There is a modern sculpture in upstate New York by Arnaldo Pomodoro, Triad, which has three very tall vertical cylinders identical in diameter and height. The first is almost entirely covered by a shiny metal sheath, with only a little bit open to show the inside, which looks like the innards of machinery. The second one is much more open, maybe half or so, and has no shine. The third is almost entirely open, and what is left of the exterior appears burnt and peeling. They represent the future, the present and the past. The future is shrouded, the present is much more open to view, and the past is the most open to view.
This is an excellent metaphor for the most fundamental difference between conservatives and liberals. Throughout the world, you see that conservatives are far more certain of what to do than liberals. That is because conservatives are basically guided by the traditions and beliefs of the past, while liberals are looking for ways to create a better future by abandoning the dogmas and prejudices of the past. Conservatism is an inertial force, seeking to avoid change, liberalism is progressive, embracing change in seeking intellectual freedom. Conservatives would like the future to behaviorally be basically the same as the past, maybe even the very distant past as in the case of religious zealots. Liberals would like to filter out anachronistic beliefs, not allow the future to be weighed down by sedimentation of the
past. The attitudes to women,
caste, gays, illuminate the distinction. Its a question of what drives behaviour: the shiny but uncertain future, or the burnt and peeling past.
Orthodoxy is no different to superstition, it isnt rational, it holds us
hostage to the past, straight-arming fresh evidence and thinking.
At yet another level,
this gives an insight into our own development. How much time do we spend
trying to figure out the future, how much brooding on the past, and how much on
actually living in the moment. We actually cannot live in any one domain. If we
live entirely in the present, be 'present' to the moment as some new age-y
types would have us be, our lives would be a train wreck. We have to spend time
reflecting on the past, and on anticipating the future, while living in the present, where our lives are crafted at the confluence
of the experience and momentum of the past with the dreams, aspirations and
challenges of the future. Any domain embraced at the cost of the
others, any domain neglected, will send life off at a tangent. We need to balance the three, a balance that is
personal and will need to change constantly, depending on the situation.
Life as a dynamic
balance between the past, the present and the future. The life well lived leans
forward into the future, relinquishing the detritus of the past.
