I used to think I had a uniquely clear vision of the spiritual truth of things. I was enamored by my cuteness of my ideas. I also regularly judged people for what I considered the gravest of sins. Shallowness.
I have come to realize I was wrong on all counts.
Many people see spiritual truths, and they aren't all smart. In fact, intellect is only a virtue when it is put in service of God's plan. When it is used to fend off the efficacy of a calling, intellect fails in a mighty way.
Also, my ideas, while cute and often entertaining, are often wrong. Just because they are quaint doesn't make them right.
Finally, shallowness is not the gravest of sins. While I'm not sure what is, I'm certain that intellectual elitism is just as bad (probably worse).
It turns out that the truth is not always complex. Sometimes, though the grace of God we come to know. In fact, just like every other function of our minds, bodies, and souls, knowledge only appears to emanate from our works. In reality knowing is a continued revelation from our divine creator.
I don't need to be brilliant to know the truth. Just humble enough to listen.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Six Months of Simple Living
I am simplifying my life.
Each day, in little and big ways, I am going to offer up the things I don't need to those who need it more.
Get rid of the clutter.
Spend less money.
Save more.
Give more.
God, grant me the strength and the humility I need to answer this call.
Each day, in little and big ways, I am going to offer up the things I don't need to those who need it more.
Get rid of the clutter.
Spend less money.
Save more.
Give more.
God, grant me the strength and the humility I need to answer this call.
Uncomfortable Clarity
Sometimes I wish I didn't know what what was right.
I wish I could live in that cluttered ambiguity of interpretation and self deception.
Even now, I wish there were less overt plans for me in the grand design.
All that being said, a call is a call. You can pretend like its a mood for a time. You can confuse it by interpreting its symbolism for even longer. But eventually, the raw repetitiveness and the return to the basic truth brings it into unquestionable, uncomfortable clarity.
What's left to do? Quit wishing and start praying.
Pray I have the strength to persevere.
Pray for truth always, even when I don't want it.
Pray that whatever the plan, I have the grace to obey even when I don't see the point.
I wish I could live in that cluttered ambiguity of interpretation and self deception.
Even now, I wish there were less overt plans for me in the grand design.
All that being said, a call is a call. You can pretend like its a mood for a time. You can confuse it by interpreting its symbolism for even longer. But eventually, the raw repetitiveness and the return to the basic truth brings it into unquestionable, uncomfortable clarity.
What's left to do? Quit wishing and start praying.
Pray I have the strength to persevere.
Pray for truth always, even when I don't want it.
Pray that whatever the plan, I have the grace to obey even when I don't see the point.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Project Possibilities
Ok, so we are past 25,000. In conversation with a few people (notably K and Mom), we have a few ideas for possible directions for the project. While I plan to continue writing much in the way I am now, it is worth considering a particular literary tack. The idea itself is starting to get pretty solid. What it lacks is any context, rhetorical grace, or rapport gaining mechanisms.
So... a few ideas.
A cross between a modern Poor Richards Almanac and an pacifist version of the Anarchists Cookbook. Entries are a mixture of moral reflections, tips for doing good, and mechanisms of social change.
A series of letters. Playing off of the Screwtape Letters and even a bit of St. Paul. Create a fictive situation and letter writer. Could be fantastical (angelic coorespondence, perhaps), psudo historical, or modern. Thoughts?
Working the reflections into an interveiw series, where I tell the stories of people I think embody the ideals I think so cool.
Weave the ideas into a universally written fiction, much like The Alchemist. Perhaps some kind of story about a heroes transformation from a self focuesed morality toward a world focused morality.
More to come. At this moment, I like the letter thing. Gives me the personal and authoritative I'm looking for.
So... a few ideas.
A cross between a modern Poor Richards Almanac and an pacifist version of the Anarchists Cookbook. Entries are a mixture of moral reflections, tips for doing good, and mechanisms of social change.
A series of letters. Playing off of the Screwtape Letters and even a bit of St. Paul. Create a fictive situation and letter writer. Could be fantastical (angelic coorespondence, perhaps), psudo historical, or modern. Thoughts?
Working the reflections into an interveiw series, where I tell the stories of people I think embody the ideals I think so cool.
Weave the ideas into a universally written fiction, much like The Alchemist. Perhaps some kind of story about a heroes transformation from a self focuesed morality toward a world focused morality.
More to come. At this moment, I like the letter thing. Gives me the personal and authoritative I'm looking for.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Footprints
You will change the world. This cannot be helped. As you move your actions alter the course of events, events that would have transpired differently in your absence. You will leave footprints.
Your influence is a given. The question, then, becomes what kind of footprints you will leave behind.
Footprints, in many ways, are bad. Treading roughly on the surface of our planet has implications in this modern world that never concerned our forefathers. Excessive burning of fossil fuels, irresponsible dumping, careless contamination, and decadent consumption commingle into a kind of footprint violently stomped onto the face of our world.
Similarly, our impact in the human world can be less than admirable. Our attitude and conscientiousness impinges on the people in our lives, be they loved ones or strangers. The metaphor carries pretty well. Are you responsible for your emotional dumping? Do you mindless of your affective contaminants? Fill your soul with vitriol, and you will find your infulence on others tend toward the caustic.
What to do? Reduce your negative impact! Use fewer resources. Rely on more renewable energies. Simplify your needs. Reuse things. Recycle what you must be rid of. Be nice to people. Blow off your stem in constructive ways. Avoid coercion. Foster love.
In fact, if you get good enough, you will start noticing that you still leave footprints, but that your influence has been for the better. Instead of leaving trash, you inspire others to pick up trash. Rather than burdening your fellow humans, you enable them to become great.
Pay attention to your consumption. Tread lightly with soft shoes and dainty steps. But when its comes to doing good... skip rambunctiously and dance with abandon in the clompiset boots you can tie to your feet.
Your influence is a given. The question, then, becomes what kind of footprints you will leave behind.
Footprints, in many ways, are bad. Treading roughly on the surface of our planet has implications in this modern world that never concerned our forefathers. Excessive burning of fossil fuels, irresponsible dumping, careless contamination, and decadent consumption commingle into a kind of footprint violently stomped onto the face of our world.
