Brighids last blog post..Homeland Security

Yes, I know you’ve said that before. And there have also been times when I’ve written about using the energy of that upset constructively. You commented that you’re a placid fellow and implied the discussion had nothing to do with you.

It seems that we agree about using rational judgment and taking appropriate action. Our views disagree in that what you call “base instinctual drives”, presumably to be ignored, I call energy to be used wisely. Don’t forget the first two traits of stress-hardy resilient people:

1. They have a sense of meaning, direction, and purpose. They are value-centered rather than reactive and defensive. They understand that emotions are great sources of energy and motivation but are often poor guides for action. Instead these people use their values as guides.

2. They realize that the quality of our lives depends on how we focus our energy and our attention. They try to align their thoughts and actions with their values. They know how to motivate themselves to take action.

Also #6:

They take responsibility for their mental programming, their emotions, and their actions. If they have ineffective ways of thinking and behaving, they evaluate them and make appropriate changes.

We agree about a lot of things, I’m just a bit more proactive than you are. One of my passions is understanding how people change. To me it’s a creative process.

Again, thanks for extending the conversation.

rummusers last blog post..One Lovely Blog Award

Evan,
Actually for me the questions are less theoretical: “Should I be slipping into sacred space so much? Am I being selfish?” Given the state of the world should I be playing a more active role in politics, do a bit more to help push the world in the direction I think it should go? So I write letters when it’s appropriate, make my weekly video showing the animals at the shelter for our local public access TV station and spend as much of the rest of my time as I can pursuing my passions. The projects come first and I share the results with others if the others are interested. I think that’s what you mean by giving sacredness to our individuality. It seems to be working.

To my mind the data are things like we recognise people from day to day as did (by all reports) the disciples of Jesus and the Gottama recognise them from day to day. Identity persists. This is to accept a (partial – but how partial?) equivalence between our physicality and our ego. If there are arguments that seek to show this isn’t so – then the arguments (however convincing) are wrong it seems to me. While our on-going identity is data, so are the moments of shared communion with others – these are poorly accounted for (usually ignored) by our western individualist approach.

The sacredness and action dilemma I think means giving sacredness to our individuality – that my quirks and uniqueness (and yours) are sacred as our commonalities. I think organic metaphors can help here: any organism is made up of diverse parts that are quite different and which all (because of and through difference) contribute to the life of the whole.

I certainly haven’t thought this through to a coherent position, I just think I have some experiences that need to be taken account of by any proposed theory. I guess this comment is long enough already, but I do think this is a central question for our culture.

Getting the degree made very little difference in my career. When I applied for the job in 1983, the prerequisites included “degree preferred.” However, there was no one with a degree applying for the job. All of the other applicants had the same navy nuclear power program background that I did.

The degree was for three reasons: 1) to finish something I had failed at, 2) padding my resume just in case something happened to my job, and 3) my veteran’s educational benefits were going to expire at the end of 1989.

Mike Goads last blog post..Posting is going to become more difficult.

As I understand it rummuser is talking about getting our egos out of the way, being in the present moment…what I call “slipping into sacred space”. I spend most of my time there, and that’s why I wrote A Dull Life? I Don’t Believe It. over at cheerfulmonk. rummuser had referred to his life as dull and that post saw it as rich and fulfilling.

But the question that intrigues me is how do we take action in the world and still keep that feeling of sacredness/being in the moment? That’s what Islam is all about. I think everyone here objects to the intolerance and the shutting down of the mind, but it is true that Islam advocates exactly what rummuser has said, “…it is all HIS will.”

I’m just trying to look at this issue more deeply.

Grannymar,
Our priest was Irish, so I’m familiar with guilt and humiliation. We had weekly lessons in Catechism, but I didn’t go to a parochial school so there was no physical violence.

Have you seen the movie Evelyn? I recently watched it and I’ve seen all of the episodes of Ballykissangel. Ballykissangel moved me the most. There are a lot of things about Catholicism that I reject, but I still have an emotional tie to it. Probably that’s why I can understand where the Muslims are coming from, even though I object to a lot about Islam too.

Again, I’m so sorry that you lost Jack.

You asked how long I was married. We had twenty short years, seldom a day without fun and laughter. The ability to laugh with and at each other helped us through many a dark day of Jack’s final illness.

Grannymars last blog post..Just for You!