...I think it's bigger
>than you're making it out to be, John. We could frame it as theAquarian
>struggle between the polarities of the collective and the individual
>(the particular) interests....
>
>Suzanne Duarte
>Instructor in Environmental Studies, The Naropa Institute,
>Boulder, Colorado
>
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Suzanne -
I find your argument compelling, especially the focus of keeping a
good camp. And I think it is, indeed, a monumental battle. What confuses
me, however, is what happens when you divide the sides up. What is the
collective Good, what is the individual Good?
Obviously, philosophers have been debating this issue for millenia
(mostly male philosophers, by the way, and might that not be a large part of
the problem?). While some interesting thought has come out of the debate,
we are still stuck in the same conundrum: what is the collective Good, what
is the individual (or particular) Good?
When we say Collective Good, are we talking about collective Human
consciousness; collective Gaeian consciousness; collective Universal
consciousness? The Borg, to cite the fictional analogy, were engaged in
promoting a "collective" good; so were the members of the Federation. We
environmentaly caring souls promote various ideas of collective good;
technocrats also promote their idea of the collecive good.
When we talk about individual good, likewise, whose individual good
do we mean? You fill in the blanks, you get the idea.
I'm really not trying to be argumentative or nitpicking here. I
think we have, in our collective thinking as humans on the
individual/collective problem, trapped ourselves in a closed loop. What I,
personally, see John doing is making an attempt at breaking out of the loop
to stimulate fresh thinking, by purposefully obliterating the lines of
distintion between the two. Because, do they really exist?
Look, I'm having a hard time doing this on an intellectual level, so
let me try to illustrate the problem as I see it in a more personal way. I
am a cabinetmaker, using wood and manufactured wood products to create
hopefully beautiful and functional THINGS for peoples' homes and businesses.
I try to imbue these THINGS with as much consciousness as I can, but
competitive economic necessities often dictate that I do things - like using
laquer products and creating too much waste and driving my vehicle too many
miles - which I know are harmful to the planet I love and especially to the
trees who gave me a large part of my identity.
For me, I see my continual struggle to live in harmony with my
family, with my society, with my surroundings, with the collective will of
the Universe, with my own deep longings for peace - in short, to live for
the Good of All - as a personal attempt to synthesize many threads of
existence into one acting being. The focus in this universe which is
uniquely mine has a role to play in something - and I'm not at all sure I
could quantify what - universal. Most spiritual paths, but especially
Buddhism, teach this in some form, and none has come up with a clear
explanation of just Who we Are. At least in words. In Direct Transmission,
perhaps.
You know, on a day like today, when the sky is a faceless reflection
and the stillness and impending cold urge me inward, I long to be back in my
cabin in the Canadian woods where I lived for so many years with no
electricity humming in the walls, no pollution except the gentle wafting of
wood smoke, no vista but the mountains and the lake below. God, how I miss
it! But is simply is no longer mine to have in that way. My personal
spiritual path led me to involve myself in the vibrant immediacy of building
a family and nurturing the beings given into my care. My personal/universal
desire led me to this semi-urban landscape to try to synthesize a vision
born in silence and solitude with the crazy world in which we all live. I
think a lot of us writing here are in a similar boat.
Who is the enemy? Is there an enemy? Do we circle endlessly, or do
we spiral toward something? What do we people of Deeply Good Will do in the
face of possible imminent destruction of our place of being and the beauty
we hold so dear? In each of our cases the answer is bound to be different,
but driven by something quite similar. Experiments like the one in which we
are involved, thanks to John, are vital to deepening our awareness. To the
extent that we suspend judgement yet struggle to portray our own viewpoints,
our viewpopints deepen.
This has been a remarkable seminar for me. From my heart, I thank
all of us.
-Bruce
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Bruce Nygren 1515 Redwood Avenue Boulder, CO 80304
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The Buddha sat down.
Soon after, he got up and said,
"There is a rock under my seat."
Lifting his blanket, he saw
Nothing.