Similarly, our impact in the human world can be less than admirable. Our attitude and conscientiousness impinges on the people in our lives, be they loved ones or strangers. The metaphor carries pretty well. Are you responsible for your emotional dumping? Do you mindless of your affective contaminants? Fill your soul with vitriol, and you will find your infulence on others tend toward the caustic.
What to do? Reduce your negative impact! Use fewer resources. Rely on more renewable energies. Simplify your needs. Reuse things. Recycle what you must be rid of. Be nice to people. Blow off your stem in constructive ways. Avoid coercion. Foster love.
In fact, if you get good enough, you will start noticing that you still leave footprints, but that your influence has been for the better. Instead of leaving trash, you inspire others to pick up trash. Rather than burdening your fellow humans, you enable them to become great.
Pay attention to your consumption. Tread lightly with soft shoes and dainty steps. But when its comes to doing good... skip rambunctiously and dance with abandon in the clompiset boots you can tie to your feet.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Rationalism and Empiricism
Rationalism is the philosophical notion that claims the most reliable path to knowledge is through reflection. Humans, the rationalist says, have a special faculty that allows them to access the truth of things through contemplation.
Empiricism, on the other hand, claims that knowledge is best attained through use of the senses. Most empiricists see evaluation of the world through systematic observation the road to meaningful and reliable beliefs.
These two ideologies have dominated many discussions concerning knowledge. Rationalists tend to have a metaphysical leaning, while empiricists lean toward the scientific. The discipline of philosophy has rigorously teased out the many and sundry nuances of these positions and the many that surround this discourse. If your interested, I suggest you wade in and get your feet wet.
But for the sake of this conversation, I would like to disentangle these two beautiful methods from the fights they so often face. Seeking the greatest good requires the engagement of both truth finding mechanisms. It goes something like this....
Experience via your senses the world around you.
Reflect on what occurred. Organize your thoughts.
Go out again. See what is the same and what has changed.
Reflect again. Start to develop a sense of what is real. Weigh this against your deeply held intuitions.
Evaluate your sensations based on this inner conclusion. Do they live up to it, or go beyond?
Reconsider, reevaluate.
Knowing what is real, start looking for what is out of place.
Check these against your conscience.
Investigate the mechanisms that cause these events.
Imagine a solution.
Identify the resources that can serve your cause.
Resolve yourself to act.
Attend to the world as you act, and react as it presents new challenges.
---
Both the rationalist and empiricist approach is needed to accomplish moral action. They simply serve different roles, answering their own questions. Different kinds of truth need different kinds of proof. An empiricist who rejects rationalism can collect data, but never evaluate it, as the intellectual tools of science are ultimately rational constructions and processes. Similarly, a rationalist who rejects empiricism can imagine, but can never really comment on the world they lost contact with in their contemplation.
As a moral agent, you must attend to both your senses and your intuition. Your senses are a great indicator of what is real. Your intuition is a great indicator of what is good. Working in tandem, these two intellectual virtues complement each other beautifully.
Empiricism, on the other hand, claims that knowledge is best attained through use of the senses. Most empiricists see evaluation of the world through systematic observation the road to meaningful and reliable beliefs.
These two ideologies have dominated many discussions concerning knowledge. Rationalists tend to have a metaphysical leaning, while empiricists lean toward the scientific. The discipline of philosophy has rigorously teased out the many and sundry nuances of these positions and the many that surround this discourse. If your interested, I suggest you wade in and get your feet wet.
But for the sake of this conversation, I would like to disentangle these two beautiful methods from the fights they so often face. Seeking the greatest good requires the engagement of both truth finding mechanisms. It goes something like this....
Experience via your senses the world around you.
Reflect on what occurred. Organize your thoughts.
Go out again. See what is the same and what has changed.
Reflect again. Start to develop a sense of what is real. Weigh this against your deeply held intuitions.
Evaluate your sensations based on this inner conclusion. Do they live up to it, or go beyond?
Reconsider, reevaluate.
Knowing what is real, start looking for what is out of place.
Check these against your conscience.
Investigate the mechanisms that cause these events.
Imagine a solution.
Identify the resources that can serve your cause.
Resolve yourself to act.
Attend to the world as you act, and react as it presents new challenges.
---
Both the rationalist and empiricist approach is needed to accomplish moral action. They simply serve different roles, answering their own questions. Different kinds of truth need different kinds of proof. An empiricist who rejects rationalism can collect data, but never evaluate it, as the intellectual tools of science are ultimately rational constructions and processes. Similarly, a rationalist who rejects empiricism can imagine, but can never really comment on the world they lost contact with in their contemplation.
As a moral agent, you must attend to both your senses and your intuition. Your senses are a great indicator of what is real. Your intuition is a great indicator of what is good. Working in tandem, these two intellectual virtues complement each other beautifully.
The Seat of Sin
Why do people do wrong?
The simple answer is because they are bad. For one reason or another, they choose immoral activity. Where then does the responsibility lay? On them.
But look a little closer. An astute observer starts seeing environmental trends. It seems social forces have a powerful impact on the way people live. It seems responsibility is a trickier subject in light of sociological factors.
Now, some people choose a strong side on this issue, defending either the idea of personal responsibility or social factors. Truth is, in almost all situations both are playing a role. Sure, there are some cases so heinous and without provocation that it is clearly the sin of the person, and some environments so caustic that it is clearly the sin of the situation. But most situations rest in the realm of both.
This duality of the seat of sin teaches us important things. On the one hand, don't be quick to judge, for you know not the pressures on the person who has fallen. But on the other, do not eliminate the role of the individual in the outcome of their actions. There has always been a struggle between that which comes down upon us and that which flows up out of us.
This dual truth also bifurcates our constructive actions. We must strive to eliminate the systematic, environmental, economic, social, political, cultural and community mechanisms that strain the harmony of goods. But we must also inspire individual people to take responsibility for their actions, bring them into a clarity of being that can get beyond the immoral implications of their surroundings.
The simple answer is because they are bad. For one reason or another, they choose immoral activity. Where then does the responsibility lay? On them.
But look a little closer. An astute observer starts seeing environmental trends. It seems social forces have a powerful impact on the way people live. It seems responsibility is a trickier subject in light of sociological factors.
