The Wisdom of Margaret Olley October 1, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Wisdom Notes , trackbackThe picture of famous Australian painter Margaret Olley appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald yesterday in a column titled ‘Money Talks’. She had just handed over a cheque for $1 million to help fund the acquisition of an original Cezanne for her beloved Art Gallery of NSW.
She was also asked some big questions and her answers were mystically striking as much as they were refreshing. In reference to being asked her biggest regret in life, she said she had none.
‘Regrets are a waste of time!’
But there was more to come. This reader was particularly taken by the credo of her personal philosophy.
‘I don’t understand the current obsession with the “me” and the “I”,’ she said.
‘The best way to exist is to forget about yourself and just get on with it.’
One supposes she meant forgetting the self – in much the same way as the Buddhists would say feelings should be forgotten because they are an impediment to understanding reality.
And as Chuang Chou once said several thousands of years ago, ‘What I am calling feelings are judgments about right and wrong.’
Anyway, Margaret Olley hit the nail on the head! She is absolutely right. The best way to exist is indeed to forget about yourself. And once the delusions created out of self-importance are dissolved, one can then put one’s attention to more important matters.
Margaret also recommends the philosophy of giving back. ‘The world would be a much better place,’ she urged, ‘If (retirees) were encouraged to give back a little bit of their knowledge to society.’
They would love to no doubt. Unfortunately, there does not exist the appropriate platform. We seem to be more interested in other things. And there would be few who didn’t know that we tend to pump for the pomp of the young and the restless!
We certainly have a bit to learn, don’t we?
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