Wed 03 Apr 2002 20:58
content, yet I find myself saying to myself "I'm dying..." with a certain kind of joy. I'm using my body up... well.
howard bloom on connections--idea that each of us is a hypothesis--if successful we make connections and thrive, if not we isolate and fade.
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Wed 03 Apr 2002 17:29
What really matters - tony schwartz
p7 - 8 meditation is not all
p9 Carl jung's focus on the discovery of the true self through "individuation"
Wilhelm Reich's theory neurosis is rooted in peopl'es disconnection from their bodies.
self-discovery, personal growth, and even self-transcendence
the degree to which their discoveries had transformed their own lives.
p11 but to a remarkably satisfying degree, I did emerge with a sense of how to effectively pusue a richer, more authentic, more complete life.
p13 I was looking for people who embodied wisdom and completeness--
p13 I tried to be alert to my tendency to focus more on people's shortcomings than on their strengths.
p14 frequently enough that it amused my friends, I'd announce that I finally had the answer--
p14 I was drawn to those who openly recognized and grappled with their contradictions-- they were still committed to growing, they were ...
4yrs 2questions: who am I? why am I here?
p15 in each case, I found that the way people define the nature of the self dictates how they envision the purpose of life. For some, the highest aspiration is self-improvement, for others it is self-discovery, and for others it is self-transcendence and selfless service. By one view, the goal is to achieve our potential throgh conscious, disciplined action. By another, it is to know ourselves better, to be more conscious and more aware, less defensive and automatic. By yet another view, wisdom is derived from moving beyond rational intention and surrendering to an intuitive knowing that arises from within, when the mind and body quiet down.

p354 perennial philosophy from wilber
(1) a Supreme Reality exists
(2) it is found within one's self
(3) we don't realize it
(4) the wholly separate self must be surrendered
(5) which leads to rebirth or enlightenment
(6) which marks the end of suffering
(7) the outgrowth of enlightenment is a life grounded in compassion and directed toward selfless service.

I once wished to show that questioning led to prosocial behavior in the questioner.

I'm finding faults with wilber's foiling of the second law of thermodynamics--he likes to say 'the universe is winding up not down' but the only systems, even the 'spontaneous order from chaos' systems he presents as simple examples have net additions of energy-- the earth, a pool of water spinning down a drain.

I don't think I've ever written my view on this down, but I, like wilber, was disturbed by the 2nd law of thermodynamics (I forget the def of it now). But found solace that regardless of what physicists think the rest of the universe is doing (dying a heat death, or not, or something else), for the time being, the earth continue to receive energy from the sun. Life might be seen as a dissipative structure--concentrating this energy, then slowly releasing it. That matter cannot go from incredibly concentrated to an infinitely dissapated distribution instantaneously opens the door for things to come into existence--like life.
Well, I wonder if I did write this anywhere- I think I did a better job previously.
In the human realm- we are causing things to come to exist-- these things exist because humans who support their existence find value in their existence. Thus- one of the greatest things a human can do is create an environment for his or herself that is as rewarding for her as possible--s/he will be making something beautiful for herself, that, quite likely, adds beauty to the lives of others. Likewise seeking to eliminate that which causes her/him pain will also quite likely improve the lives of others.
Because I believe things in the social realm exist because of their positive contribution to individual experience--this is points me to focus on the quality of my experience as 'why am I here?' -- the answer being to live the best, most rewarding life possible. 'Who am I' is a secondary question--who cares who one is, when one knows what one is to do?

It matters little what the ultimate state of universe is (no such thing), for the social realm, here and now- the role of humans in the

a search for 'dissapative structures' yields quite a bit which may do a better job of what I'm attempting to get at, for example:
http://www.alamut.com/subj/ideologies/optimism/selfOrganization.html

All that really doesn't matter for the individual situation-- in my case it resolved a basic question needed to escape my experience of nothingness (see first meaning in life draft, and the final paper)--in particular the need to see myself as part of a whole that is larger and longer lasting than myself, which I can also see as good.

To make it clear--the above line of thinking, however muddled, clearly places me as a part of all that happens, and also places me-- and even a human agent so seemingly limited in control as a baby that is aborted -- as an active participant in creating the whole of what is happening.

If I should die today- I'll have already done quite a bit. Even should I find the ultimate satisfaction in playing videogames 24/7 or meditating 24/7, I will still be doing my part in creating this wonderful beautiful thing, whatever it is that is happening.

I just saw a guy with a fencing foil and a dapper suit with a hat who reminded me of Randall Sawyer--an old basement mate of mine in Seattle..

So, wilber has interesting ideas, but I'm not sure why there's this seeming disconnect from how I read the dissapative structure literature and how he appears to read it. of course he may have a peculiar approach in his popular works- though I think I remember seeing it too in Sex, Ecology, Spirituality. I also wonder if he puts sex in all the titles of his books to help sell them--to help them get attention, or if the title is directly related to the theory he is presenting. He also speaks of humans doing things "millions" of years ago-- or at least I've seen "a million" years ago twice--but surely he must know that the oldest things considered human are only a few hundred thousand years old (I believe).

Schwartz on wilber's stage beyond #6
p 356 psychic stage: You sense for a few seconds or even a few hours at a time-- that there is something utterly divine about the entire cosmos, and you might even experience that oneness directly.
#8 is subtle stage: ???
#9 is causal stage: This occurs when union is some complete that there is no sense of self at all, a sstate of consciousness akin to deep dreamless sleep or pure emptiness. Nothing is happening, and yet it is the fullness out of which everything emerges.
#10 is nonduality stage: not really a separate sate, but the ground and reality of all stages, high or low, sacred and profane. it is simply the reality or the 'isness' of everything. It is extraordinarily ordinary. The sages at this point are always depicted as so utterly ordinary that you can't even spot them in a crowd. There appears to be nothing special about them because they are simply one with whatever arises.

#9 and 10 reflect the level of the Spirit (beyond the soul)-- you don't witness the clouds, you are the clouds. You're the sum total of everything that arises from moment to moment. Your primordial and timeless state. The entire universe is a reflection in your mind's own mirror.

p357 each of these four transpersonal (I still don't like that word) levels has its own type of mystical experience. Each one is reached by different techniques and leads to a radically different understanding of experience.

p358 dreams occur at all levels of consciousness except the lowest and the highest.
the higher one's level of development, the more likely it is that one can make use of the dream in more varied, richer, and broader ways. At the same time, dreams can always remind you of problems on the lower levels that you have neglected.

p358 The more consciousness that is trapped in these lower stages--say, in some unresolved issue with your mother at the age of four--the less consciousness you have available to find a home in the stages beyond ego.

I still don't like the word, "self"
It seems to me a person is an awareness.
p359

I was trying to get Alex Grey's "Sacred Mirrors: the visionary art of Alex Grey" from the research library, but it seems it's probably better to go to his website. Check it out:
http://www.sacredmirrors.org/mirrors_view.html

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