Now, some people choose a strong side on this issue, defending either the idea of personal responsibility or social factors. Truth is, in almost all situations both are playing a role. Sure, there are some cases so heinous and without provocation that it is clearly the sin of the person, and some environments so caustic that it is clearly the sin of the situation. But most situations rest in the realm of both.
This duality of the seat of sin teaches us important things. On the one hand, don't be quick to judge, for you know not the pressures on the person who has fallen. But on the other, do not eliminate the role of the individual in the outcome of their actions. There has always been a struggle between that which comes down upon us and that which flows up out of us.
This dual truth also bifurcates our constructive actions. We must strive to eliminate the systematic, environmental, economic, social, political, cultural and community mechanisms that strain the harmony of goods. But we must also inspire individual people to take responsibility for their actions, bring them into a clarity of being that can get beyond the immoral implications of their surroundings.
The Unstoppable Truth
The great teacher Socrates believed that if someone knew right from wrong, there would be no way they would choose the wrong path. Ignorance was the cause of immoral action. His argument goes something like this: 1.) each person is one thing, 2.) to know goodness is to be aligned one way, 3.) to do bad is to be aligned another way, 4.) one thing cannot be aligned two ways, therefore people cannot know good and do bad.
This position has been blasted as being horribly shortsighted concerning human nature. Humans are often of two minds, feeling one way for some reasons and feeling another way for others. It seems that his view rejects temptations, moral confusion, and uncertainty. Most people reject the first premise.
While I would agree to the complexities of people, I think Socrates may still have been on to something. He believed that knowing the truth would prevent immoral behavior. Is it possible that this statement was true for him? Lets look a little closer.
Socrates was a highly contemplative man, who was known for entering fugue states where he reflected deeply. This was not a man with a casual approach toward knowledge. Also, he claimed to have a voice that would speak to him with clarity. He believed this voice to be external to himself, and of supernatural origin. As a thinker, he had a very rigorous standard for knowledge, claiming that true knowledge had to be right and non accidental, with the idea in intimate relation with the truth in the world.
One possibility is that Socrates is a more powerful thinker than we who reject his notion. Is it not possible that through rigorous contemplation he effectively welded his motivations, aesthetics, and moralities into a immovable piece. It may be true of such a thinker that they can be of only one mind.
I also think that his daemon, the voice that spoke to him, may have played a valuable role. Such powerful divine experiences have a way of unifying the spirit of the one who witnesses them. Perhaps he was permeated by an unquestionable truth leading to an undeniable set of actions. A truth more powerful than our petty human temptations and confusions.
Under this construction there is a higher form of knowing, a more intimate orientation toward the truth. Those defending the Socratic "knowledge leads to goodness" argument would retort to the "splintered nature of the person" counterpoint and say, "The one who is splintered clearly doesn't truly know." This is a more robust knowing than is often discussed in purely academic traditions. It is not, however, a stranger to the student of theology.
This morality motivating knowledge is basically a kind of theological awareness, a fusion of head and heart knowledge that changes the way the thinker experiences the world. Some truths, when fully grasped, are nothing short of transformative. These unstoppable truths are huge ideas, moving glacierally through consciousness, shaping swaths of behavior and ideologies in their wake.
And yes, they are likely to be supernatural mental experiences. Moments where the dross of your own wondering is impossibly purified into a artifact of otherly wisdom. Moments where the branches of your ancient and deeply rooted assumptions snap under the cluttered mass of ivy ideologies, and a beam of true light cuts through your green and stifled dimness and touches the floor of your mind.
Even if this has never happened to you all at once, it most likely has happened by slow growings. Look into the eyes of your most beloved, the one you know the best and strive to know even better, and tell me that true knowing doesn't motivate moral action.
As Socrates would have it, it is when we loose sight of the truth that we do ill. If this is indeed the case, strive to know the world, its people, and all things as well as you can. See them as thought they were illuminated by the light of their own good, and be open to the transformation that is likely to follow exposing yourself to the truth.
This position has been blasted as being horribly shortsighted concerning human nature. Humans are often of two minds, feeling one way for some reasons and feeling another way for others. It seems that his view rejects temptations, moral confusion, and uncertainty. Most people reject the first premise.
While I would agree to the complexities of people, I think Socrates may still have been on to something. He believed that knowing the truth would prevent immoral behavior. Is it possible that this statement was true for him? Lets look a little closer.
Socrates was a highly contemplative man, who was known for entering fugue states where he reflected deeply. This was not a man with a casual approach toward knowledge. Also, he claimed to have a voice that would speak to him with clarity. He believed this voice to be external to himself, and of supernatural origin. As a thinker, he had a very rigorous standard for knowledge, claiming that true knowledge had to be right and non accidental, with the idea in intimate relation with the truth in the world.
One possibility is that Socrates is a more powerful thinker than we who reject his notion. Is it not possible that through rigorous contemplation he effectively welded his motivations, aesthetics, and moralities into a immovable piece. It may be true of such a thinker that they can be of only one mind.
I also think that his daemon, the voice that spoke to him, may have played a valuable role. Such powerful divine experiences have a way of unifying the spirit of the one who witnesses them. Perhaps he was permeated by an unquestionable truth leading to an undeniable set of actions. A truth more powerful than our petty human temptations and confusions.
Under this construction there is a higher form of knowing, a more intimate orientation toward the truth. Those defending the Socratic "knowledge leads to goodness" argument would retort to the "splintered nature of the person" counterpoint and say, "The one who is splintered clearly doesn't truly know." This is a more robust knowing than is often discussed in purely academic traditions. It is not, however, a stranger to the student of theology.
This morality motivating knowledge is basically a kind of theological awareness, a fusion of head and heart knowledge that changes the way the thinker experiences the world. Some truths, when fully grasped, are nothing short of transformative. These unstoppable truths are huge ideas, moving glacierally through consciousness, shaping swaths of behavior and ideologies in their wake.
And yes, they are likely to be supernatural mental experiences. Moments where the dross of your own wondering is impossibly purified into a artifact of otherly wisdom. Moments where the branches of your ancient and deeply rooted assumptions snap under the cluttered mass of ivy ideologies, and a beam of true light cuts through your green and stifled dimness and touches the floor of your mind.
Even if this has never happened to you all at once, it most likely has happened by slow growings. Look into the eyes of your most beloved, the one you know the best and strive to know even better, and tell me that true knowing doesn't motivate moral action.
