When you say "Art is to be felt, not analyzed|" are you suggesting that there is no ontological basis for truth than beauty being in the eye of the beholder. Is there no objective point of agreement, whereby be might concur in our evaluative judgment?

@rcandlish
No. I’m not saying literal truth doesn’t exist. I’m just saying it isn’t our only language. There’s a place for objective analytics, and a place for aesthetic communication. We just need to be able to know which is which.

@skado Epistemological question : How can we know which is which?

@rcandlish
Personally, I think through the study of history, science, art, and mythology. In a word: familiarity.

@skado History is always subject to interpretation. Science seeks, but can never reach literal truth. Art must always face the question: Would you hang it in your living room? Mythology, well I'd probably lick the arse of Aphrodite, but other than that who cares?

@rcandlish
There are no guarantees. Some who seek find. Some who seek do not find. None who do not seek find.

@skado Basically I agree with you rcandlish. But I think that you missed the most important one of all, “nature”, from your list. I grew up running wild in the fields and woods, (lucky yes), so that I know how deep and meaningful a (especially early) connection with nature can be. I think that it is no accident that the Abrahamic religions grew up in the parts of the world where nature is at its harshest, or that they try to deny nature even to the point of being anti-environmental because they must certainly always have known that nature is the great emotional rival of religion.

@MissKathleen
Yes!

What could I buy for the one who has already got what he wants? Socks and underpants?

@rcandlish Yes ones with hearts on to cheer yourself up.

Anne, I agree. It is nice and cozy at time to embrace fantasy. The carols sound wonderful, but the words are untrue. I remember as a child with goosebumps embracing their solemnity. Now the only thing that gives me goosebumps is the cold air. Handel, I love. The Messiah is a masterpiece. But like the cathedrals that litter Europe, they are litanies of a bygone age.

@rcandlish I grew up singing around the piano, in choirs, etc. Just brings back happy memories....very treasured since generally my childhood sucked, lol! So, yes, visits to my personal bygone eras......and words are just words.

@AnneWimsey Hope you have a Wonderful, truly Wonderful Christmas. Enjoy it all, for it belongs to you!

@rcandlish right back atcha, girl!

Santa is as real as Satan, who in turn is as real as Jesus. It is our human responsibility to evade fictions and embrace fact.

@rcandlish St Nick was a real person. The modern myth of him is the fiction, although still less of a fiction than god or satan. All 3 represent ideals and can't be truthfully thought of as singular entities. Disillusion brings a feeling of loss initially but youll eventually feel to be true what you already intellectually know: you havent lost anything that was ever real to begin with. Just a few less comforting lies to hide behind. No great loss.

@Wurlitzer Totally agree.

Sandy's Claws are real but that was a very long time ago. Today I don't even know where she lives.