Easter has come and gone here on Paros and the symbolic nature of “from the darkness comes the light” is not lost on me or, indeed, many of us here at the Aegean Center. It has been a difficult week personally and artistically and, for the faculty, professionally. Last Friday one of our core instructors suffered a stroke. Luckily she was able to be airlifted off the island and was in an Athens hospital within 5 hours of the event. In the 9 days since she has made great strides in recovery, siga-siga of course, but great strides nonetheless. She is talking, eating, sitting up and some feeling has returned to nerve damaged limbs. Here at school the reaction of the students and faculty has been strong and supportive. There have been moments of great calm and moments of emotional over-compensation, but that is to be expected. This kind of event can scare anyone. I have faith in the process, however, and feel that what needs to be done will happen and that everything is exactly the way it is supposed to be. This can be a hard reality to grasp, but in my experience it is the truth.
A good friend and I were having dinner the other night and she spoke of an element of Chaos Theory that proposes that all systems, whether biological, social or psychological, undergo a period of Chaos before their next great evolutionary leap. Perhaps this is what I am witnessing both here on Paros, in Greece and the world as a whole. Currently the Earth seems to be shifting on its social axis, tipping the scales to what seems like a point of no return. Is this true or are these just the growing pains if a young species on a much older planet? Are we suffering the same Chaos in the macro as occurs constantly in the micro? Is the actual Design of Everything a fractal equation, repeating itself ad infinitum, identical on any scale? This is a very logical image and one put forth by both mystics and quantum physicists throughout the years. Is the suffering and recovery of one person a micro-mirror image of the constant shift and turbulent change we are witness to globally? For me, I will continue on my charted course, adjusting my theoretical sails when I find it necessary to do so. Some might say this is not thinking outside the box. Some others might say this is the best course possible for it allows for changes to be made within the eye of the Chaotic hurricane rather than having Chaotic winds drive one’s direction. I’ll stick with the second camp. Time will reveal the winner, if there is such a thing. In my heart, however, I will have the strength of integral values stronger than any trend or fad and which affords me more artistic balance.
Siga-siga: slowly-slowly.
JDCM
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