Train Tracks: Near & Far, Narrow & Wide

I get a thrill seeing train tracks in the morning light, and I believe the reason has to do with the opposites. Here is a photo I took the other day: 

Above-ground subway station in Brooklyn

1. Near & Far

The line is straight for several miles so those rails seem to go out into space, to the horizon. A tired early-morning commuter can find them inspiring because they show we are connected to the faraway even as we stand, maybe holding our coffee and just waking up. What is near is joined to what is so far away in a way that is pleasing, even beautiful.  

2. Sameness & Change; Narrow & Wide 

Meanwhile the tracks themselves are narrow, confined. The distance between the rails is unchanging, with a constant width; so we are affected by constancy and narrowness while our gaze follows the rails far down the line. 

I have learned that asking about what opposites are present in any situation or event brings to a person both more wonder and more exactitude about the world. It makes one feel both composed and excited, which reminds me of a definition Eli Siegel gave of happiness - "dynamic tranquility." 

Oranges Have Beauty & Integrity

What is it about a good orange that makes it so appealing? The one I've just started eating is delicious. But before you get to eat it of course you have to penetrate that bright protective coat. 

Whole Navel orange on a plate

I'm affected by how the orange is so well protected. That thick jacket helps ward off pests and also keeps the orange ultra-juicy inside. Outside and inside, dry and wet, are big opposites in oranges. 

Then you cut it open, and wow! 

Half orange on a plate 

Here you can see the outer coat or skin, the white fibre, and the delectable, juicy pulp of the orange. This is one of the best I've ever had, and I think I'm enjoying it all the more because I'm thinking about it more deeply and purposefully than usual. (Note to self: think more about your food before and during eating!) 

Probably the biggest reason why I - and maybe some other people -  like oranges is because of the way they're both sweet and biting, tangy. Sometimes a person goes from being sweet to sharp and does not feel the two moods or attitudes go together. Oranges do not make this mistake. As you bite into the flesh you taste both the sweetness and sharpness at once! An orange doesn't flatter you and then upbraid you sharply; it doesn't try to fool you with sweetness and then shake you up unkindly in order to feel superior; it does both at once because that's what reality has asked it to do. And we are the fortunate recipients of the orange's goodness! 

I've learned from Aesthetic Realism that reality is asking me to have good will for it and for people, and that means having my approval of people and my criticism go for the same purpose, to have them and myself stronger and better off. 

Let's learn from the orange!