Conclusion
Taking a glance at the work we’ve done this semester,
it’s becoming clear to me that religion, life, and sensation is primarily an
aesthetic, subjective experience. Everything we experience comes down to what
we perceive, how we perceive it, and what realities we presume about the perceived.
Senses are a deeply personal experience simply because
they can’t be shared – you can’t make anyone sense what you sense at any given
moment, not in its entirety at least. In this way, the way we interpret our
senses is deeply personal as well. We assign values and characters to
experiences and objects that otherwise simply exist. Understanding this, it’s
easy to see why religion makes such extensive use of all five senses to illicit
emotions, sensations and ideologies in its followers.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this all, it’s
that the most spiritual thing you can do is simply exist and know things as you
know them. Seek out the senses that bring you joy and awe, and ruminate on the
senses that hurt you, sadden you, make you feel alone in this world. By understanding
what exists around you through your own narrative lens, you have the capacity
to form a world of your own that is, in a sense, holy to you and you alone, and
there’s an immense value in that.
If there’s one thing I’ve learned from this all, it’s
that the most spiritual thing you can do is simply exist and know things as you
know them. Seek out the senses that bring you joy and awe, and ruminate on the
senses that hurt you, sadden you, make you feel alone in this world. By understanding
what exists around you through your own narrative lens, you have the capacity
to form a world of your own that is, in a sense, holy to you and you alone, and
there’s an immense value in that.
I think simply existing really is the way to experience your senses. Everything seems to just flow towards you as you exist, and your job is to intake those signals and interpret them by yourself.
ReplyDeleteI do have one question as far as your interpretation goes. I agree that senses are a deeply personal and subjective experience that are not easy to share but it also seems deeply important that we must share them in order to connect with others. How do people go about actually communicating their sensory experience?
ReplyDeleteWhat James said. As personal as our own sense perceptions might be, there was a lot of sharing in our class of things we sensed. Some of this happened during our on-line meetings, which unfortunately you weren't always able to make. But I wonder, if sense experiences are so personal that they're not really shareable with others, _what _exactly then were we sharing?
ReplyDeleteLike when you shared your shkedei marak at the virtual banquet, the memories which it evoked actually resonated with a few of your classmates. What was shared between you and them/us?
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