Gravity & Levity: polar opposites, each laced with double entendre.
Gravity was Zarathustra’s archenemy. Gravity is the fabric of Newton’s legacy. And, when I first heard John Mayer’s song ‘Gravity’ I was blown away…like Aristotle envisioned fire escaping gravity and levitating to the sphere of the moon’s orb…where the light is.
Seneca saw levity as the bone of all good and virtuous. George Bernard Shaw believed levity to be the best package for communicating the right things to say. And, when I first read Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s ‘Antifragile’ I solidified my thinking about the importance of blending polar opposites into our lives…and our decisions.
Then I read Galileo’s ‘Dialogue Concerning the Two Chief World Systems’: gravity & levity became front and centre in my thoughts…and they stayed there…two polar opposites, hand-in-hand, sharing centre stage.
While some see him as dark, I think Nietzsche is the most-interesting philosopher…brilliant beyond bi-polar…meshing messages of and with gravity & levity:
“Whoever fights monsters should see to it that in the process he does not become a monster. And if you gaze long enough into an abyss, the abyss will gaze back into you.”
“The certain prospect of death could sweeten every life with a precious and fragrant drop of levity – and now you strange apothecary souls have turned into an ill-tasting drop of poison that makes the whole of life repulsive.”
“I would believe only in a God that knows how to Dance.”
Friedrich Nietzsche
[1844-1900]
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Why-How Opposites Attract [WHOA]
WHY?
- An intentional blend of gravity & levity helps ensure variety and moderation.
- An intentional blend of gravity & levity promotes balance and curiosity.
- An intentional blend of gravity & levity builds character.
HOW?
- Read works that blend gravity & levity…as examples, choose Nietzsche over Newton…choose Twain and Taleb
- Listen to works that blend gravity & levity...from the Beatles to Beethoven…with some Wagner samplers in between
- Experience the gravity & levity of the arts…from Michelangelo's David to David Blaine...without riding on high horses
OPPOSITES ATTRACT!
- Gravity keeps our feet on the ground; Levity places our head above our feet.
- Gravity attracts one body to another; Levity adds dance to their relationship.
- Gravity draws and centres; Levity enjoys new horizons.
So, when it comes to gravity & levity I will pay attention to When-How Opposites Attract.
And I am with Nietzsche and Mayer, if I must choose between gravity & levity…
WHOA gravity, stay the hell away from me
Gravity & Levity: the Meaning & History of the Words
Source: Online Etymological Dictionary
gravity (n.)
c.1500, "weight, dignity, seriousness," from Middle French gravité "seriousness, thoughtfulness," and directly from Latin gravitatem (nominative gravitas) "weight, heaviness, pressure," from gravis "heavy" (see grave (adj.)). The scientific sense of "force that gives weight to objects" first recorded 1640s.
levity (n.)
"want of seriousness, frivolity," 1560s, from Latin levitatem (nominative levitas) "lightness, frivolity," from levis "light" in weight (see lever) + -ity.