This may seem ordinary but I found it of significance to me personally
in regard to gender. I agree that we may have fallen out of balance
and it tends to escape the male ego. Here is the prelude to the work
and if you wish to read on there are eleven chapters (11 circuit
labyrinth!) that can be read at;
http://www.halexandria.org/dward342.htm
Prelude
(Think of it as the Orchestra warming up.)
“Arrrggggg!” (All preludes should begin this way.)
Zygo’s response was typical of her fiery character, a
product of an over-zealous imagination and an overt tendency toward
dramatic relief in the midst of comedy. But the document before her
refused to compromise its message. With seemingly no other
alternative, her eyes still fixed on the inscriptions at hand, she
inquired, “This is my next assignment!?” She looked up at her mentor
in disbelief, searching for a hint that, indeed, all was not yet lost,
that there was yet some faint light at the end of the tunnel, however
dim. When the only response was a gentle smile, she added, “Surely,
you’re kidding!”
Shirley’s immediate response was to ignore her student’s
attempted humor. With a name like ‘Shirley’, one soon learned how to
ignore puns, intentional or otherwise.
Kidding, on the other hand, was another matter. Shirley
was not prone to kidding. A smiling, always humorous lady with a
quick readiness toward reckless laughter, she, nevertheless, almost
never kidded. Instead, she smiled at Zygo, and said nothing.
Zygo was left to the inevitable -- which she promptly
tried to avoid. “But he’s a male chauvinist pig! With virtually no
socially redeeming value!” When her overt attempt failed to elicit an
appropriate response as well, she resorted to a more plaintive,
childlike plea. “Why me?”
Shirley's smile never wavered. “Because he needs you.”
“He needs a whole platoon!” Zygo countered, “Of Amazons!
Preferably, all of them with PMS!”
“Or a Major. Such as yourself.”
Acting-Major Zygo managed a weak smile at the recognition
of her recently exalted rank. Then she glanced up and to the right,
in her typical fashion, looking for divine guidance. The response, if
indeed it was a response, came in the form of another question forming
in her mind. “This Earl fellow,” she began, “Doesn’t he seem to you
to be living in the... ever so distant past?”
Shirley’s eyebrows lifted slightly. “Based on the now in
which you’ll be operating, I’d say, several centuries in the past.”
“At least,” Zygo agreed. Then, in an almost meek fashion,
“Is that why he calls himself an ‘Earl’?”
“His name is Earl,” Shirley added, herself a bit
bewildered by the whys and wherefores of certain male chauvinists,
“But he also thinks of himself as royalty. To wit, an ‘Earl’.” Then
she laughed. “Worse yet, he still thinks his home is his castle, and
that he is the Lord of the Manor.” Shirley actually chuckled.
Zygo was becoming intrigued. Anyone who could make
Shirley laugh... “That must be tough to do, living as he is at the
beginning of the Twenty First Century.”
“As you’ve already pointed out,” Shirley replied,
carefully choosing her words, “He’s a male chauvinist. That’s what
they do best.”
“Pig,” Zygo added, with her patented mischievous smile.
Shirley ignored the clarifying remark. “But in the early
Twenty First Century, such males were hardly an endangered species.”
“At least, they didn’t think they were,”Zygo replied.
Then she grimaced, as she thought about that particular reality.
“It might be well for us to remember,” Shirley added,
“This man was very carefully raised by a society which exalted his
male chauvinism. Nothing in his experience has ever served to
indicate otherwise. There’s been no feedback which might challenge
his warped concept of how to live one’s life.”
“Until now.” Zygo’s smile turned to gleeful
anticipation.
“Until now,” Shirley agreed, but with a much more
compassionate smile.
For a moment, Zygo became quiet, easing back in her chair
and draping one of her long legs across a padded armrest. With one
arm resting on the other armrest and that hand supporting her head,
delicately tilted, she used her other hand to brush her vibrant red
hair from across her face. For the present moment, she was simply
relaxed. Then her nose twitched slightly, as it often did, bringing
her thoughts back to her mission. She lifted her head to look at
Shirley, her eyes now twinkling at the intriguing possibilities.
“This guy has got it made,” she said. “So why would he
want to change?”
Shirley’s reply was simple. “In order to grow. It’s
something he decided a long time ago. Before he forgot and found his
illusionary reality too tempting.”
“But all at once!? By choice?” When her mentor only
shrugged her shoulders, Zygo added, “I mean, we’re talking about a
whole new concept of ‘crash and burn’ here! Why in heaven’s name
would he want it all to happen in a such a massive dose?”
Shirley phrased her words carefully. “Personal choice, I
suppose. I can’t speak for him. Part of his uniqueness. I can think
of several reasons why I might choose such a scenario: Do everything
quickly and avoid a long, drawn-out affair. Or possibly, undergoing
intensive shock therapy in order to ensure that a well-established
pattern is, in fact, broken. But in the end, I don’t know. It’s
simply his choice. And we will honor it.”
“Amazing.”
Shirley smiled again. “And you were specifically
requested. Keep that in mind. The entire process is yours to
orchestrate. Obviously, we all have a great deal of confidence in
you.”
Zygo smiled at the compliment. The smile slipped into a
chuckle, and then retreated to a more somber tone. As she began to
think in a more focused manner, she said, “With everything happening
in the way I’m envisioning it, it’s going to require something
extraordinary just to get his attention. I mean: he may not even
notice me. Unless, of course, I can come up with something quite...
eye-catching.”