As Socrates would have it, it is when we loose sight of the truth that we do ill. If this is indeed the case, strive to know the world, its people, and all things as well as you can. See them as thought they were illuminated by the light of their own good, and be open to the transformation that is likely to follow exposing yourself to the truth.
Day 78
Alrighty.
Been at this for about two and a half months. Pulled down a lot of work in August, averaging one a day, fewer in September, up a bit now in October. In 78 days there have been 57 posts, ranging from a paragraph to a few pages in length.
Just backed up the writing on a word document... and was a bit surprised to find that it totals 60 pages, nearly 25,000 words. The formatting is a bit strange, single spaced but with bits of the blog stuck between entries. In addition, the writing style is more paragraph broken than a usual text. It ends up being about 80 pages in a more traditional format. If I wrote at this pace till next August, that would be 100,000 words... 320 pages.
Yikes.
We may be getting somewhere.
Been at this for about two and a half months. Pulled down a lot of work in August, averaging one a day, fewer in September, up a bit now in October. In 78 days there have been 57 posts, ranging from a paragraph to a few pages in length.
Just backed up the writing on a word document... and was a bit surprised to find that it totals 60 pages, nearly 25,000 words. The formatting is a bit strange, single spaced but with bits of the blog stuck between entries. In addition, the writing style is more paragraph broken than a usual text. It ends up being about 80 pages in a more traditional format. If I wrote at this pace till next August, that would be 100,000 words... 320 pages.
Yikes.
We may be getting somewhere.
Sacrifice
There are things in the world that are more important than me. There are things more important than you.
Get this.
Get this into your head.
Without this one, the rest of this crap won't make any sense. Your thoughts, while cute and perhaps profound, are whips in the face of the suffering of the starving. Your amusement, while charming and at times worthy, is a shallow pursuit when compared to your sacred birthrights. Your comfort, while warm and ultimately beautiful, pales when compared to the good that you are capable of unleashing in the world.
It all boils down to sacrifice. The world is not perfect yet. Perfectly journeying toward perfection, maybe, but not yet. When all is set right, all goods will be in perfect alignment, and the attainment of all will be but one step away. But not yet.
Face it. You are not the most important thing in world, you aren't even the most important thing in your life. Look around. Your friends, family, children, the children of others... We can amplify voices long unheard, fight for rights long unhad, build things of lasting truth and beauty.
Fuck, lets not sugar coat it with poetry either. There are things worth dying for... causes that will ask from you the ultimate price. Will you pretend you are the centerpiece of your life, and hesitate to lay yourself down for a friend? Will your lover and children go unprotected from the slings of the world?
Diminish. Don't think less of yourself. Think more of that which surrounds you. You don't need to hate yourself to serve. Don't give yourself heaps of gold stars, either, but don't waste your breath with self pity. Rather, fill your lungs with songs of the beauty of the people and moments that make your life worth living. You are a tiny moment in time. That only makes you insignificant if you cling to yourself. A speck of matter and movement, trying to hand itself satisfaction, pathetically struggling for the prestige of not being tossed about by the mighty torrent of all creation.
Give it up. Give up your quest to making yourself worthy. Cling instead to the things of worth around you. Hand them satisfaction. Struggle to keep their wellbeing afloat that endless flood.
May the blood in my veins water your fields and my tears season your food. And when my body has failed, till it into the soil so life may spring from me in the end.
Serve, even unto your death. It's not something we talk about much these days. Sacrifice, it seems, is a fruit just a bit too bitter. Be reminded. It is a fruit. There are beautiful glories in moments of brokenness. The realization that your works have contributed for the good. The peace of knowing that nothing else could have been done.
But best of all... best of all has got to be the love. I've never felt more love than in those moments of sacrifice. You see in perfect clarity the beauty of the thing you exalted with your service, and an unbreakable spiritual bond wells up between you. Sure it takes compassion and love to give, but it is only in giving that our eyes see mercifully by the light of love.
What now? Start looking for the world about you that dwarfs your significance, and start identifying in yourself the inseparable and necessary tools hidden within you by a brilliant creator. Let them out! Foster your spirit and give. Live out the sweaty, teary, and bloody life that lies ahead of those who sacrifice and serve.
It will be hardest thing you ever do. And yet, once you get started, you might just find that seeking your easy life while pretending of your great importance was much more taxing by far.
Get this.
Get this into your head.
Without this one, the rest of this crap won't make any sense. Your thoughts, while cute and perhaps profound, are whips in the face of the suffering of the starving. Your amusement, while charming and at times worthy, is a shallow pursuit when compared to your sacred birthrights. Your comfort, while warm and ultimately beautiful, pales when compared to the good that you are capable of unleashing in the world.
It all boils down to sacrifice. The world is not perfect yet. Perfectly journeying toward perfection, maybe, but not yet. When all is set right, all goods will be in perfect alignment, and the attainment of all will be but one step away. But not yet.
Face it. You are not the most important thing in world, you aren't even the most important thing in your life. Look around. Your friends, family, children, the children of others... We can amplify voices long unheard, fight for rights long unhad, build things of lasting truth and beauty.
Fuck, lets not sugar coat it with poetry either. There are things worth dying for... causes that will ask from you the ultimate price. Will you pretend you are the centerpiece of your life, and hesitate to lay yourself down for a friend? Will your lover and children go unprotected from the slings of the world?
Diminish. Don't think less of yourself. Think more of that which surrounds you. You don't need to hate yourself to serve. Don't give yourself heaps of gold stars, either, but don't waste your breath with self pity. Rather, fill your lungs with songs of the beauty of the people and moments that make your life worth living. You are a tiny moment in time. That only makes you insignificant if you cling to yourself. A speck of matter and movement, trying to hand itself satisfaction, pathetically struggling for the prestige of not being tossed about by the mighty torrent of all creation.
Give it up. Give up your quest to making yourself worthy. Cling instead to the things of worth around you. Hand them satisfaction. Struggle to keep their wellbeing afloat that endless flood.
May the blood in my veins water your fields and my tears season your food. And when my body has failed, till it into the soil so life may spring from me in the end.
