Fri 05 Jul 1996 21:17
and here's the version of 'Being' that was printed, if you're
curious:
B E I N G
June 25, 1996.........
This is my sociology project; the project being to help change society in
the way I attempt to describe in this letter. Please let me know of ways
this letter can be more effective.
Erich Fromm starts "The Art of Loving" with, "Any theory of love must begin
with a theory of man, of human existence." I would do well to reorganize
this following his example, but for now, I just want to get this out, and
see what and if you think of it.
Being, what is it?
I imagine you smile.
You read on, and then what.
You read on, and you stop to think, you cry
because this is so beautiful.
You are now, for the moment, incapable of doing anything. You feel as I
feel, and you understand.
You ask yourself, "What am I?". You imagine yourself dead, and ask yourself,
"What have I been."
You put this down, and try to go back to your work, but you stop. You want
nothing more than to be with someone else,
whatever that means.
Is there any point in living if you are the only thing in existence? I say
no, and feel also there is no immediately apparent point in living if I am
the only human in existence in the present, past and future.
Being is only meaningful if you exist as well as I.
Simply `being' would be enough if you were the only being. Since there are
quite a few beings, separate beings, `being together' is all.
I can only be with you inasmuch as you are separate from every group except
humankind. Its impossible now, is it?
I cannot be with you if you are {just about any religion} first,
I cannot be with you if you are {pick a race or culture} first,
I cannot be with you if you are {pick a nationality} first ...
I cannot be with you unless you are are first and last yourself and only
yourself and nothing else. Only we who are unique, different from everything
else, only we can be together.
Not a problem. You are no matter what you do- no matter what you do, you are
separate, you are unique.
It is a consciousness thing though, you must be consciously aware that you
are separate from everything (everyone) else, to be together with other
people.
Here I am saying this, and at the same time hoping that my desire to be with
you is the same as your desire.
This desire for oneness is a characteristic of separateness. Just as you are
separate no matter what you do, you desire to transcend this separateness,
no matter what you think.(?)
At the risk of nothing, I will ask what is `being together', and I will
answer, `loving'.
What is loving? being together.
{expand "being together" to "being together for no other reason than to be
together"}
Here I am going to stop- I don't know what loving or being together is, It
is something we do, though. I am going to ask those who want to be together
simply to be together to come together. And those who want to explore the
ideas here further, too. I was thinking we could meet this Friday at 6:00
p.m. in the Sylvan Theater, and if it's raining, meet there too. Maybe bring
something to sit on, plan to stay forever.
In fact, the convocation of a group of explorers is the primary purpose of
this letter.
I imagine going to this place, Sylvan Theater, on Friday at 6:00, probably a
little before. I will probably sit at the end furthest away from the road,
the end furthest away from the columns. I will be the only one there.
Notes about this letter: About this paper, I need to be clear about what I
hope to accomplish. I want to be with people in a meaningful way. I want to
have friends I am able to get to know very well {I can not know you, I can
only be with you} {this bothers me. To know you might be to be you, but
then, how well do I know myself? So I guess I cannot know you, I can be with
you}. I want to be with other people who ask lots of questions, who always
question, I think, people who find their own way. The question is, are these
people destined to be unhappy, will these people always be questioning and
never enjoying the present? Unlikely. We ask questions with a goal, the goal
of improving our experience.
In general, the question we ask is the question of what is the best part of
life, what have we loved most about our own life, and what do other people
like most about their lives.
But does this thinking get us anywhere? -{(Thought is the most subtle form
of ignorance.) Thinking does not get us anywhere unless it leads to action.
The action justifies the thought.}
The best parts of my life have been when I have felt together with people,
so then why do I spend all this time typing away by myself? Because the
activities of those people I could be with seem in someway superficial to
me. The activities I could be engaging in appear to me to be less than
living. A distraction from what we should be doing.
We should be creating, loving, being, not occupying our mind with games or
logic problems, but being.
The goal is to determine the best part of being and be that way more.
