Re: [xmca] L. I. Bozhovich and perizhivanie

>Dorothy,

Thank you so much for your wonderful explanation.
For a moment, I feel that I will carry
this definition of perizhivane with me forever,
but knowing well that illusive transformation of
a novice, like the flaps of a butterfly, I may
cease to remember its full impact, if I actually
heard/understood it all.

By way of saying thanks,
olga

> Having received questions on "verbs" and
>"still point transformation" related to
>perizhivanie, may I try again? In trying to
>establish a new discourse for myself in the 21st
>century, perizhivanie is the word that captures
>my inner feelings...it cannot be "pinned
>down"...I am not viewing it literally, as I
>don't view "word meaning" as being really
>literal, it is an unspeakable force that
>somtimes allows me to try a new dialgoue with
>myself. It is like capturing the understanding
>of "consciousness is reflected in the word like
>the sun is reflected in a drop of water..."
>Edward de Bono speaks of new forms of
>logic....he talks about "rock logic" (if you put
>three rocks together, what do you have? Many
>"rock" answers). If you put three waters
>together, what do you have? He is not trying to
>replace rock with water logic, but he wants us
>to expand our thinking into more fluidity.....I
>so hope you will allow me to enter this
>discourse on a real level.....it is all about a
>newer
> (well older, becoming newer) understanding of "internalization"....
> *In the movie Harold and Maud, Harold (very
>young) and Maud (very very old) stand by a pond,
>and he gives her an engagement ring, and she
>holds it tight. Then, after a pause ( the "still
>point"), she throws it back into the water,
>saying something like "now I will have your ring
>forever." (something has shifted in
>consciousness)
> *Another example, Alexei Alexeevitch gave me a
>small booklet of his translations of poetry, and
>I kept it with me always, until the Language in
>Action conference in Finland, 2006. Alexei
>Alexeevich and Kari S. had planned the
>conference to celebrate A. A.'s 70th birthday,
>but A. A. died in 2004. At the conference, Kari
>S. was in the hospital and he was dying. I could
>only speak to him on the phone, and had to give
>him the most meaningful thing I had. Once I
>handed the booklet of poetry to Riikka A. for
>Kari, there was a still-point transformation, a
>catharsis, and I knew that I would always have
>the book.
> *Helen Keller and A. Sullivan are my real
>heroes, and I think of them every day. In fact,
>the concept/word "water" for me represents a
>strong sense of perezhivania. While looking at
>Vygotsky documents in 2006 at the Kravtsov home,
>Elena handed me an article to see. It was an
>article Vygotsky had written, and it was in
>English, with a note....the note was written by
>Helen Keller, and there was a moment I could not
>breathe, the still-point transformational
>moment. I wanted to photocopy the document, but
>could not. Now I will always have it. The
>Still-Point Moment, of course, must be
>accompanied with displacement, or dereflection
>(Frankl), or a form of disobjectivation (A. N.
>Leontiev), through the magic of catharis to a
>new "converted form" (Mamardashvilli).
> *Our orphanage in Vyschgorod (120 km from
>Moscow) once received a group called "Maria's
>Children." Maria is an artist and she has an art
>center in Moscow for orphans from various
>orphanages there. One of her close friends is
>Patch Adams, who used to come to Moscow yearly
>to visit hospitals. Maria's children also have
>learned how to clown in orphanages and
>hospitals....In Vyschgorod, we are in the middle
>of nowhere, with a school, a building housing
>staff, and a building where the children live,
>and woods.One afternoon Maria's Children
>(+adults) came to visit, and they were all
>dressed as clowns. For one hour they did not
>speak, but played simple games in circles,
>painted faces, there was juggling, etc. Our
>children could not connect at first, they had
>never experienced anything like it. Slowly, the
>older children brought the younger children into
>the circles of activity, and the clown healers
>started speaking in a low voice. Maria's husband
>had a large map, and started
> asking the children where elephants live, etc.
>After 30 minutes, we all went into the gym for
>snacks, to just interact. Everyone started
>talking, talking, laughing, it got very loud,
>and it was the first time I had ever seen the
>children and teachers smile and laugh. I was so
>overcome with emotions that I had to go outside
>alone, and just cry. It was a still-point
>moment, it was Perezhivanie, with a large "P."
>Later, now bonded, our entire group went to the
>building the children live in, and together,
>everyone painted the walls of the main hall, one
>large, connected painting with all types of
>pictures flowing together on the walls. Maria's
>children came to us, gave so much, and just
>left. We will always carry those moments in our
>hearts.
> *This morning it is finally winter in
>Missouri....it was raining, and I just went on
>the deck in the rain, and it was pure
>"perezhivanie" (with a small "p," but really
>good).
> So, to close, the new discourse I am
>discovering is to try and become a "verb" and
>not just describe what a verb is....verbs need
>to be grounded in nouns, all of which is
>grounded in a changing/fluid dialectic
>(tri-lectic, etc., meaning there are tons of
>realities experienced at once)....Hopefully in
>our new century we will start to view Vygotsky
>and many others within the context of a "verb"
>(please don't take me literally). As I now state
>over and over, in 1999 Lev Kravtsov said it the
>best for me: His hope is that people will stop
>trying to prove the correctness of individual
>views and theories of Vygotsky (i.e., he was a
>Spinozist, no he was a semiotician, no a
>Marxist, etc.). It is Lev's hope that we can all
>start to view problem solving, theory creation,
>etc., THROUGH the eyes of Vygotsky. Perzhivanie,
>like the concept/term "water, for me is magic,
>including all aspects of life. To become who we
>really are, like Patch Adams did.
> Wishing all of you a blessed and joyous Perezhivanie!
> Dot
>
>
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-- 
Olga A. Vásquez
Associate Professor
Department of Communication
University of California, San Diego
La Jolla, CA 92093-0503
(858)-534-6284
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