Serve, even unto your death. It's not something we talk about much these days. Sacrifice, it seems, is a fruit just a bit too bitter. Be reminded. It is a fruit. There are beautiful glories in moments of brokenness. The realization that your works have contributed for the good. The peace of knowing that nothing else could have been done.
But best of all... best of all has got to be the love. I've never felt more love than in those moments of sacrifice. You see in perfect clarity the beauty of the thing you exalted with your service, and an unbreakable spiritual bond wells up between you. Sure it takes compassion and love to give, but it is only in giving that our eyes see mercifully by the light of love.
What now? Start looking for the world about you that dwarfs your significance, and start identifying in yourself the inseparable and necessary tools hidden within you by a brilliant creator. Let them out! Foster your spirit and give. Live out the sweaty, teary, and bloody life that lies ahead of those who sacrifice and serve.
It will be hardest thing you ever do. And yet, once you get started, you might just find that seeking your easy life while pretending of your great importance was much more taxing by far.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
The Heavenly Now
I try not to worry much about heaven.
Its not that I don't think it exists. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. It's more that it doesn't really matter one way or the other.
See, if it doesn't, I have nothing to worry about. All the good I've ever done I was immediately rewarded in gratitude and often with showings of universal coincidences. So, if there is no eternal reward, I won't be bummed or feel cheated. I already got more than I could have ever asked for the good that I did hoping for nothing in return.
And if it does... well, there is still not much call in fretting about it. Engaging in altruism for the sake of perfect reward never set well with me.
Here's the thing. The nature of the afterlife is unknown to me. What I do know, on the other hand, is the infinity that lurks within every moment of now. Hiding beneath every instant, sometimes deeply, sometimes just below the surface, is the eternity of being, the endless ecstatic truth that roars in every direction unceasingly. This infinity may not be endless historically speaking, but it does go on forever in space, and feels, at least to me, to be a perfectly representative pause of creation, making it at least timeless in its uniqueness.
I have lived only a handful of such moments, but I've lived by far enough of them to count myself among the very lucky and make me feel like I have lived forever. At least, lived in a moment that went on forever. It's not exactly an afterlife, no. Its something else. Its a nowlife. Instead of looking forward, its more a matter of inward and outward.
Don't get me wrong. I'll serve the coming kingdom as best I can. I just choose to do it now.
Its not that I don't think it exists. Maybe it does. Maybe it doesn't. It's more that it doesn't really matter one way or the other.
See, if it doesn't, I have nothing to worry about. All the good I've ever done I was immediately rewarded in gratitude and often with showings of universal coincidences. So, if there is no eternal reward, I won't be bummed or feel cheated. I already got more than I could have ever asked for the good that I did hoping for nothing in return.
And if it does... well, there is still not much call in fretting about it. Engaging in altruism for the sake of perfect reward never set well with me.
Here's the thing. The nature of the afterlife is unknown to me. What I do know, on the other hand, is the infinity that lurks within every moment of now. Hiding beneath every instant, sometimes deeply, sometimes just below the surface, is the eternity of being, the endless ecstatic truth that roars in every direction unceasingly. This infinity may not be endless historically speaking, but it does go on forever in space, and feels, at least to me, to be a perfectly representative pause of creation, making it at least timeless in its uniqueness.
I have lived only a handful of such moments, but I've lived by far enough of them to count myself among the very lucky and make me feel like I have lived forever. At least, lived in a moment that went on forever. It's not exactly an afterlife, no. Its something else. Its a nowlife. Instead of looking forward, its more a matter of inward and outward.
Don't get me wrong. I'll serve the coming kingdom as best I can. I just choose to do it now.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Pragmatism and Hidden Value
Philosophically speaking, don't trust someone claiming to be a pragmatist. They aren't one.
Almost every student of philosophy is lured by the appeal of a pragmatic ideology. Throw away having to defend one idea or another, and instead rely on what works. Just believe what lets you do what works.
But here's the catch. What works is relative. What is effective and efficient is culturally and situationally bound. Check out any culture, and you find underlying values that help shape the manifestation of and assign meaning to the behaviors of the culture's people. So what works, while it sounds prima facia to be a simple application of common sense, is actually an expression of deeply seated normative assumptions.
Said another way, pragmatists still have value directing their ideology. They just hid it behind their culture.
Almost every student of philosophy is lured by the appeal of a pragmatic ideology. Throw away having to defend one idea or another, and instead rely on what works. Just believe what lets you do what works.
But here's the catch. What works is relative. What is effective and efficient is culturally and situationally bound. Check out any culture, and you find underlying values that help shape the manifestation of and assign meaning to the behaviors of the culture's people. So what works, while it sounds prima facia to be a simple application of common sense, is actually an expression of deeply seated normative assumptions.
Said another way, pragmatists still have value directing their ideology. They just hid it behind their culture.
Proof?
Many skeptics want proof in the existence of God. What is the fuss, they ask, if no certainty can be had? They ever seek the that undeniable confidence in divine reality.
But do they really want it? Really? Proof? Beyond a shadow of a doubt?
Honestly, proof scares me a little. I would have to change my whole life in a permanent and drastic fashion.
Sometimes I wonder if the endless search for proof isn't actually the reverse, a confident assertion of uncertainty. Deities with uncertain existences can be kept at arms length.
But do they really want it? Really? Proof? Beyond a shadow of a doubt?
Honestly, proof scares me a little. I would have to change my whole life in a permanent and drastic fashion.
Sometimes I wonder if the endless search for proof isn't actually the reverse, a confident assertion of uncertainty. Deities with uncertain existences can be kept at arms length.
The Value of Virtue
When I sacrifice, I do for another at cost to myself.
But trust me, I get plenty in return.
When I sacrifice, I am acutely aware of the things I have left to be grateful for.
The pain is ordered by purpose, which fills me with satisfaction, not suffering.
The intentionality sharpens my awareness to the situation at hand.
The act reifies my priorities, making my love for the thing easier to experience.
Virtue, it seems, is its own reward.
But trust me, I get plenty in return.
When I sacrifice, I am acutely aware of the things I have left to be grateful for.
The pain is ordered by purpose, which fills me with satisfaction, not suffering.
The intentionality sharpens my awareness to the situation at hand.
The act reifies my priorities, making my love for the thing easier to experience.
Virtue, it seems, is its own reward.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
Whatever works for you...
