Philosophy
- Crossing the Delaware
C. Aubrey McWatt is an avid reader of philosophical writings and regards his art as a conversation. Some of Aubrey's philosophical views are presented here.
On Art
Art is a passageway to the soul.
Art emerges from a collective unconscious.
In creating, time and space are non-linear.
In art, all dissolves into one.
The artist’s reality is always one step deeper.
The value of art rests on what constitutes art for the observer.
Where the artist ends, the viewer begins.
Not being an artist is a self imposed fallacy.
Art is the supreme legacy.
On Children
Children reject their innate creativity when forced to conform.
Our legacy for the future is to encourage the creative spirit of the child.
Conditioning shapes the child; experience molds the shape.
Children are not owned, they are loaned.
Children cannot fly freely while in a parent's shadow.
On Communication
Passion is the most contagious element in discourse.
Meaning is made clear through genuine thought, word and act.
Logic and absurdity foster disagreement equally.
The path to agreement lies in rejecting resistance to logic.
To be open to critique is to welcome a broader worldview.
Doubt is the prime step toward understanding.
The ideal conversational hear / say ratio is > 9 / 1.
On Existence
Everything is nothing,
And vice versa.
On Expression
Questions are fertile; answers hinder growth.
Good outcome suggests a welcome effect; bad an unwelcome one.
Anger expressed verbally is healthy, physically it is an illness.
Words of disenchantment flow easier than those of approval.
Words matter not, thoughts do.
Many words are spoken, only those that are welcome are accepted.
Silence trumps speech.
On Humanity
Primeval nature is intrinsic to all.
We are interior and exterior; interior speaks for the soul.
Humanity connects to all else that exists.
Humankind wears many masks to cover its real face.
Humans are poly phrenic with personality determined by the situation.
All actions are fear based.
Fear moves both the weak and the strong.
Pleasure involves pain and vice versa.
The first step to growth is a decision to change.
True self is revealed through introspection.
Healthy relationships are based on freedom of expression.
Doubt is the first step to learning.
On Life
Only “now” exists.
Both heaven and hell exist here and now.
Nothing is everything and vice versa.
Giving from excess satisfies not, giving from substance does.
Selflessness is joy, selfishness suffering.
Expect nothing and be not disappointed.
Value praise, but value critique more for it is the way to growth.
If words are less important than silence, be silent.
On occasion, we need to be cruel to be kind.
On Love
"Oneness" defines and binds all parts of love.
Love is Oneness with a universal soul.
The greatest test of love is separation.
On Society
Law cannot mandate instinct.
The culture of a society determines beauty.
Culture specifies right and wrong, society defines them.
Societal equality is unattainable.
On Spirit
Compassion is buried in every human heart.
The only worthwhile war is the war against lack of caring.
Greed depletes the soul, generosity renders it full.
To reciprocate with kindness is to pay a debt with love.
To reciprocate with harm is to pay a debt with debt.