Saturday, March 26, 2005


Simplicity Posted by Hello

If it feels good do it. N'est pas?

The ode to the 60's that became the basis for societal evolution in the West and now seems to be becoming a universal mantra to personal fulfillment. Is it all good and wholesomely innocent or is there a sinister trap in that mentality. On one hand it can be very liberating but on the other mandative of narcissistic excess and lack of impulse control. This is no doubt making societies more "open" but also making them less inclined to be responsible for what they do or take from the land. For centuries the world was taught to take as little as possible from the earth and to give back as much as you take and more. Now the reverse is the norm. Is it always right to follow sensation as the yard stick to measure veracity? On the other hand should sensations be shunned as a trap and we all turn into nihlistic zombies? I believe that as in all things the answer probably lies in between. The trap is not in the enjoyment of what feels good but in being attached to the need to feel that way. This need then becomes closely intertwined to the identity that is created for a person or a group or society and can be the drive behind a lot of what happens in that society. This is how a collective identity and collective conditioning are formed.

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Does everything happen for a reason?

Well, that is a tough one. I do believe that the Universe conspires to create situations that test us and teach us what we need to learn at a particular time in our lives. Also it is uncanny but our conditioning and the way we react to circumstances could determine how long it takes us to get something and life often continues to provides us with similar situations time and time again till we finally "get it". On the other hand it is tough to justify that bad things happen for a reason but if we take the narcissim out of a situation it often comes to light that even bad things (especially bad things) teach us a lot once we are able to stop looking at the hurt or pain as a personal tragedy. This canbe taken to a much vaster scale and be applied to the world as a whole given the fact that we all possibly share some karma and have to collectively learn some lessons as a people. Thus I like to believe that each historical tragedy led to something good. I realize that I am treading on some unstable ground here but will venture to say that if viewed from a very impersonal and unbiased lens most of history is full of intense suffering of peoples that is followed by some thing positive that would not have come about if it hadnt been for the negativity that preceeded it. I like to believe that our current place in history will be another example of this. We shall crest the pinnacle of our current unconscious existence that will result in tumult but will be followed by (hopefully) a positive change in our collective perspective.

Sunday, March 20, 2005


A new Renaissance?

Do we need another Renaissance?

The simple answer is Yes. During the time of the first Renaissance the age of ignorance and superstition had caused complete chaos in western civilizations. The age of inquiry helped stem that tide and we metamorphosed into something that was positive. The times today are not so obviously dysfunctional but the consequences of our way of life shall be equally destructive. A new Renaissance is badly needed to change our collective focus. But we are cursed with an inertia borne of comfort. The status quo is too enticing. Will things get worse before we are jolted out of complacency and will it be too late? I believe it is never too late, only later.

Saturday, March 19, 2005

Modernization

So I wanted to shift gears a little (though still in the same car) and explore in more detail something I had alluded to earlier, namely modernization. Is it inevitable? Firstly what is it really? The way I look at it, modernization is the final common path most societies led by the West are taking from a more agarian, pastoral, not-so-comfortable existence. It is the genie out of the bottle. The path is well troden and well lit so as to attract those in the "darkness" as the way to the logical "development" of a society. I believe that modernization started out as a wonderful boon to humanity as advances in science impacted human existence but somewhere along the way we went beserk. Now it has become not a means to an end but the end itself. It did not simply remain the penicillins, e=mc2, sanitation and the rule of law (as modernization affected the social sciences) but became also maybe more about power and desire; the weapons of war and the trappings of materialism. So much so that the latter have become the motivation for further evolution of our world. Well, maybe you would say, you can't have one without the other. And that is where the human mind and it's state that we have discussed before comes in. The benefits of modernization are paramount and cannot be denied, it is the excesses we have to recognize and control as they are changing our world and us. And that is where the collective human consciousness and the individual insight that determine it come in. Modernization as we live it currently is a choice not an eventuality. We have to recognize that and perhaps try to curb it's varied ramifications before they spin out of control and take us down the vortex.

Thursday, March 17, 2005


Agitation Posted by Hello

More about Insight.....

It is so important to be able to step out of oneself and examine the motivations of one's thoughts and desires and the resultant actions. This is at the same time the end of narcissism as it is the beginning of the first step to experiencing spirituality. Narcissism is one of the strongest underlying themes of our humanity in this era. That is what is contributing to the "hungry ghosts" mentality described in Buddhist philosophy. The inability to satiate. The hunger always for more. This prevails every aspect of our life...from the "healthy" 'I want to do something important with my life' that causes the urge to better one's lot to the indefatigable restlessness that prevades everything in our lives. The latter is often attempted to be fulfilled by the trappings of our modern world. The new show on TV, the new car, lover, job, vacation....the list is endless. The unquenchable narcissism is the bane of our existence without insight. The insight that gives us the ability to observe our mind and it's machinations. Once that has been experienced, nothing will ever be the same again.

Wednesday, March 16, 2005


Hope Posted by Hello

Insight

Insight is the first step on the spiritual path. I truly believe that. The insight to realize that the "I" is a creation of our minds and the problems in life are reactions of the mind to situations that categorizes them as bad or terrible. The insight to think of oneself as a part of a whole that comprises other possessors of consciousness and that the whole is affected by the part and vice versa. From this step progresses all forms of spiritual development. Of course the importance of discipline and practice is paramount once this insight is gained as without them the insight is feeble and only invariably in function.
What causes some people to have this insight and not others? That is the question of our age I believe and maybe what we as a collective have to learn. This will determine what happens to our world and ourselves as the development of this insight changes everything at the core of an individual. Everything becomes precious and every minute a life-time and at the same time transient. Everything changes! And what a change that would be if every person on this planet gained the insight into Self.
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