Lecture 7 Painting as a Pastime.Highlights

.,Unit7PaintingasaPastime,Abouttheauthor:SirWinstonLeonardSpencerChurchill(1874-1965),BritishpoliticianandprimeministeroftheUnitedKingdom(1940-1945,1951-1955),widelyregardedasthegreatestBritishleaderofthe20thcentury.ChurchilliscelebratedforhisleadershipduringWorldWarII(1939-1945).,.,Hiscourage,decisiveness,politicalexperience,andenormousvitalityenabledhimtoleadhiscountrythroughthewar,oneofthemostdesperatestrugglesinBritishhistory.WinstonChurchillspubliclifeextendedfromthereignofQueenVictoriainthelate19thcenturytotheColdWar.Duringthislongpoliticalcareer,ChurchillheldeveryimportantcabinetofficeintheBritishgovernment,exceptforeignminister.,.,ChurchillwasalsoknownforthemanybooksonBritishhistoryandpoliticshewrotethroughouthislifetime.HiscommandoftheEnglishlanguagenotonlymadehimagreatoratorbutearnedhimtheNobelPrizeforliteraturein1953.PaintingwasoneofChurchillsmanytalents,andtheRoyalAcademyofArtsinLondonfeaturedanexhibitofhisworksin1959.,.,SirWinstonChurchill,.,Para.1Spasm,asweknow,isasuddentighteningofamusclethatcausespain.Mayblumcontinuedhisdescent,themusclesinhiscalvescontractinginspasms.Ifyouaresuddenlygrippedbyastrongfeelingofanxietyandareunabletogetridofithoweverhardyoutry,youarehavingaspasmofworry,ieyourmindkeepsthinkingaboutsomethingandrefusestoforgetit.Ifyouarepressedforawordthatdescribesanextremeandunhealthyinterestinorworryaboutsomething,whichstopsyoufromthinkingaboutanythingelse,whatisthat?Obsession.,.,Thereisnopointtryingtopersuadethemindtochangethewayitbehavesoncethishappens.Themoredeterminedyouaretobreakfreefromtheobsession,themoreuselessyoureffortwillbe.,.,Toinsinuateheremeanstoslowlymoveapartofyourbodyorsomethingelseintoaparticularplace,ofteninaquietandcarefulway.Anditsconvulsivegraspreferstothemindsobsessionwiththeproblemsthatkeepworryingyou.Thiskindofobsessionislikeasuddenviolentpowerthatgoesbeyondyourcontrol.Heretheauthorissayingthatallwecandounderthecircumstancesistoletsomethingelsefinditsway,quietlyandspontaneously,totheobsessedmind.,.,ifitisreallyattendedbytheilluminationofanotherfieldofinterestNoticethatthisitrefersmoretotheexperienceofhavingthissomethingelseplacedinthemind.Soheretheauthormeansthatifthisexperienceisaccompaniedbytherewardofgainingtrueknowledgeofanotherfieldofinterest,then,gradually,andoftenquiteswiftly,theobsessedmindletsgoofitandyourlifebeginstoreturntonormal.,.,Noticethatilluminationandrecuperationarestylisticallyquiteformal,meaninganincreasedunderstandingandrecovery.Hererecuperationandrepairarevirtuallysynonymous,usedtogetherforemphasisandfortheeffectofalliteration.,.,Para.2Thissentencerepresentsamajorpointtheauthormakesonthebasisofwhathesaidabouttheeffectsananotherfieldofinterestmayhaveontheworriedmind.Notethecohesionachievedbytheconjunctiveadverbtherefore,whichliterallymeansforthat(reason).,.,Nowwhatisapublicman?Itmeansamaninpubliclife,ieapersonwhoholdspublicofficeorhasajobinthegovernment,orevenapersonwhoworksintheentertainmentworld.Whatdothesepeoplehaveincommon?Theymaybewell-knowntoalotofpeoplebecauseoftheirfrequentappearancesinpublic,butatthesametimetheymaycomeunderconstanthighpressurewhichisunknowntomany.,.,SohereChurchillissayingthat,becauseoftheirhigh-pressurejobsandthepositiveeffectsadifferentfieldofinterestmayhaveontheanxiousmind,themostimportantthingforapersonwhoworksinthegovernmentistospendtimedevelopingahobbyornewformsofinterest.,.,Noticetheveryformalexpressionapolicyofthefirstimportance,whichmeansthemostimportantprincipleorcourseofaction.,.,Butthisisnotsomethingthatyoucanpickupanddowellovernight,orsomethingyoucanachievewithoutpreviousplanningoronasuddenimpulse.,.,Noticetheplant-basedmetaphorshere:growthforacquisitionanddevelopment,seedsfornewformsofinterest,goodgroundfortherightconditionsortherightperson,tendedforcaredfor,(ieoncetheseedsstarttogrow,youshouldcareforthemscrupulously)andvivifyingfruitsfornewhobbiesyouhaveacquired.Andnoticealsotherelativeformalstyleofthewordsbusiness,undertaken,andalternative.,.,Soheretheauthorissayingthatittakestimetodevelopnewinterests.Andifthesenewhobbiesorformsofinterestareexpectedtobeavailablewhenneeded,thefollowingrequirementsmustbemet:therightthingtobechosenfortherightpersonintherightplace,andsufficienttimespenttakingcareofit.,.,Para.3ItseemsthatwhatChurchillhadtosayabouttheeffectofhobbiesononeslifeisthisarealhobbycapableofmakingyoufeelhappyandsafeistheresultofsomenaturalorinstinctivechoiceanditsseedsofitshouldhavesproutedwithinyouinyourearlyyears,andanydeliberateattemptatchoosinganewhobbyinyoulaterlifeoftenprovestobefutile.,.,Whatthisdeliberatepursuitofanewinterestbringsisnothingbutanextraamountofmentaleffort,iepouringoilontheflames.,.,Heretheauthormakesagoodpoint,revealingthesecretofstrainreliefasheseesityouhavegottolikewhatyoudo.Otherwise,yourhard-learnednewformsofinterestmayturnouttobeuseless.Noticethatwesayitisnousedoingsomething,thereisnopointdoingsomething,anditisuselesstodosomething.,.,HereChurchillisgeneralizingaboutthefateofmaninasomewhatdarklyhumorousway-somearemuchtoobusy,somearemuchtoosensitive,andsomearemuchtoofreetohaveanythingtoarousetheirinterest.Notice,however,intheaboveexpressionstodeathisusedtoemphasizethatafeelingoremotionisverystrong,asinIlovehertodeath.,.,Sinceanydeliberateattemptatrelievingstressisvirtuallymeaningless,theonlysalvationseemstolieinanefforttolovewhatyoudointhefirstplace.Verywell,butIhavereadthatthepercentageofpeoplereallylovingtheirjobsisagrim16,ieonly16%ofallpeopleintheworkforcetakerealpleasureinwhattheydo.ThismeansthatthemajorityofpeoplecannotescapethefateofbeingeithertoiledtodeathorworriedtodeathorboredtodeathasChurchillputsit.,.,Para.4Whatdoyouthinktheseunfortunatepeopleare,apartfromthosetoiledtodeath,worriedtodeathorboredtodeath?Judgingbytheirwayoflivingasdescribedhere,theymustbelongtotheleisuredclassestheydonthavetowork,theycandowhatevertheywant,theyactonimpulsewhenevertheyfeellikeit,andtheycanownalmostanyluxurytheymaythinkof.,.,ButtheyareneverthelessunfortunateasChurchillrightlypointsout,becauseforthemanythingtheypickupasanewpastimewillprovetobetemporaryorshort-lived,ietheysoonwillgetboredwithitastheyhavedonewiththeirprevioushobbies.,.,Inthefaceofincreasedboredomresultingfromlossofinterestafterinterest,thesepoorcreaturesarealwaysontherun,andtheonlyavailablemeanstofightboredomisbyhoppingdesperatelyfromonethingtoanother.,.,Forthosewhocanalwaysgettheirownways,developinganabilitytocontrolthemselvessomehowisperhapsthebestwaytogetthemoutofboredom.,.,Para.5Heretheauthorventuresaclassificationofwhathecallsrational,industrious,usefulhumanbeings,iepeoplewhoarecool-headedandsensible,hard-workingandthereforecontributingpositivelytosociety.,.,Tothefirstclassofpeople,theirjobishardbuttheireffortsarerewardedwithacomfortablelifeinwhichtheynotonlydonthavetoworryaboutfoodbutalsogettremendoussatisfactionfromeventheleastimpressiveortheleastexpensiveformsofentertainment,egaginandtonicoragameofdartsinapub.Noticethatthewordsustenanceisformal,meaningfoodanddrinkthat