Craftsmanship

Michael: It is very popular today to celebrate the intellect. A mind is a wondrous tool and reasoning can help us find our way to the light from the darkness. Emotion also gets a nod in today's world. People want to be happy, to release sadness and anger, to manage depression. Again these are good motivations.

One basic form of processing is almost consistently overlooked, however...physical aptitude and prowess. Yes, people admire athleticism; but they have forgotten to revere craftsmanship. It is in the refined production of high quality crafts (be it a fine piece of pottery, a carved piece of furniture, or a beautiful piece of jewelry) that we find the joy and balance that satisfies the internal need for the marriage of order and beauty.

Nature surrounds us with female-energied beauty: a tree, a bird, a waterfall. But it is up to man to manufacture male-energied beauty in a coupling of form and function that delights the senses and balances the spirit.

You all have hands. Go. Make something beautiful.