhartha leaves his father because he learned all he could from his father and felt that by leaving he could learn more elsewhere.

6. How does Cesare "die" in the film?
Cesare fakes his death by pretending to jump off the cliff because he could not out run the servants.
 
7. Why is the river so important to Siddharta at the end of the novel?
The River is important to Siddharta at the end of the novel because it signifies the place where Siddhartha found the ultimate wisdom.  It is the place where he became at one with himself.

Reflection

Growing up as a Christian /CatholicI was forced into my ways of belief by family memebers and friends of the Church. Now that I have grown to function alone I can think and generate opinions of my own. As I developed and grew out of my Catholic ways, which was to traditionally going to church on Sundays and attend Church class, I find myself interested in other religious beliefs. This interest in other religions gives my mind infinite wonders of whats real and whats just structure.

 Buddhism is one of the most interesting religious structures to me. I work at a pharmacy and an African American patient continues to teach me and preach to me about her beliefs and practices as she pick up her psychiatric prescriptions but to me shes not so psychotic at all. The theory of the transfer of energy compared to what I use to believe in through the Christian Church are beyond different but religions are the practically same in how they drag vast amount of souls into a whirlpool of imaginary certainty with energetic faith. A question I often ask myself is whats real, whats fake and also  whats a waste of time. I can understand where the belief of nothings exists fits in.

Assignment 2

"When someone is searching, then it might easily happen that the one thing his eyes still see is that what he searches for, that he is unstable to find anything, to let anything enter his mind, because he always thinks of nothing but the object of his search, because he has a goal, because he is obsessed by the goal. Searching means: having a goal. But finding means: being free, being open, having no goal. You oh venerable one are perhaps indeed a searchers, because striving for your goal, there are many things you don't see, which are directly in front of your eyes."

The passage is explaining the difference between searching and finding. Siddartha seeks to educate the people who think they are in tune with the universe by sharing this difference with them. He is saying people do not take the time to fulfill themselves or get to know the world around them. They are so busy trying to live in the moment or so busy moving on auto pilot that they miss what they really need. They miss the fulfillment of their souls and on building a relationship with a higher being.

This same sentiment can be seen in the Dada artists of Germany. Their artwork is a mockery of the menial things that humans buy into. As terrible as war is, it was profitable for certain countries to join. It was also a way of showing off who had power. It’s sad that people are concerned with killing each other instead of trying to make peace with themselves and one another.

I chose this passage because it resonated with how I feel about the world. Many people are moving through life with no idea of why they want certain things or what motivates them. It seems as though there is no time to explore thyself and the world around us. We as humans are so consumed by time and competition an

Assignment 1: Paintings

Raoul Hausman was born in Vienna but moved to Berlin when he was 14 years old. His father influenced his interest in art. Hausman became involved in the Dada movement when he met Johannes Baader. He got married in 1908, had a daughter and enrolled in Berlin’s private art school. He was influenced by Henwerth Walden and began painting in an expressionist style. His networking with many different artists helped to credit him as an influential figure in Germany. Later in his career, he began experimenting with photomontage. During this period, he had an affair with fellow Dada artist, Hannah Hoch. He traveled extensively throughout Europe experimenting with different art forms. The last years of his life were spent in isolation. He died February 1st , 1971 in Limoges, France.

This artwork is called Dada Siegt 1919. From looking at Raoul Haussman’s paintings, I have noticed that he focuses on the anatomical features of the human body. He emphasizes on the brain and in the far background there is an empty shell of a human body. This plays into the idea of nihilism. The fact that he chooses to focus his work on body parts is saying that we as humans are essentially just a bunch of organs.
Elasticism 1920.

Another thing that I noticed about Haussman’s work is that he takes things that are so important to us and he minimizes it. Machinery and science, all things that we rely on, are being mocked in this picture. They are being thrown together as if they are nothing. The man with the blank look on his face is essentially saying that these things have no value until we give them such.
This picture is called Self Portrait of the Dadasphoh 1920. Once again, Haussman chooses to emphasize on the internal organs. He likes to use clocks or timers as well. It’s as if he is making a mockery of time another thing that we take so seriously. By the man sitting in the chair, he is making a statement that we are so bound to this thing called time that it has control over us.