The Magic of the Cities.

Zen promotes the rediscovery of the obvious, which is so often lost in its familiarity and simplicity. It sees the miraculous in the common and magic in our everyday surroundings. When we are not rushed, and our minds are unclouded by conceptualizations, a veil will sometimes drop, introducing the viewer to a world unseen since childhood. ~ John Greer

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Break in a Musical Bench


Street sweepers have been employed in cities since sanitation and waste removal became a priority. A street-sweeping person would use a broom and shovel to clean off litter, animal waste and filth that accumulated on streets.

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Paz / Peace



El Ángel de la Independencia ("The Angel of Independence"), most commonly known by the shortened name El Ángel and officially known as Columna de la Independencia, is a victory column located on a roundabout over Paseo de la Reforma in downtown Mexico City.

El Ángel was built to commemorate the centennial of the beginning of Mexico's War of Independence, celebrated in 1910. In later years it was made into a mausoleum for the most important heroes of that war. It is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Mexico City, and it has become a focal point for both celebration or protest. It bears a resemblance to the Victory Column in Berlin.

The base of the column is quadrangular with each vertex featuring a bronze sculpture symbolizing Law, War, Justice and Peace. Originally there were nine steps leading to the base, but due to the sinking of the ground fourteen more steps were added. On the main face of the base, which faces downtown Mexico City, there is an inscription reading La Nación a los Héroes de la Independencia ("The Nation to the Heroes of Independence"). In front of this inscription is a bronze statue of a giant lion led by a child, representing strength and the innocence of youth during War but docility during Peace.

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Justicia / Justice


Justice


… Finalmente, una condicion importante para el desarrollo de la biofilia ( Amor a la Vida ) es la libertad. Pero no es condicion suficiente “la libertad respecto de” trabas politicas. Si ha de desarrollarse el amor a la vida, tiene que haber libertad “para”, libertad para crear y construir, para admirar y aventurarse. Tal libertad requiere que el individuo sea activo y responsable, no un esclavo ni una pieza bien alimentada de la maquinaria.

Resumiendo, el amor a la vida se desarrollara mas en una sociedad en que haya: seguridad en el sentido de que no estan amenazadas las condiciones materiales basicas para una vida digna, justicia en el sentido de que nadie puede ser un fin para los propositos de otro, y libertad en el sentido de que todo individuo tiene la posibilidad de ser un miembro activo y responsable de la sociedad, éste ultimo punto es de particular importancia. Hasta una sociedad en que existen seguridad y justicia puede no ser conducente al amor a la vida si no se estimula la actividad creadora del individuo. No basta que los hombres no sean esclavos. Si las condiciones sociales fomentan la existencia de automatas, el resultado no sera amor a la vida, sino amor a la muerte.
De: El Corazón del Hombre. Erick Fromm
From: The Heart of Man by Erich Fromm.

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Gracias por su visita / Thanks for visiting.