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Alan Watts - the man

“The mystic is the one who feels that everything that happens is in some way harmonious, in some way right, [and] in some way an integral part of the universe.

When we translate that into the moral sphere (the sphere of human conduct) the equivalent is this: there are no wrong feelings.

There may be wrong actions in the sense of actions contrary to the rules of human communication, but the way you feel towards other people (loving, hating, et cetera.) [isn’t wrong]. There are no wrong feelings.

So to try and force one’s feelings to be other than what they are is absurd and furthermore dishonest.”

— Alan Watts

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Palaces of self-discovery: A series on libraries

“Reading is solitude,” Italo Calvino once said, embodying the inspiration behind this series. These temples of cultural worship gather communities, and yet the literary experience, and therefore the experience of a library, remains solitary. Giving groups of scholars and peers glimpses into the past, present and future of humanity, literature offers an unparalleled opportunity to explore one’s self from within through the unique internal narrative that each reader develops. It is this internal narrative that forms us when we are young, matures with us, and grows when we feed it. It was the first means of travel offered to many and continues to be the most accessible form of escape for millions of people seeking knowledge, the world, themselves. It is with an eye towards this improbable bled of public space and private experience that Poirier displays some of the finest libraries, both classical and modern, across Europe.  

Poirier’s perspective pays homage to the personal touches and interpretations of literature that these architects brought to each library. Like fingerprints, each architect crafted his vision for a new space for this sacred self-exploration. These seemingly minute details are everywhere, from the balance of natural and artificial light to optimise reading yet preserve ancient texts to the selective use of studying tables to either foster community or encourage lonely reflection. The selection of these libraries that span space, time, style and cultures were carefully selected for each one’s unique ambiance and architectural contribution. This is reflected in Poirier’s tasteful use of symmetry to highlight classical values of beauty, and the strong visual interpretation of the solitude that one feels when immersed in reading.

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Arthur Golden, Memoirs of a Geisha

Submitted by frostzen.

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“We have art in order not to die from the truth” -Nietzche

#nietzsche #art #quotes #thegoldfinch #truth #thelittlethings

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This feeling of being lonely and very temporary visitors in the universe is in flat contradiction to everything known about man (and all other living organisms) in the sciences. We do not ‘come into’ this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean ‘waves’, the universe ‘peoples’. Every individual is an expression of the whole realm of nature, a unique action of the total universe. This fact is rarely, if ever, experienced by most individuals. Even those who know it to be true in theory do not sense or feel it, but continue to be aware of themselves as isolated ‘egos’ inside bags of skin.

Alan Watts

#Alan Watts #individuality #expressionism #expereince #quotes #philosophy #coming out of this world #universe #love #hitting me with the feels

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Petit France

#petit france #strasbourg #france #building #architecture #europe #adventures #discovering #exploring #first time in europe #i'm inlove

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The Rebirth 📷: @jreeves-101

#keith justin reeves #flowers #art #ballet #bathtub shoot #photography #curves #women #discovery #milk bath

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Taking yourself on dates is very important. "I think it's very healthy to spend time alone. You need to know how to be alone and not be defined by another person." -Oscar Wilde

#2017 has taught me #self love #Oscar Wilde #take yourself on dates #alone #smoking #cigs #forever21? #this photo was taken by someone but I did spend a weekend by myself #change

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a happy place // photo by @jreeves-101

#black and white #cigarette #smoking #vans #brick wall #and in an alley #big ole sweaters #grungie #real life candid #vans off the brick wall?

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Pumpkin kitty

#pumpkin #cat #black and white kitten #fall #happy october #happy halloween #sniffing pumpkins cause why not #cat photography #obsessed with cats #and pumpkin everything

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– Tyler Joseph

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