ROGER FEELS GUILTY LURKING AND PROMISES
TO TRY TO REDEEM HIMSELF
Love and kisses fellow Lilacs,
First, I don't know the context of the actual topic-o'-the month quote used,
but I read it as being a case where Brailsford is focusing on lower level
physical-type strength. He implies that the intellect ("sensitive and
reasonable men") abhors brute physical power improperly deciding some type of
value struggle. The horror that men can't bring themselves to face is of
crude lower levels (physical or social) overpowering a higher level. This is
immoral, and reasonable men have always felt this. They now have the
metaphysics to illustrate its immorality. Another paradox solved by the MOQ.
Platypi will need to go on the metaphysical extinction list if we keep this
up.
Now, what does Pirsig say about power? On page 170 of my shiny new and
improved teal paperback version, the master speaks:
"Sometimes a Dynamic increment goes forward but can find no latching
mechanism and so fails and so slips back to a previous latched position whole
species and cultures get lost this way. Sometimes a static pattern becomes so
POWERFUL it prohibits any Dynamic moves forward. In both cases the
evolutionary process is halted for a while. But when it's not halted the
result has been an increase in POWER to control hostile forces or an increase
in versatility or both. The increase in versatility is directed toward DQ.
The increase in POWER to control hostile forces is directed toward static
quality. Without DQ the organism can't grow. Without sq the organism cannot
last. Both are needed." [emphasis added]
POWER is a pattern's ability to control its self/environment, or to bring
forth its own valued reality. To use Kevin's terms, it is the ability of a
pattern to actively unify rather than be passively unified.
Live long and prosper,
Rog
PS -- You know that song in Lila's beginning bar scene..... "Get Down
Tonight"? Rumor has it that if you play it backward that it will reveal the
hidden chapters of the MOQ and the secret names of the 69 elder patriarchs.
PSS -- If both DQ and sq are so important why does one get Capitalized and
the other has to go through life as a mere lower case term? Come over to the
sister forum for more on this exciting thread!!!!!
MOQ Online - http://www.moq.org
