Stillness and Motion

Goethe, the German poet, playwright, and novelist, famously remarked: “Music is liquid architecture and architecture is frozen music.”

The point is provocative. Two forms of expression—one fixed in space, the other fluid in time—can be seen as opposites. One is solid and permanent, the other is evanescent and elusive. Art includes a broad spectrum of things and activities. To develop ourselves fully, we need to experience both stillness and motion.

But in a sense, stillness is always in motion—and motion is always still.

Consider how we experience architecture. A building may appear to be a solid and unchanging structure. But that is not how we experience it. We experience it, both insider and outside, as we move about. When we pass a building on a street it changes by the second. As we approach from afar, it grows in its breadth while part of it disappears altogether. As we pass by, on the street, we take in whatever sights we can, depending on our eye levels, the distance, and the speed of travel. However we do it, the building changes. Sometimes, it even seems to disappear. Some buildings, like Boston’s John Hancock building, seems to shift into a single dimension—and even to disappear altogether as it reflects nearby Trinity Church and the sky.

Or think about performing arts—dance or music or film—which change by the second. In a song or a movie, moments rush by. There is no time whatsoever to freeze and gaze on the sweet sound of a flute in Mozart or the sequence of people in a nightclub in a movie like “Wings” (1927). And yet . . . When we experience these fluid arts, moments linger in our minds. We capture them, however, imperfectly to assess now and hold onto for later. They not only linger, but they become part of us, accessible at all times. And when we experience these moving arts, we still; ourselves and focus intently—sometimes automatically, sometimes purposely.

Exercise: draw or examine one moment in a moving picture of your choice.

We might see leadership as a constant interplay of stillness and movement. ask yourself:

  • What needs to be still in order for you to lead other people—not to direct them, but to understand and serve them so they will accept your guidance and join your mission?
  • In what ways can you master a fluid environment?

Looking Forward