I’ve been involved in reflective reading exercises since fellowship – I find it a great way to decompress the tension in the work that I do, and look back on how caring for others affects how I care for myself and my family. The premise of reflective reading is simple, and wonderful – in studying art and literature, we are able to reflect on and re-examine the work that we do through a slightly different lens. Pioneered by the Center for Civic Reflection (http://civicreflection.org/), reflective reading is a powerful tool that helps us explore our values and beliefs, our choices and commitments, and take a healthy pause in our daily routine.
Consider the following painting:
Landscape with the Fall of Icarus is a painting attributed to Pieter Bruegel, c1558. It depicts the Greek myth of Icarus, son of Daedalus. Daedalus – creator of the Labyrinth that housed the Minotaur of Crete – gave Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, a ball of string to help Theseus escape the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur. As punishment, Daedalus and Icarus were imprisoned in the Labyrinth. Scraping together what he could from dropped feathers and wax, Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings and planned a daring escape from the island. As they were about to take off, Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the ocean or his feathers would absorb the weight of moisture and he would fall, and not to fly too close to the sun or the wax would melt. Icarus, filled perhaps with the joy of flight or the hubris of youth, flew too close to the sun, melting the wax and destroying his wings. He fell to the sea and drowned.
Have you found Icarus in the painting? Two thin, white legs splashing in the water?
What were you first drawn to when you looked at the painting?
There are many people depicted in the landscape – why do you think no one is jumping in to help?
What does this say about suffering, and the role suffering plays in our lives? About the way we react to the suffering of others?
For a moment, think about a time when you felt like a bystander to another person’s suffering. How did this make you feel?
Feel free to leave thoughts/reflections in the comments section!
Moments Matter MD 
is there a man reaching out from shore towards the legs in the lower right corner of the painting?
What my vision first focused on looking at the painting is the tiler in red shirt, naturally because the painter intended this man to be the main focus on this canvas.
What intrigues me is the meaning of the small herder behind him who seems to choose to enjoy the sky than to notice Icarus in the water. The tiler is working, and can arguably said to be too preoccupied to notice Icarus, but this herder seems to be just gazing.
As decent human being, we all have instinct to help others in distress or even in grave danger. This instinct is stronger in some than others. But, I think our duty to self-preservation is no less noble than instinct to help others in need. If we assess that to aid others will result in harm to ourselves, then I do not think it is immoral to withhold that aid directly ourselves.
Reflection is an exercise very badly needed in our modern sensory overload world. Nature still exists to facilitate reflection but we no longer look away from a screen, let alone sitting under a tree over looking a valley.
Back tracking here a bit, this is why exposure to art is so essential against the flattening of human consciousness.
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I believe the man in the bottom right is fishing. What then makes us jump to the aid of someone who is suffering? Something about the circumstance? Something familiar, or relatable?
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I was drawn to the beauty if the landscape and unaware that someone had drowned.I guess at times we never know of peoples suffering, things may look good on the outside but utter turmoil on the inside.
I Think it may be alluding to witness suffering of others.Be present but dont be close or too distant.
Witnessing suffering is difficult…its exhausting…its unfair almost!
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