Like Sophie Tolstoy! :-) On Mar 7, 10:10 am, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > Ah, those were the days! The days of the rising British Empire! Donne > himself had 12 children produced by Anne Donne. > > On 6 Mrz., 23:54, frantheman <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > The irony is that outside of/without a culture McKenna's statement > > would not make any sense at all - would be impossible, in fact. > > Margaret Thatcher's comment, "there is no such thing as society," > > comes to mind. > > > But we are social, and in the intersubjective world in which we live > > (unless we want to opt for a [stoned] eremetic solopsism) culture is > > an inevitable function of the group. The trick is in being part of the > > group without letting our thinking being (unthinkingly) dictated by > > the group. > > > We are, to a great extent, the products of our histories and contexts. > > But this is not all we are, or all we can be. McKenna talks of the > > difficulties of deconstructing our ideologies. He's right there, but > > we don't need to (and - I believe - can't) completely deconstruct our > > contexts, because the result, ultimately, of such a deconstruction is > > that nothing is left. Rather we should be aware of that fact that we > > are always culturally, historically, contextually grounded. This > > realisation teaches us that our positions are contingent, inevitably, > > in some sense, biased. Here, paradoxically, we find our freedom and > > the possibility to grow. > > > The ultimate context is our humanity, which means that we are > > inevitably anthropomorphic. There are no human monopoles. > > > "No man is an island, entire of itself > > every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main > > if a clod be washed away by the sea, > > Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, > > as well as if a manor of thy friends or of thine own were > > any man's death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind > > and therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls > > it tolls for thee." > > John Donne > > > Francis > > > On 6 Mrz., 18:24, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > "Culture is not your friend, no matter what your culture is. And this > > > is sort of not a Politically Correct thing to say, because in the > > > present ambience, (sort of, those who haven't gotten the word) there's > > > a lot of attention to recovering our ethnic roots and to expressing > > > our unique ethnicity, and so forth and so on -- I think that's the > > > beginning of understanding. But all terms that stress ethnicity are > > > words applied to groups of people. Have you ever noticed that? Have > > > you ever noticed that you're not a group of people, you're a person? > > > So you may be "Jewish", you may be "Black", you may be this, you may > > > be that but there is no obligation to take upon yourself the > > > generalized quality of these things, because the generalized qualities > > > belong to thousands of people examined at a time. If you misunderstand > > > that you become a caricature. You act out your ethnicity as a > > > caricature. > > > > So culture is not your friend, ideology is not your friend... Who's > > > your friend? Well, to my mind, the felt presence of immediate > > > experience is the surest dimension, the surest guide that you can > > > possibly have. The felt presence of immediate experience. Feeling is > > > primary. All rationalization and intellectualization and analysis is > > > secondary, and comes out of culture. No matter what your culture is, > > > it has answers. Cultures thinks up answers. So a child asks its mother > > > a question, like, "Where do we go when we die?" or, "Why does Daddy go > > > to work?" Cultural answers are always provided, but nobody knows the > > > real answers to these questions -- that's outside of culture. So > > > coming to terms and fully expressing your culture is like a stage in > > > development. And then beyond that lies the aspiration of the felt > > > presence of immediate experience, and its implications. It's a very > > > hard thing to deal with and to do when you are poisoned with ideology. > > > And ideologies are very difficult to deconstruct and rid yourself of > > > through a simple talking therapy of some sort, through simply trying > > > to work it out. The best antidote for ideology is to raise the > > > intensity of the felt presence of experience to such excruciating > > > levels that it simply vaporizes ideological illusion. And this is what > > > psychedelics are for, I think. And it also explains (if you've ever > > > wondered) the incredible phobia of these things on the part of the > > > establishment, the incredibly deep alarm that these things trigger in > > > people" - Terence McKenna > > > >http://www.salvia-divinorum-scotland.co.uk/quotes/mckenna/cultureisno... > > > > What do you think?- Hide quoted text - > > - Show quoted text -
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