For me, the 4 nous quadrants (Phronesis, Techne, Episteme, Sophia) Pak Realrich has introduced and taught to us is the acknowledgement of understanding what life is about. Life itself is a journey with deep roots of complication but in my respective perspective, the universe is about change, life is all about judgement. I still remember when Pak Realrich wrote about existential life crisis at the board while articulating what it’s about with support of his real life experience. Such circumstances are absolutely necessary in life, and it is also inevitable. Life crisis are just part of your journey, preventing you from reaching your dreams because if everything were to be easy then everyone would do it. The difficult circumstances (pain) that you’ve gone through is what gives it value. But is life all about winning? I really think so but also I don’t agree. In my life, winning in life isn’t about (power, success, fame, money, etc) My dreams are simple yet very complex and difficult to accomplish, which is, just to live in accord with nature. Doing things not for the glory of it, and not simply for hedonistic drives such as pleasure and popularity.
Phronesis, also rather known as a form of practical wisdom, is the knowledge that has correlation to ethics, intuition, virtue and decision making. I believe this is the soul to unleash your maximum potential as it takes a flexible approach in life. Yes, it is about absorbing knowledge, strengthening your brain about both practicality and complexity. As the world keeps evolving into a more modern and digital world, you have to keep up. Educational institutions such as school and college are common ways to gain knowledge. But are you actually gaining knowledge or phronesis in a system? Or are you just following orders? I believe that it is not what phronesis is about, in my respectful opinion that I regard in high dignity, the educational system is what i call ‘the matrix’ or in simple understanding the rat race. The educational system indoctrinates everyone to think how they want you to think, that is literally against phronesis. You are not free, “to make someone go to prison, is to make them think it is not a prison cell”. Realization plays a pivotal part here, and sometimes you just have to wake up from reality. I’m not saying that education or degree is not important, indeed it can dictate your life. But don’t let it dictate you. Be who you want to be, not what others want you to be. There is when PLANNING ahead in life is important, you cannot just be carried away with the flow. And planning comes from acknowledging what life is about, fusing wisdom, knowledge, realization) Escape the matrix, quick.
Techne is a form of mastery correlated to craft, art, etc. Architecture is also a part of it, a ‘studio simulation’ associated with art and the fusion of science. It is a systematic knowledge of many considerations conveyed and articulated into an existing building. Techne itself has its very own complexity, sometimes divine in ways that cannot be explained. It can be acquired and absorbed, dwelled in a different perspective because art can articulate a meaning or a story or sometimes nothing at all, just for the glory of it.
Talking about techne specifically in the architectural field, what is architecture actually? The art of designing a building, forming a form that accommodates its function. Building shapes us, just like how the earth orbits around the sun, I believe civilization orbits around architecture. How society moves, interacts, and expresses their feelings could be dictated by the architecture around. Is it about form or function? Form over function or function over form or the coherent and coexisting of form and function? But can architecture just be unconditional? But why do I choose architecture as a way to live? Well because the field itself can vary from one perspective to another, what I think is sufficient can be viewed as inefficient by others. There’s no right or wrong, you just have to find someone that fully appreciates and understands you. Architecture is way deeper than just form and function, yes it is an intricate desire, yet still very superficial if it is not backed up. It should narrate a story, why every consideration has its reasoning but also its deepest meaning which only you and the client understand, same vision and in the end same output and satisfaction. But again building is change, architecture is judgement. Others dream of building mega skyrise buildings with parametric and modern configuration, being the next Zaha Hadid or Bjarke Ingels. They say you have to dream big, which I agree, but my dream is simple, to let my mom and dad see the buildings I built in existence. Because it’s either they see it or nothing at all, I really hope time is with me. You have lost in life even if you win in the game of power but your parents aren’t around anymore.
Episteme is a form of scientific knowledge. It is a theoretical discipline that is unalterable such as maths and physics. It is a fact that your opinion cannot stand, of course you can view it in your own philosophical way but if the answer is the same then it’s not divine and expressed in our own ways. One example of this in architecture is simply about the building foundations. Like the tip of the iceberg, the one beneath holds the one on top. But society often neglects the structural foundation that holds up the ‘mega winning award architecture’, because it is all about beauty that we forget the fundamentals that could make a dream a reality. We only want to know the story of a successful man or any entity, but never his story beneath. Why is it that architects always gain the entire fame, but the civil engineer is never mentioned? They say an architect’s dream is an engineering worst nightmare, but an architect’s dream cannot be made into reality without an engineer.
Sophia is a form of a transcendental wisdom that speaks of the actual truth. Questioning the universal world, whether it is in agreement with nature or the ruling power of the world. ‘Someone has no shirt,one without bread, and the other one without a book, and here I am with every resource and yet I am not faithful, taking things for granted.’ Sometimes it just takes a single change to build a citadel, you just have to wake up and have the hunger for it. Yes, we are not where we want to be, but also remember you are not where you used to be, and that dictates the effort you put in. Remember to always take action with an aim, do not aim an action unwillingly and selfishly. Work with determination, as Pak Realrich said skill + effort = talent. Talent + effort = achievement. But is achievement actually what you want? Most likely but not for me, I only seek for a tranquil life, respect, in accordance with nature.
Sometimes the existential crisis we create, somehow we don’t realize is outside of our control. We often take control of things that isnt even in our control, and we end up disappointed when things go against us. But after all does it even matter? It was never part of your control anyway. Life is short so do good. Live your life to the fullest, as in football if you concede 5 but you score 6 goals, you still win the game. Live in accordance to virtue, a peaceful sense of mind. Scared of death? What comes up must also go down. Death itself is a self-reflecting signal to make you realize that life is indeed short so don’t waste it because you only have one opportunity,if you do not live it to the fullest, it will disappear and you will also be gone, and the opportunity will not return. Assign a task, if not you’re going to be assigned one by someone. Do you really want to be assigned a task so that you could fulfill someone’s dream? What about your dream? Always have in mind, dreams without actions remain a dream,if you don’t say what you do I believe it is called manipulation and it is okay to be in a room that is not comfortable to your own liking, I really hope that you could find a space you could call your own. Live life without regret, if it fails so what? It’s better to be shameful for a day than being curious your entire life.
Life is impermanence, so live it while you can, enjoy a little bit but always remember your priorities and your dreams. Why rest when you haven’t fulfilled your childhood dream? Isn’t that what you want? That inner child of yours that has long been gone because life took it away from you. Live in accord with nature and find that little man.
My Mayonnaise Jar 