It is a very fashionable thing to view religion as beyond any evaluation, with the causal phrase, "Whatever works for you..."
Now, I would like to make it clear that I am a staunch advocate of openness, and that those people who outwardly judge or even subtly judge should move on to more productive and loving activities. But there are two great dangers to dismissing another religion so casually.
The first is that you may legitimize evil behavior! Just because an attitude of violence moves out of religious grounds does not make it justified. Of course, the morality question gets very difficult when dealing across faiths. But even still, an emotional barometer usually gives a basic sense of a warped value system.
But perhaps more dangerous than the admission of evil is the apathy toward good. "Whatever works for you..." can be rephrased, "Go see God wherever you can." Here's the thing. If they really do see God there, and God really happens to be there, then why can't you?
It is the great pleasure of my life to seek God always. Why would I systematically write off many divine experiences by blithely attributing them to someone else's world? Shouldn't I strive to see God there as well?
Look for the presence of God in all things whole, and see the moving power of God's plan in all things broken.
Now, I would like to make it clear that I am a staunch advocate of openness, and that those people who outwardly judge or even subtly judge should move on to more productive and loving activities. But there are two great dangers to dismissing another religion so casually.
The first is that you may legitimize evil behavior! Just because an attitude of violence moves out of religious grounds does not make it justified. Of course, the morality question gets very difficult when dealing across faiths. But even still, an emotional barometer usually gives a basic sense of a warped value system.
But perhaps more dangerous than the admission of evil is the apathy toward good. "Whatever works for you..." can be rephrased, "Go see God wherever you can." Here's the thing. If they really do see God there, and God really happens to be there, then why can't you?
It is the great pleasure of my life to seek God always. Why would I systematically write off many divine experiences by blithely attributing them to someone else's world? Shouldn't I strive to see God there as well?
Look for the presence of God in all things whole, and see the moving power of God's plan in all things broken.
Do unto others...
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.
Works, but it fails when you realize that different people need different things. You might want people to be blunt with you, but that may be the worst way of relating to certain kinds of folks.
So, perhaps a reversal.
Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves.
Better. Admits to the failing of a self focused metric. Only problem here is that some people foster quite a bit of ill will toward themselves, so they aren't always the most reliable stewards of their wellbeing.
It seems a corollary is in order for those who diminish their own significance.
Do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you.
Pretty good, as many who harm themselves desire good treatment from others. It of course, only works if you want people to treat you well. Those who seek abuse would be led astray.
Ahhh! Its kinda like moral chaos around here. My suggestion?
Do. Do as though there was no difference in value between yourself, others, and divine work that created it all.
Works, but it fails when you realize that different people need different things. You might want people to be blunt with you, but that may be the worst way of relating to certain kinds of folks.
So, perhaps a reversal.
Do unto others as they would have done unto themselves.
Better. Admits to the failing of a self focused metric. Only problem here is that some people foster quite a bit of ill will toward themselves, so they aren't always the most reliable stewards of their wellbeing.
It seems a corollary is in order for those who diminish their own significance.
Do unto yourself as you would have others do unto you.
Pretty good, as many who harm themselves desire good treatment from others. It of course, only works if you want people to treat you well. Those who seek abuse would be led astray.
Ahhh! Its kinda like moral chaos around here. My suggestion?
Do. Do as though there was no difference in value between yourself, others, and divine work that created it all.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Who paid for my shirt?
Well, I did, I suppose. That's what makes it mine.
Maybe it was a present. That's right. Got this shirt at Christmas. So, yeah, the person who gave it to me paid for it.
How much did it cost? Five bucks.
Now, as a person who makes clothing from time to time, you could never pay me five bucks to make a shirt. Heck, that's basically what the materials cost plus twenty three cents. Go try it yourself. You'll get poked, frustrated, and screw up enough times to make it way more than five dollars worth of effort (way more than twenty three cents worth, especially!). Even if you learn a few tricks to streamline the process, you usually end up under some kind of time crunch that guarantees the stress level of the project.
So, how did I get it for five bucks, anyway?
Easy. Someone got paid twenty three cents to make it. Chances are the company that pays its workers in such a way isn't going to splurge on AC or heath care. If it's cheaper than you would have been willing to do it for... it was either 1.) made by a machine, 2.) made by a person who loves what they do, or 3.) made by someone who is forced into a lawful slavery by situations being exploited by companies striving to lower production spending by externalizing costs.
So, who really paid for my shirt? It may have cost me $5, but it, along with its brethren, cost someone their health, rights, and human dignity.
I'm hesitant to even call it mine.
Maybe it was a present. That's right. Got this shirt at Christmas. So, yeah, the person who gave it to me paid for it.
How much did it cost? Five bucks.
Now, as a person who makes clothing from time to time, you could never pay me five bucks to make a shirt. Heck, that's basically what the materials cost plus twenty three cents. Go try it yourself. You'll get poked, frustrated, and screw up enough times to make it way more than five dollars worth of effort (way more than twenty three cents worth, especially!). Even if you learn a few tricks to streamline the process, you usually end up under some kind of time crunch that guarantees the stress level of the project.
So, how did I get it for five bucks, anyway?
Easy. Someone got paid twenty three cents to make it. Chances are the company that pays its workers in such a way isn't going to splurge on AC or heath care. If it's cheaper than you would have been willing to do it for... it was either 1.) made by a machine, 2.) made by a person who loves what they do, or 3.) made by someone who is forced into a lawful slavery by situations being exploited by companies striving to lower production spending by externalizing costs.
So, who really paid for my shirt? It may have cost me $5, but it, along with its brethren, cost someone their health, rights, and human dignity.
I'm hesitant to even call it mine.
10% God's
Christ told a lot of stories. He wove a lot of metaphors. Seeds on the soil. Prodigal sons. Vinyards, lambs, fish, lamps, treasures, camels. Jesus was always good for a story.
But when he said give away all you have and follow me, was that a metaphor? Was it his way of saying you should give up everything in your heart, and only love him? Was it a story about the man who gave up everything and followed him... teaching some other lesson?
I suspect not. He said it to a real person. A rich guy, who happened to be holy and good, who only had one last lesson to learn. Give it up. Follow.
