Breakfast Has Wonder

Oatmeal is a oneness of opposites: One and Many 

My breakfast oatmeal, like everything else in reality, is a oneness of opposites. For instance, it puts together the opposites of one and many. It is one  meal. It sits there, contained, in the bowl, and it's more or less the same all the way through. But it has many little bits, not just the oatmeal itself, but the other ingredients I put in which add to both the flavor and the texture.

Oatmeal with dried fruit and nuts in a bowl

Sameness and Difference

I like oatmeal with a little brown sugar, and dried fruit, including golden raisins, tart cherries, and cranberries. These ingredients (plus of course the water that went into the oatmeal before it was cooked) are different, but they go together so well. So far we have one and many, sameness and difference. 

The dried fruit expands after you add it to the porridge that's already been cooking in the saucepan. Oatmeal on its own it is fairly chewy, at least it is the way I make it. It's thick and has a steady consistency; but with those golden raisins (sultanas), tart cherries, and cranberries there are sudden, delicious bursts of flavor. Then I add sliced almonds on top. The meal puts together the opposites of rough and smooth, exciting and everyday. 

Oatmeal showing companion jar of sliced almonds. Mmm!

These are the world's opposites. The world is one and many, sameness and difference, the everyday and the notable. New York City certainly is! 

The weather has these opposites. The temperature can seem to be much the same for a while, but then can suddenly dip or rise, and we all notice it - particularly with the worry about global warming.

Our lives have these opposites. We judge ourselves on our integrity, or lack of it. We can feel too scattered, and also too stuck, too much the same. We also to feel flexible, able to welcome a multitude of new experiences; and yet be unified. We want to see excitement in reality and also that there are things we can count on. 

I'm trying to convey the fact that as  you study Aesthetic Realism you come to see the world with more wonder and as making sense in a new way. 

When you see that the ordinary things you have to do with in your daily life put together the opposites that are of reality itself, and that you're trying to make sense of in yourself, this awareness gives your life both excitement and composure. In fact, one definition Eli Siegel gave of happiness is "dynamic tranquility."   

Studying Aesthetic Realism has me see the world itself has more meaning and wonder than I had any idea of before I knew about its principles. And yes, my life is happy. That's why I originally called this blog "Journal of a Fortunate Man." I recommend this study to you too.   

Tomorrow: coffee!