The Traps of Reflection and the Danger of Action

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We often surprise our critical instinct, quick to judge the lack of reflection before the realization of the artistic act, but we forget to consider the other side of the coin, the lack of action and the unproductive prolongation of reflection. Of the other two variants, which involve only reflection, or only action, we seem to choose an impulsive act as being more authentic than a preparation for an act that will never take place, even if a series of ideas and concepts, in principle valuable, have been created as a result of this process. Giorgio Strehler can undoubtedly be considered a personality who can be defined by action, for as he himself said, his work was not a story about theater, but one about "life and blood". And it is only through the power of the example of the great creators that we can understand that for a true man of art, there is, in fact, no demarcation between reflection and action. That the whole process of creation, but also the momentum that precedes it, constitutes a unitary whole in which there is not one element without another. Why the meshes of reflection? For when the intellect tries to build an order and an unfolding, it may or may not be one that can be faithfully and self-evidently represented. It may lead to representation, or it may produce, as Kierkegaard puts it, "the trappings of an illusory perspective". Why the danger of action? Because once we enter the process of externalizing what we have thought and created in the imaginary, the living elements will certainly react differently, surprises and unexpected moments will certainly appear that can either enrich the act or spoil it. It is also in the hands of the creator to distinguish where everyone belongs, what serves the creative act and what does not.