Give it all up? I struggle with 10%! I don't know where the concept of 10% came from... but I've never managed to give away 10% of all I have. Sure, 10% of my time. That's kind of a tall order... 2.4 hours a day in service of others... but do-able. But I've never managed to make that shift to money and things.
And even if I succeed, what then? Can I then rest, knowing I've gone above and beyond? Paid my moral debt? Shouldn't what I give be based on, I don't know, what the world needs? Not some 10% rule? Hell, is 10% enough?
How much of what is mine mine? 90%? How much do I belong to God and the people around me? 10%? Perhaps I should give 90%, and keep 10% for myself. That sounds a lot more reflective of the reality of the situation. My success is about .5% my effort, with the other 99.5% being shared between the support of the people in my life, the systems in place within society, and the gifts given to me by the universe. Don't know if I can swing living on .5%. Not a bad goal, though.
Maybe I'll start with living on 10%.
But when he said give away all you have and follow me, was that a metaphor? Was it his way of saying you should give up everything in your heart, and only love him? Was it a story about the man who gave up everything and followed him... teaching some other lesson?
I suspect not. He said it to a real person. A rich guy, who happened to be holy and good, who only had one last lesson to learn. Give it up. Follow.
Give it all up? I struggle with 10%! I don't know where the concept of 10% came from... but I've never managed to give away 10% of all I have. Sure, 10% of my time. That's kind of a tall order... 2.4 hours a day in service of others... but do-able. But I've never managed to make that shift to money and things.
And even if I succeed, what then? Can I then rest, knowing I've gone above and beyond? Paid my moral debt? Shouldn't what I give be based on, I don't know, what the world needs? Not some 10% rule? Hell, is 10% enough?
How much of what is mine mine? 90%? How much do I belong to God and the people around me? 10%? Perhaps I should give 90%, and keep 10% for myself. That sounds a lot more reflective of the reality of the situation. My success is about .5% my effort, with the other 99.5% being shared between the support of the people in my life, the systems in place within society, and the gifts given to me by the universe. Don't know if I can swing living on .5%. Not a bad goal, though.
Maybe I'll start with living on 10%.
Delusions of Insignificance
Sometimes when I think about all the good I can do, I feel like I'm having delusions of grander. Me, save the world? Me, give up my things and serve the poor? Me?
When I talk to other people about such things, I get varied responses. Some think its neat that I believe in a better world. Some think I'm a loony. I've had people say, "I don't think that's what healthy people would do."
Now, there is a very fair point here. If I am striving to be the greatest, or do the greatest, beyond that of my fellow humans... well, then I do have a problem. If I want to save the world alone, or even as a member of a small group, then I do have a problem. Doing great things... to become great... that's arrogance.
But what if I want to become just enough to do all the greatness I can? What if I do everything I can to save the world, and work with everyone else in the world to get there? Is it arrogance to believe that I have a tiny part to play, and that I devote everything that I am to playing it as well as I can?
That we each have an irreplaceable role in the flourishing of the world is only a delusion if it isn't true. In fact, if it's true that we all have a role to play in the betterment of all, then there is another delusion going on here.
The delusion of insignificance. I believe that the truth if it its this: each of us is here to perform a lifetime of tiny miracles, all culminating as the greatest possible act of the greatest possible good. I believe that those who see themselves as powerless, pointless, or made to serve themselves are the ones with the delusion. Sometimes it flows from selfishness, laziness, cynicism and greed. Other times this delusion created for us by those who fill us with doubt, insecurity, and fear. Don't look down on those who live in the phantasm of purposelessness. It may not be any failing of their own that they see the world in such a way. (Now, it may be their failing also. Pay close attention.) But whatever the cause, rather than judge, do your best to foster the reality of the situation.
We are here to do great good.
When I talk to other people about such things, I get varied responses. Some think its neat that I believe in a better world. Some think I'm a loony. I've had people say, "I don't think that's what healthy people would do."
Now, there is a very fair point here. If I am striving to be the greatest, or do the greatest, beyond that of my fellow humans... well, then I do have a problem. If I want to save the world alone, or even as a member of a small group, then I do have a problem. Doing great things... to become great... that's arrogance.
But what if I want to become just enough to do all the greatness I can? What if I do everything I can to save the world, and work with everyone else in the world to get there? Is it arrogance to believe that I have a tiny part to play, and that I devote everything that I am to playing it as well as I can?
That we each have an irreplaceable role in the flourishing of the world is only a delusion if it isn't true. In fact, if it's true that we all have a role to play in the betterment of all, then there is another delusion going on here.
The delusion of insignificance. I believe that the truth if it its this: each of us is here to perform a lifetime of tiny miracles, all culminating as the greatest possible act of the greatest possible good. I believe that those who see themselves as powerless, pointless, or made to serve themselves are the ones with the delusion. Sometimes it flows from selfishness, laziness, cynicism and greed. Other times this delusion created for us by those who fill us with doubt, insecurity, and fear. Don't look down on those who live in the phantasm of purposelessness. It may not be any failing of their own that they see the world in such a way. (Now, it may be their failing also. Pay close attention.) But whatever the cause, rather than judge, do your best to foster the reality of the situation.
We are here to do great good.
Systems and Abstraction
Systems are useful. They organize and streamline human efforts. With good systems, impossibly large tasks can be accomplished.
Moral pursuits are no exception. Organizing the world in a more moral way is a noble and powerful pursuit. We want our acts of service to be effective, so efficiency is no enemy to goodness.
But beware. Systems also abstract the elements of the system from one another. They isolate on side from the other, using channels and intermediaries to achieve connection. While this can have a streamlining effect, it can also distance people from each other in dangerous ways.
Give money to organizations that serve the poor. But also, go down and ask a poor person what they need, and then make it or buy it for them.
Vote for bills that support education. But also, tutor some kids in subjects they don't understand.
Never loose sight of the fact that we are called to see the world with compassion, not strategy. Don't loose sight of the power of merciful actions. We are called to have the hands of the divine. It is great to support good.
You should also go into the actual world and do some, too.
Moral pursuits are no exception. Organizing the world in a more moral way is a noble and powerful pursuit. We want our acts of service to be effective, so efficiency is no enemy to goodness.
But beware. Systems also abstract the elements of the system from one another. They isolate on side from the other, using channels and intermediaries to achieve connection. While this can have a streamlining effect, it can also distance people from each other in dangerous ways.
