July 09, 2009

Grace


"Isn’t what we call beauty in fact essentially grace? Grace – so different in a tiger or gazelle – is born through precisely perceiving one’s own self and the surrounding world, through correctly evaluating one’s chances and using them to the full. Grace can only increase by way of precision, unlike strength, which can increase endlessly. Grace is strength with intelligence, the skill of managing with very little, the capacity to recognise the necessary, and the courage to give up the excessive. Grace is born from trust – and there are many possibilities there too. A child trusts naturally, because he has not experienced disappointment. A pilot trusts, on the other hand, because of experience, being in control. A lover trusts – believes, hopes and loves – despite everything, risking all. Love blinds fear, as fear can blind love – these two exclude each other. The trust of a lover - opening up in all one’s vulnerability - is the greatest expression of humanity; this is what constitutes the supreme grace - the perception of one’s place in the world, one’s fragility and fortuity - and readiness to act despite that, the ultimate devotion and creativity."



This is my small tribute to my home-country. I realised today that I haven't been able to post so many of my favourites here, mainly cause there is almost nothing translated to English. The excerpt is from the poet Doris Kareva's article in Estonian Literary Magazine called "A Lesson of Harmony" and the music is "Spiegel im Spiegel" by Arvo Pärt, an Estonian modern classical composer. And even though I have always been a great fan of poetry and literature today I also realised that it is music which allows for true unity of all nationalities. Languages always separate us but music always brings us back together. Music is indeed humanity's greatest creative wealth. May it be a source of Grace and Love between us all!

13 comments:

  1. Yes, I agree with you that languages separate us, but it also separates us even when we're all speaking the same language! :) Music does reach beyond those borders and conveys to us something felt within rather than interpreted through the uses of languages and it's limitations of understanding that we all have no matter what language we speak.

    I enjoyed your question on grace and how you convey it. Thanks for sharing this post!! :)

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  2. This was beautiful Hille! I never quite thought of grace as expressed here, and I doubt I'll ever think of it the same again.... "The trust of a lover - opening up in all one’s vulnerability - is the greatest expression of humanity; this is what constitutes the supreme grace" ... That was beautiful, and you are too!

    I'm not sure if yo know this, but one of my favorite most emotional wrenching modern classical pieces is Arvo Part's "Cantus for Benjamin Britten'. I played it the morning of my brother's memorial service, and almost had it played during the service but the family opted for the traditional gossip music.

    Music really does bring us together!

    Much Metta (((I'm smiling)))

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  3. Thanks Markus!
    I didn't know that and the piece you mentioned is truly other-worldly, was thinking about picking that one but it seemed too sad for this blog. I am very sorry to hear that you have lost your brother, can't even imagine how hard that must be. Lots of metta to you!

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  4. Thanks for the beautiful post, Hille! I wanted to get to this earlier, but ran into one thing after another.
    Markus, I'm also sorry to hear about your brother's death.
    I think of both of you as very special friends.
    Namaste!
    Carrie xx

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  5. Thanks for the beautiful post, Hille! I wanted to get to this earlier, but ran into one thing after another.
    Markus, I'm also sorry to hear about your brother's death.
    I think of both of you as very special friends.
    Namaste!
    Carrie xx

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  6. I consider you and Markus very special friends too! :) Thanks Carrie!

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  7. The state of readiness,
    doing just that which is necessary,
    no movement wasted
    taking the shortest path
    in peace.

    I love Spiegel im Spiegel. I hadn't known it was Estonian.
    In fact, I thought Tule Tulemast was Tibetan, until I looked it up on google and found it meant "hello!" in Estonian. I thought that couldn't be right, lol. But now you've explained it.

    Thank you for the beautiful translation.

    Namaste,
    M

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  8. What a perfect poem!
    And Lol on Tibetan! Tere tulemast means welcome in estonian. Namaste!

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  9. The line breaks were just pauses, lol.

    That was an interesting point about grace being different in different contexts.
    Harnessing the energy within, into graceful movement.

    But on trust?
    Don't they say the best way to drive is as if everyone else is an idiot.
    At least driving is safer that way.
    Or there's an alternative, as if all lorry drivers are idiots, not that they are, they are the backbone of our society (of excess, which in turn does not give them due respect for this), but often they do so for many many hours straight without sleeping. I'm always in awe of the work lorry drivers do, but I think it would be wise to drive carefully when near them.

    Not that I drive myself.

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  10. I had an insight on this.
    I was being wrong-headed.
    The trust is of oneself.
    To think of other drivers as idiots or potential hazards is to judge them.
    It's not a case of trusting, or not trusting them, there is no need or reason to judge,
    only to trust one's own intuition.

    Or in the case of love, to trust oneself to give one's trust to another,
    to trust the other as one trusts oneself,
    very special indeed!

    Thank you for helping me clear up my own confusion.
    Namaste
    M

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  11. You did that all by yourself nonerotic, lol!
    And yes you are so right- trust is so special.
    Metta!

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  12. You made me think about it. Lol.

    Trusting one's own judgement, accepting our mistakes and learning from them.
    And in the case of driving, trusting one's intuition.

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  13. And another insight this led on to,

    Loving oneself -> Trusting oneself -> No expectations -> No disappointments.

    So when one is confused or uncertain, self-confidence and certainty come not by removing doubts, but by loving oneself, accepting errors, learning from them and trusting our judgement to make the right decisions next time

    I think that's something I'm going to have to learn and re-learn many many times over the course of my life.

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