We're Determined, but Are We Right? Or, the Criterion for Good Determination
First presented in a public seminar at the Aesthetic Realism Foundation, New York City.

At 17, I packed my trunk and guitar in Massapequa, Long Island and headed out west to college in Montana—determined to study art and music near the Rocky Mountains. I was excited about seeing the American west and learning new things about the world. But often I had another kind of determination—to have my way no matter what. I could be like a steamroller, plowing ahead about something I wanted to do, and no one could talk me out of it.

In an Aesthetic Realism Class, Eli Siegel explained the difference between the two kinds of determination people have. "One," he said, "has to do with will power...'I want this therefore it must be right!'" When a person is determined in this way, she doesn't want to see the facts, and instead has the feeling Mr. Siegel described and which I had very often—"clench your teeth and go ahead!"

When our determination is right, Aesthetic Realism shows, there is still something we want, but it is accompanied by a large desire to know, self-questioning, and an ease in welcoming other peoples' opinions. "The difference," Mr. Siegel explained, "is between seeing something as good and being determined that something is good."

I'm very grateful to have learned the difference between these two kinds of determination. I would have ruined my life going after things I thought were "right" just because I wanted them, but which left me feeling colder and harder.

Article Sections
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6