Yes, the moment Molly, a key element in this process. I'm developing a triangulate here with Archy's animal take, my future projections and the actual moment. Examining the animal might be relevant in that differing species exhibit varying levels of control. The grizzly bear may just charge without consideration of danger while the house cat may just sit in contemplation in view of the edible enticement you are dangling and of course the dog wolfed it down in one second (possible finger loss). There is also the predator aspect, the calculating moment to achieve the kill and why did Mike Tyson bite off the ear of his opponent?. So considering the animal influence we should therefore take into consideration the human animal when evaluating human ability to seize the moment or more succinctly suspend the moment to allow for the synthesis of visual/physical stimuli and cerebral activity. I spend most my mornings thinking about how I want to mold my day and consider all that might happen within the day thereby conjuring up ideas on how I might control each issue in such a way as to make it conducive to a pleasant one. There are times that I feel a sense of uneasiness and literally cancel the day out, moving all activity into the next day or thereafter. This is the essence of self control within the self and the external. As you say there are unforeseen events that can skew the external world but then again they will only influence your world as much as you let them or as much as you are personally connected to the fallout. The level of your integration in the external world will determine the level of control you have within it and within the self. If you remember I've stressed the importance of my personal avoidance of the external world, I keep my distance and rather participate in the voyeuristic sense. There are other aspects that we could incorporate in the exploration of self and control, such as Jung's shadow and Nietzsche's take of overcoming the self to reach higher levels of consciousness. There is obviously an underlying concept here of "confronting the self" and "recognition and reconstruction" of self motivations in order to achieve that level of "control". So we as individuals must make effort to overcome the self, examine our inner being, confront, recognize and reconstruct in order to manifest our inner projections. This is the only way we can actually be "in control".
On Jul 23, 9:14 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > I agree Slip, in that it has taken me many years of examining my > "moment" ...what I am seeing, how I am feeling, what I am thinking, > what is around me in each moment...and...responding based on my > highest potential. Most of it comes second nature to me now. Can we > choose what we like and dislike? Most definitely, I think that we > choose what we value, choose the meaning in our lives, choose the > quality of our relationships by choosing our perspective and our > actions. And yet, there is that seemingly random element to life that > comes along and turns it upside down...the stock market crash...sudden > war...unexpected death...events that consciously we would not choose > for ourselves and yet they are part of our experience. We even > sometimes joke or believe that events like an eclipse can have a > larger effect on our behavior than our own conscious mind. I pose > this question because I cannot say that I am in control even though, > in the moment, I am aware and respond in ways that allow the greatest > possibility known to me. > > Perhaps Orn's reaction to this thread was the gift of an example of > how folks can lash out when they need to feel in control, but are > not. How we respond in these situations tells us volumes about our > need to control and if we can examine our reactions, our perspective > and character. My hope for your Orn, is that you find your way though > anger and need to control to a greater peace that you know and often > speak about in this group. > > As I find my work all over the internet in interesting places also, I > can empathize with this reaction. The booming industry of > intellectual property and the law is a reflection of this. What I > tell myself is, that unless my words show up in places that are > destructive or inappropriate (and they have) they are simply part of > the Logos, and if my intended meaning is whole, they will be received > in the same spirit. Even if they are holding a space of spirit in an > environment of hate, they are holding the space of spirit where there > was none before. > > You did get me thinking last night, Orn, that I should thank all of > the groups that contribute to this blog of mine. There is a link to > it in my google profile and always has been. I designed it when my > friend Chris Bernard passed away, as a way to continue his work in > some small way. It is interesting too, that this week in the Gaia > group that also contributes to the blog (as I cut and paste responses > from them) I was told that one of my poems inspired someone to change > his mind about having children, and he and his wife are due to have > that baby this week. We just don't know the extent of our influence > or control, or lack there of. > > Here is that poem if anyone is interested. > > Slips Naturally > > Sometimes > We can look around > And our world > Fits us perfectly > With hard work > Measures of success > Growing families > Homes of comfort. > > And then we are drawn > Unexplainably > Into the known/unknown > With an inspiration, > Intuition > Or a whim. > > If we can slip naturally > Into spirit > We are swept away > By eternity’s movement > Within and without us, > Because and beside us. > It occurs in slow motion > We do not > Want it to end. > But it does. > And we are left > Changed. > > In the change > We are left > To give texture, > Light and sensation > To what > We have become. > > Left to translations > Of our own design. > Left to choose > To reinvent and move on, > Or return > To what was once comfortable, > But is now > Just a memory > Of comfort. > > On Jul 22, 4:16 pm, Slip Disc <[email protected]> wrote: > > > I mostly disagree with that assessment. Perhaps in short span time > > constraint moments there is a rash decision process that poses mere > > split second evaluation. But generally I find that pondering an idea > > easily allows for the self to initiate free will while directing focus > > on a desired outcome. I think this is exactly what differentiates how > > few of us project their realities from most who don't seem to grasp > > the idea and live in a post state reality always wondering what > > happened. This may be at the core of human frailty and inability to > > coalesce. I think it takes a great deal of mental energy to achieve > > the state of being in control but I see it as highly possible and feel > > I've accomplished much by living it. I often project on a potential > > reality then focus on what remedies are necessary for a satisfactory > > end result should the potential transition to actual. I see it as > > being one step ahead of what Libet is suggesting. My "self" projects, > > my brain decides and then I become aware of the decision which I still > > can veto at the last minute, it's an exercise of my free will. > > > On Jul 22, 9:29 am, Molly Brogan <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Are we in control of ourselves, our lives, our families, our worlds? > > > Or are we just aware and knowing what one can do if something > > > unpredictable happens? > > > There are many explanations for why we do what we do. For example, > > > Thomas Metzinger's new Book, The Ego Tunnel: The Science of the Mind > > > and the Myth of the Self, seriously questions whether there is even an > > > "I", let alone a "we." And Douglas Hofstadter's book, I Am a Strange > > > Loop, contends that the "self" is a recursively self-referencing > > > memory loop. > > > > Hundreds of experiments by Benjamin Libet and others tend to > > > conclusively confirm that our brain prepares to execute our decisions > > > before we are even aware that anything is being decided. It alerts us > > > to our decisions only in time (a split second) for us to veto them. > > > > Seehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Libet, as well as Benjamin > > > Libet's book, Mind Time, and Walter J. Freeman's book, How Brains Make > > > Up Their Minds. > > > > It is quite likely that we have no so-called "free will" other than > > > veto power over our specific actions. Our free will may consist > > > instead of 1) being mindful about any ill-serving subliminal > > > intentions and tendencies that inform our actions so that we are > > > accordingly prepared to veto any action that they correspondingly > > > inform, and of 2) programming (or reprogramming) our subliminal > > > intentions to be more productive of the experiencing that we most > > > desire. > > > > Do we have the power to create our realities? Are we in control? > > > What do YOU think? --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups ""Minds Eye"" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [email protected] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/Minds-Eye?hl=en -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