The goal is to determine a direction for the individual and collective
individuals. Collective society needs to work for a world where the
individual is recognized and appreciated as the most beautiful manifestation
of the society. Each individual should be appreciated for herself, by
herself and by the others around her. Conversation should not focus on the
superficial, but the immediate concerns and emotions of the individual.
What if this world is realized, what will it be like? People will focus on
their own selves and the people around them whom they can appreciate as
individuals. They will spend time with their own selves, with eachother and
for eachother. They will spend time exploring themselves and exploring
others , and exploring the world with others. The knowledge of one's self
and the knowledge of others will be the greatest attainment in life. {being
together will be the greatest attainment in life}
Yes this is a product of my aloneness, but I am alone for a reason. I am
alone because I do not want to be together superficially, for apparently
someother purpose. I want to be with other people simply to be with them.
{redundant, I pound it in.}
What do people do when they are with other people simply to be with them?
Nothing and everything. They are open about the purpose.
What would be the effect on society if the focus changed thus? People would
choose settings that allowed them to best be with other people. Would people
have professions- would people have professions? People would
so back to the paper. What would the purpose of the paper be? The purpose of
the paper would be to appreci ate individuals and to encourage
individuality. The person who is a member of any group but humankind gives
up some of her individuality , sometimes gaining an incredible amount {she
gains a community, maybe a way of life, but is at the same time more
segregated from those not in her community.} {I'm sorry. I'm imagining a
Jewish woman, whose life is her religion. She lives (?) an incredible,
beautiful life. But I cannot share. Perhaps there are members of religions
let's work on this question, if it is one, later.} But this even is not
necessary. The people of this paper (?) will consider themselves first
members of humankind, and last members of humankind, and then members of
their respective groups.
{I cannot feel a part of a group which others cannot be a part. You may be a
part of a group, but I cannot be a part of it unless I give up some of
myself. I cannot say a religion or cultural heritage is more important than
what I believe to be important for myself. I have no religion but what I
develop, and I have no cultural heritage but the one I create. Any limiting
of horizon sucks, so I will be a part of no group but humankind} {and why
not just be? why not be a member of no group but the group of all things in
existence. Man is "life being aware of itself"1 and thus is different,
distinct, from all that is not human. I cannot be with a rock as I can be
with a human.} {the less your individuality, the less your need to transcend
it. The path of the human: acknowledging separateness, then transcending
separateness.}
How many hypocrites will we be? None I think- only we who are true to
ourselves can be true to others. Only we who respect ourselves can respect
others. But who knows. Probably just 1.
So my personal goal is this: I, with some help (or do I have individual
aspirations) print this letter, and bring together people who are interested
in putting these ideas in practice, and we will see what happens from there.
We will print the paper to encourage others, but the focus will be the
meetings and the personal interactions that result.{the focus will be the
being, but I doubt there will be a new letter, only revisions}
What will happen once this group exists?{It already exists. What will happen
once more people become aware of this group's existence (the group of all
human beings)?} Will I drop the paper? It will be short, always, only one
piece of paper, so no big deal, and other people will have something to
write. If not I can draw pictures on it, I'm sure.
The purpose of this paper to ask: what is the best of life how we can
experience more of the best of life how we can improve upon the best and
other questions.
The purpose of this paper is to allow people who have these questions and
some ideas to meet and try out their ideas.
1) from page 8 of
Title: The art of loving.
Author: Fromm, Erich, 1900-.
Edition: [1st ed.].
Pub. Info.: New York, Harper [1956].
Phy Descript: 133 p. 20 cm.
Notes: World perspectives, v. 9.
LC Subject: Love.
Status: Suzzallo General Stacks
301 W893 v.9 CHECK THE SHELVES
301 W893 v.9 CHECK THE SHELVES
Undergraduate General Stacks
HQ33 .F77 CHECK THE SHELVES
HQ33 .F77 CHECK THE SHELVES
judgement, interest, love, suggestions, ideas, crit: cleath@u
or send handwritten/drawn stuff to: colin leath, Box 355670
.