fandomhigh | The Art of Ma; Thursday, Second Period [09/17].

No Danger Shop or portals today, ducklings! The class would be meeting in a regular classroom, no elaborate art museums or breathtaking vistas, just a classroom in a castle with all the desks pushed aside in favor of a circle of comfortable pillows and offerings of tea and hot cocoa. And a poem, written carefully on the blackboard:

Thirty spokes meet in the hub,
though the space between them is the essence of the wheel;

Pots are formed from clay, though the space inside them is the essence of the pot;
Walls with windows and doors form the house,

though the space within them is the essence of the house.

"Good morning, ducklings ♥," Shunsui greeted them with a soft smile from wher ehe was already sitting at a spot in the circle. "Come, make yourselves comfortable, help yourself to some refreshments if you feel so inclined, and then I'd like you to take a moment and consider the poem written on the board today ♥. It is an old poem, sometimes attributed to Lao Tze, a Chinese philosopher, and considered to be an excellent representation of the essential heart of the Art of Ma -- it is not just the thing itself that makes it what it is, but also the things that it is not that gives it purpose and meaning. What is a teapot if not for the space in which you put your tea? Is a forest still a forest if there is no distinction between the air and what makes a tree? And how does this apply, to the greater scheme of things?

"Today, then," he continued, "I'd like us to explore this particular concept, the Art of Ma not as it applies to art, but as it applies to function. Can you think of other examples where the space between is just as important, if not more so, than the thing itself? Do you believe the poem? Do you disagree? There are, of course, no wrong answers, and should no one have any points to discuss regarding the matter, well, then..." Here he chuckled softly, "let us then just contemplate the space between our words and the function of the silence within our discussion, neh ♥?"

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

With plenty of space.

Astrid Magnussen

Grog Strongjaw

Nell Ingram

There isn't much of one, and Shunsui would certainly make the argument that the lecture isn't about the words spoken, but those quiet moments in between, even if that might not really work that way.

There is tea, though, and cocoa, and comfortable pillows over desks.

By not saying anything, are you merely making a profound statement, intentional or otherwise, regarding the nature of the space between words? Shunsui would happily support that theory, but he would also be inclined to point out that there cannot be space without substance in between! Share your thoughts, else it might be a very long class period otherwise!

Grog tried to follow along, he really did, but this made his head hurt a little. "Usually if I'm quiet, it's because I don't know what's going on."

At least he was honest?

"Sometimes," Shunsui offered encouragingly, "being quiet when you don't know what's going on is one of the best things one can do when they don't know what's going on ♥. Now, then, the next question is this: what are you doing in those times of quiet?"

"Usually, I'm listening to the smart people do their thing and figure out what's going on," Grog said. "I can usually tell if it's important or not that way, at least."

"And that," Shunsui chuckled softly, "sounds like a rather wise use of your time, Grog-san. For you, perhaps, those spaces between the spokes of the wheel are those moments between, shall we say...action and inaction?"

If only some of his own fellow captains could be so...patient.

Should he be needed for anything else, he is, of course, there!

Usually, writing this class is a zen and relaxing experience, but, every so often, there's that off chance of it just getting that fucking Dave Matthews Band song stuck in my head...

Guess which one it is today!

The Art of Ma; Thursday, Second Period [09/17].

Sign In - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Sign In - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Sign In - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Sign In - AoM, 09/17.

Listen to the Lecture - AoM, 09/17.

Discussion - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Discussion - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Discussion - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Discussion - AoM, 09/17.

Re: Discussion - AoM, 09/17.

Talk to Shunsui - AoM, 09/17.

OOC - AoM, 09/17.