Give money to organizations that serve the poor. But also, go down and ask a poor person what they need, and then make it or buy it for them.
Vote for bills that support education. But also, tutor some kids in subjects they don't understand.
Never loose sight of the fact that we are called to see the world with compassion, not strategy. Don't loose sight of the power of merciful actions. We are called to have the hands of the divine. It is great to support good.
You should also go into the actual world and do some, too.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Deserving Love
Does anyone deserve unconditional love?
By most standards, a decent person deserves to be treated decently. Through right action, we reason, the decent person earns the right, attains the merit, of being treated decently in return. This is basic reciprocity, a major and virtuous building block of civilization. (Sad to say, not all of societal cornerstones are so virtuous. Most societies I know of also have a foundation in oppression and exploitation of marginalized groups. Anyway.)
Reciprocity. We behave in a particular way in good faith that we will be treated reciprocally. When answering the worth question, the "Do they deserve it?" question, the answer it very simply, "Did they do it first?" Worthy of respect? If you are respectful. Worthy of a fair shot? If you are fair, also. Should I be violent to you? Only if you are violent to me. By our actions we earn and loose civil consideration.
But what about love? More to the point, what about unconditional, overwhelming, unstoppable love, the kind that moves beyond life and death, time and space, self and other? Following the rule of reciprocity, the answer is simple. If someone is capable of loving unconditionally, they should be loved unconditionally. Wait. What?
If I love someone unconditionally only as long as he or she loves me unconditionally... what happens if he or she stops? I... stop? That sounds like my love is quite conditional, as if it hinges on the ability of the other to love me too.
It would seem that unconditional love breaks the rule of reciprocity. Its unconditional, meaning that there is no condition that would prevent it, no strings attached, no backdoor clauses. In essence, its not the sort of thing that can be earned, because it cannot be lost.
Put another way, we don't deserve to be loved unconditionally because it is a perfect gift to an imperfect person. That is of course, the reason the unconditional part got added. Its precisely because people mess up from time to time that the an unconditional love is so meaningful.
So, that's settled. No, we don't deserve it, and neither do the people in our lives deserve it from us.
But does that mean we shouldn't do it? Should we strive to love without ceasing our undeserving neighbor? Should we accept their unstoppable love as it cares for our undeserving selves?
We are moving a bit out of step with many interpersonal ethical standards, which tend to determine the treatment of others by assigning merit. The contemplation of the greatest good, on the other hand, asks, "What is the right state of the universe?" This question is a bit different than deserving.
Is it my right state to be loved? I should say so! Don't know about you (though I have a few guesses), but my life goes quite a bit better when I am loved. Particularly the hard times. Hard times with love are actually strangely satisfying. And consider the inverse. Good times with no love? Hardly good times at all!
Is it my right state to love? Absolutely! Work done in love is suffused with a powerful spirit, an undefinable quality, a fifth element. My joy is deepened by love, and my pain is purposed by love. Through love I learn to celebrate the windfalls of others. Through love I learn to scorn their woes. My vision of creation, and my subsequent actions therein... all more real through love.
So do others deserve my love? No. But should I strive to love them no matter what? Yes! Same question, just backwards: Do I deserve the love of others? No. Should I let them love me? Yes!
We were born to be love and be loved. It was so decreed in the moment the universe was conceived. It is our destiny, our most sacred priesthood.
By most standards, a decent person deserves to be treated decently. Through right action, we reason, the decent person earns the right, attains the merit, of being treated decently in return. This is basic reciprocity, a major and virtuous building block of civilization. (Sad to say, not all of societal cornerstones are so virtuous. Most societies I know of also have a foundation in oppression and exploitation of marginalized groups. Anyway.)
Reciprocity. We behave in a particular way in good faith that we will be treated reciprocally. When answering the worth question, the "Do they deserve it?" question, the answer it very simply, "Did they do it first?" Worthy of respect? If you are respectful. Worthy of a fair shot? If you are fair, also. Should I be violent to you? Only if you are violent to me. By our actions we earn and loose civil consideration.
But what about love? More to the point, what about unconditional, overwhelming, unstoppable love, the kind that moves beyond life and death, time and space, self and other? Following the rule of reciprocity, the answer is simple. If someone is capable of loving unconditionally, they should be loved unconditionally. Wait. What?
If I love someone unconditionally only as long as he or she loves me unconditionally... what happens if he or she stops? I... stop? That sounds like my love is quite conditional, as if it hinges on the ability of the other to love me too.
It would seem that unconditional love breaks the rule of reciprocity. Its unconditional, meaning that there is no condition that would prevent it, no strings attached, no backdoor clauses. In essence, its not the sort of thing that can be earned, because it cannot be lost.
Put another way, we don't deserve to be loved unconditionally because it is a perfect gift to an imperfect person. That is of course, the reason the unconditional part got added. Its precisely because people mess up from time to time that the an unconditional love is so meaningful.
So, that's settled. No, we don't deserve it, and neither do the people in our lives deserve it from us.
But does that mean we shouldn't do it? Should we strive to love without ceasing our undeserving neighbor? Should we accept their unstoppable love as it cares for our undeserving selves?
We are moving a bit out of step with many interpersonal ethical standards, which tend to determine the treatment of others by assigning merit. The contemplation of the greatest good, on the other hand, asks, "What is the right state of the universe?" This question is a bit different than deserving.
Is it my right state to be loved? I should say so! Don't know about you (though I have a few guesses), but my life goes quite a bit better when I am loved. Particularly the hard times. Hard times with love are actually strangely satisfying. And consider the inverse. Good times with no love? Hardly good times at all!
Is it my right state to love? Absolutely! Work done in love is suffused with a powerful spirit, an undefinable quality, a fifth element. My joy is deepened by love, and my pain is purposed by love. Through love I learn to celebrate the windfalls of others. Through love I learn to scorn their woes. My vision of creation, and my subsequent actions therein... all more real through love.
So do others deserve my love? No. But should I strive to love them no matter what? Yes! Same question, just backwards: Do I deserve the love of others? No. Should I let them love me? Yes!
We were born to be love and be loved. It was so decreed in the moment the universe was conceived. It is our destiny, our most sacred priesthood.
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