Archive for the ‘Acting’ Category

On Teachers, Teaching, and Learning


2008
01.22

The sequel to my article on “Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion.”

best regards,

ian

 —

On Teachers, Teaching, and Learning

by Michael Ian Lomongo, May 31, 2002

“When the student is ready, the teacher will come.”

In a previous essay that I wrote, I reflected on the spirituality of acting (and of any art for that matter) and the question of a possible incongruity between the excellence of one’s art (craft/skill/talent/competence) and one’s life (the great Art of one’s life). A friend commented that my question comes from the tendency to confuse two different realms, which may fortunately coincide, but need not do so. The level of a person’s artistic maturity is not necessarily an indication of personal (integral) maturity. Simply put, quite a number of Great artists can be real MAJOR-assholes.

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Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion


2007
12.29

Acting as a Path to a Spirituality of Compassion

by Michael Ian Lomongo, January 22, 2002

I once heard the idea broached whether acting made one a better person. (Betterment of the person is here understood not simply as the improvement of one’s skills, but in the sense of becoming a kinder person.) With a quaint smile, someone replied that she had met a lot of very fine actors whom one would have a hard time calling as fine species of human beings.

Indeed, how can the most vain, narcissistic, and exhibitionistic people qualify for “sainthood” for want of a better term? (Of course, I am here working with the assumption that most, if not all, actors have a great liking for being seen and given applause/approval.)

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