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Theme Focus: Mystery
Quotation #1: "All genius is a conquering of chaos and mystery" -Otto Weininger
Personal Reflection:I think this is a very interesting quote, that shows us Otto Weinger's philosophical outllook on what mystery really is. Although the quote isn't a straightforward definition, it still tells alot about how mystery is not just something that occurs in novels, but is around us all the time. Philosophy has changed much over the years because we have discovered more, or in other words, we have 'conquered' previous mysteries. But it's not just philosophy that's changed. The whole process of evolution is based upon humans discovering new things, which leads to a different kind of life. I find that this discovery (or 'Genius', as it says in the quote) is linked with mystery. This is because mystery and discovery can act as opposite forces when it comes to evolution. Where the discovery of new things, is like a growing light surrounded by darkness; the darkness being mystery.
possible related literature
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: brainyquote.com
Quotation #2: "The final mystery is oneself. When one has weighed the sun in the balance, and measured the steps of the moon, and mapped out the seven heavens star by star, there still remains oneself. Who can calculate the orbit of his own soul?" -Oscar Wilde
Personal Reflection:
I find this quote intriguing, yet very deep, because it makes me realize that although people have been discovering new things or have "conquered mysteries" throughout history, we don't know as much about ourselves as we seem to. Now we know how are body functions and what we can do to try to keep it healthy. We also know a lot about our human behavior and how the brain works, and are continuing to research this field. Because of these factors, the quote may have been more effective in Oscar Wilde's time, when medical research and physcology were less advanced. However when it comes to 'why?', such as why do we sleep for example; we have theories but nothing more. When digging deeper into the quote's meaning, I've also realized that there is a difference between the mysteries of the human body, and mysteries of specifically our perspective or 'oneself'. Philosophers over the years have tried answering many 'big picture' questions about 'oneself' such as why we exist, or how to lead a pleasant life. But I think that what Oscar Wilde is really trying to say, is that anything we know or see is from our perspective and therefore we cannot know anything outside of that. The whole idea is very controversal and hard to comprehend.
possible related literature
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION: "De Profundis", katecarruthers.com
Flash Fiction
In a city, stood a grand house looking quite peculiar in its surroundings. Or maybe the house itself wasn’t peculiar, but the modernization of a once ancient city, made it seem this way, as it does with all things being left in the past. In this house, down in the basement level room, was a door. The door would not be seen as strange from a picture, but anyone encountering it in reality would find it to be curiously small. However it did not seem that it was meant to be small. With its oak wood and brass knocker, any mansion would have looked quite magnificent with it as an entrance, yet the door remained a size that might be difficult to crawl through. A peculiar door in a peculiar house.
In the basement room lived a man who would generally be considered a normal person. He knew of the door, but after living in the room for over 10 years with no way of opening it, his curiosity drained and it was forgotten behind bookshelves, chairs and countless unpaid checks.
He was sitting at his desk when he heard the knock. Frustrated by this sudden distraction (as his work was his top priority), he slowly got up and made his way over to the front door. However to his confusion, the knocking continued even after he had fully opened it. Then with a shocking realization, he numbly turned around and pushed the bookcase back to reveal the tiny door. Just to be sure, he held his hand against it and sure enough, he could feel the vibrating pulses of a quiet knock from the other side.
He was terrified at what he might find, yet something in the back of his mind told him to open it. And so, ever so slowly, he turned the knob (which was surprisingly unlocked) and opened the door to reveal the unknown…
***
A young boy ran through the city palace with an excited grin on his face. He made his way up to the top floor, and there it stood; a massive oak door with a giant brass knocker. The citizens of the underground city knew of the door and passed by it frequently, while working in the palace. However it was rarely discussed and no one knew how to open it. Nobody except the king, and more recently, the king’s son. Being heir to the throne, the young boy led a life that was, to put it bluntly, predictable. He craved things that were unusual and mysterious. Which is why, from the moment he saw the giant door, he itched to know what lay beyond. But his curiosity was looked down upon from the other citizens, who thought of the mysterious, as a forbidden evil. When one avoids the unknown for long enough, it can lead to fear which leads to loathing. And this is why, a horrible mining incident before the boy was born, had convinced the citizens to never speak of anything that might lay beyond the city.
Unfortunately there seemed to be no way to reach that destination regardless of the other citizens views, that is until the boy discovered a large brass key in his father’s bedroom. Then after careful planning, he snuck into his father’s bedroom, 'borrowed' the key and ran with it to the door.
Confidently he walked up to the door, pulled out his brass key, and swiftly unlocked it. However after pushing and pushing, he soon realized there was no way to open it himself.
So he tried a new, somewhat mad idea. Reaching up he grabbed the giant knocker and pounded it against the door. The sound was almost deafening, and was sure to wake up anyone in the palace. With no result he tried again, and then again. He could hear guards approaching from the staircase, but he continued trying until finally, the door swung open…
Rationale: In this short story, I have chosen two different settings; one being the known world we live in, and the other, a fictional world that however unlikely, cannot be proven impossible, just like anything else. I've chosen to connect these two worlds with a door because it allows the reader to view on both sides, while the characters are still mystified by the unknown on the opposite side. In each world, the story also shows some of the effect mystery has on the society. In one world, mystery is feared and seen as something forbidden to speak of. This demonstrates that certain events or situations (such as the mining incident in the story) can lead to someone fearing the unknown and unpredictable.This eventually leads to living a life of security and predictability. In the other world (being the one we live in), mystery is not usually feared, but for the most part goes unnoticed. The man in the story represents the modern working class person, who, because of his busy schedule, has no time to contemplate about mysteries. However when a mystery (like the tiny door) presents itself, the desire to know "what lays beyond" is hard to resist.
