Ophelia Owl and Hegel the Owl Here is the story: The art was created as a Christmas present for a 12 year old girl named Grace. I gave Grace art lessons during 2014 at a time when she was 10 and then 11 years old. This was at the request of her grandmother, a wonderful Christian woman whom I consider a friend. There also was intention from the outset to use the art for Radical Centrist purposes, with the owl, symbolizing wisdom, a worthy "mascot" for RC in addition to the Duckbill Platypus, which we have made use of previously. The name "Ophelia" sounds nice to my ears, which is a subjective judgment but no less worthwhile for that. Ophelia also figures in Shakespeare's Hamlet, where she is a tragic princess who dies at the end, heartbroken, who drowned as the result of an accident. Various people have interpreted Ophelia in Freudian and other terms, but that is not the intention here. Instead, my Ophelia is meant as a more modern version of Minerva, Goddess of Wisdom, more-or-less the incarnation of Wisdom as found in the book of Proverbs in the Bible, especially chapters 8 & 9. Ophelia does have meanings derived from contemporary popular culture that dovetail with the life of Grace, with the name made use of in various TV dramas, movies, and even cartoons. Ophelia in popular culture and also fine art is usually shown drowned, floating in water; this based on Shakespeare, but as I understand things, this may simply be taken as metaphor for whenever a girl or woman "gets in over her head." There is also an "Ophelia complex," which refers to the trials and tribulations of teen girls; Grace will be 13 in a few months. Minerva's owl is also part of the story, a being that can be seen represented in the seals and emblems of a number of universities, cities, and agencies of government. Hence 'Ophelia' may also be taken to refer to any smart woman who provides inspiration for a thinking man, such as Hegel. Ophelia may be understood as a female college teacher, a psychological counselor, a newspaper columnist, an author, and the like. Ophelia, in other words, is Minerva by another name. Minerva is Athena by another name, and Athena can be understood as Ishtar by another name as well, since Ishtar is a Goddess of Wisdom, and, like Athena, a Goddess of war and passion. Minerva, hence her owl, has been identified with prophecy, objectivity, good luck, or warning of danger. She also stands for multiple viewpoints, mediation in which all sides to a dispute are considered carefully, negotiation to bring about harmonious resolution of conflict, but, when negotiation fails, success in combat. With victory, Minerva is said to guarantee a lasting peace. Minerva also signifies memory, good judgement, decision making, and education. As such she is a sister to Isis, Goddess of Egypt. Minerva is also a sister to Lakshmi, Hindu Goddess of wisdom and the sciences. Minerva, through her owl, also acts as a harbinger of the future. The drawing also features two Magan David six-point stars. These symbols refer to two passages of scripture, Psalm 102: 6 and Zephaniah 2: 14, the latter telling us that owls inhabit the ruins of Nineveh, hence, by extension based on the story of Jonah, that the people of the city are not forgotten by God and are still known for their wisdom; this also is usually taken to refer to loneliness and abandonment -in this context, when necessary carrying on alone, but doing one's best regardlessly because of your integrity. The first Bible verse telling us that owls inhabit the wilderness as well as ancient ruins and hence also represent wisdom in nature and history. About Hegel, here is what he said in the Preface to his book, Philosophy of Right, of 1820: "Philosophy, as the thought of the world, does not appear until reality has completed its formative process, and made itself ready. History thus corroborates the teaching of the conception that only in the maturity of reality does the ideal appear as counterpart to the real, apprehends the real world in its substance, and shapes it into an intellectual kingdom. When philosophy paints its gray in gray, one form of life has become old, and by means of gray it cannot be rejuvenated, but only known. The owl of Minerva takes its flight only when the shades of night are gathering." The interpretation of this statement is simply that historical epochs are not fully understood until after they have pretty much run their course and a new culture is arising to replace what has gone before. We can take this to also refer to the personal as well. Sometimes we only understand a stage of our life after it has just about ended and a new phase of life has begun. Hegel, of course, is best known for his thesis that the way things work in the world, in society and human affairs at large, is that whenever a proposition is made and agreed upon by people, soon enough it generates opposition. The opposition is the antithesis. Thesis and antithesis clash and are in conflict but eventually the dispute is resolved when elements of the thesis and antithesis are blended into a new synthesis. This, in turn, becomes a new thesis which, anon, generates opposition and a new antithesis and so forth, ad infinitum. While Radical Centrism is not an Hegelian philosophy as such, it certainly rests on the assumption that something very much like Hegel's system is for the good and ought to become fundamental to how people generally resolve their disputes. "Hegel the Owl" is the Radical Centrist bird of wisdom. Billy Rojas December 23, 2015
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