“And unique, if I know you!” When her student smiled at
the compliment, Shirley added, “Don’t forget the lady.”
“How can I? She’s living a few centuries in the past
herself!”
“You’ll want to do something to capture her attention as
well. Of course, in her case, you’ll have help.”
“But with Earl, I’m on my own, right?” Zygo grimaced.
Shirley rose and smiled, signaling the end of their
meeting. “I have the utmost confidence in you, Zygo Mati.” As her
student smiled, she added, “Just remember to be creative. That’s what
it’s all about.”
For a moment, Zygo remained in her chair, sitting
quietly. Then, to herself, she mused, “The poor bastard!” The
chuckling laugh that followed only served to emphasize her statement.
"BTW... Perhaps you, the reader, may have also failed to question
your current life, or wonder why you're not living the life of a
defrocked Catholic priest in Bhutan. So if we find Earl, fat, dumb
and happy with his station in life (as many of you are), we may
perhaps forgive him for taking his fiefdom for granted. Fiefdoms, of
course, are not forever. Particularly, when a Zygo Mati flies by.
Which Earl's was just about to do. I can't speak for your own Zygo
Mati and it's timing."-D.Ward
On Jul 29, 9:32 am, Molly <[email protected]> wrote:
> Each of us has a male and female aspect - the male competes and
> protects, the female nurtures and creates. If we are comfortable with
> all aspects of self, we don't feel a charge or get all riled up about
> what society assigns to gender. We know we have already superceded
> gender assignments. Can we patiently wait for the world to catch up?
> If we find ourselves needing to dominate (male aspect) or conform
> (female aspect) perhaps we have fallen out of balance within
> ourselves.
>
> On Jul 29, 9:06 am, "pol.science kid" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > wait..first of all... gender is the stereotypes atatched to the sexes... and
> > our languages have come to evolve as non-feministic...most of them...wat you
> > are saying seems to suggest that there is no inequality in genders..which is
> > not true...just be comfortable with yourself and the rest does not
> > matter??....
>
> > On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 8:48 AM, ashok tewari <[email protected]> wrote:
> > > Hey Rigsy, my dear, there is no sexism for someone who is so comfortable
> > > with own gender that the aspect is rendered a non - issue, in one's own
> > > values system.
>
> > > On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 6:30 PM, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > >> Of course it is sexism and refers to the history of paternalistic
> > >> societies. Female goddesses were added for good measure. What were
> > >> their attributes?
>
> > >> On Jul 28, 3:50 am, vamadevananda <[email protected]> wrote:
> > >> > Precisely : one, expect a response you may find weird ...
>
> > >> > and, two, anybody who finds sexism in the use of ' he ' and ' she,'
> > >> > for entities such as God ( though I mostly do not understand what
> > >> > people mean by the word ! ), is surely letting us know more about
> > >> > oneself than the entity being discussed. For, in that context, the
> > >> > words he and she can only refer to nature or principles, not sexuality
> > >> > or gender
>
> > >> > On Jul 28, 2:04 am, "pol.science kid" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > >> > > ok....that was a very weird response...it was just a question...
> > >> nothing
> > >> > > personal about it...
>
> > >> > > On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 2:02 AM, ashok tewari <[email protected]>
> > >> wrote:
> > >> > > > Hey Kid, there is nothing sexist about male and female. It's in our
> > >> mind.
> > >> > > > May be you'll be comfortable with your gender one day.
>
> > >> > > > Let it be he, she, it or shit. It's the being signified that is
> > >> meant.
> > >> > > > Ironically, the non - living forms and supports the living !
> > >> > > > Perhaps
> > >> there
> > >> > > > is life in what we term as non - living ?
>
> > >> > > > On Wed, Jul 28, 2010 at 12:30 AM, pol.science kid <
> > >> [email protected]>wrote:
>
> > >> > > >> I get wat you are saying RP.. but i was talking in ...well..wordly
> > >> > > >> terms...and c'mon..lets not be sexists..it could be SHe
> > >> also..although i
> > >> > > >> think it should be ....'IT'..which brings me to a questions why do
> > >> we
> > >> > > >> attribute male/female qualities to certain non-living things... my
> > >> question
> > >> > > >> is why is life 'her' or 'she'..i mean i have heard in songs and
> > >> read in
> > >> > > >> poems..life i have never seen reffered to as 'he'... and mostly
> > >> cars are
> > >> > > >> 'she'... wat alll can you think of...varies from language to
> > >> language.. i
> > >> > > >> can speak for hindi..its very gendered.. wouldnt you agree
> > >> Vam....eg..tea is
> > >> > > >> a she in hindi..so is alcohol..so is a CD..
> > >> > > >> On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 11:51 PM, RP Singh <[email protected]>
> > >> wrote:
>
> > >> > > >>> PSK , there is no 'us' but only He. That's my view-point.
>
> > >> > > >>> On Mon, Jul 26, 2010 at 8:09 AM, pol.science kid <
> > >> [email protected]>wrote:
>
> > >> > > >>>> now.. i was thinking.. by the inner you.. do you by any chance
> > >> mean the
> > >> > > >>>> 'us' we are not really aware of..kind of like the subconcious
> > >> you...and by
> > >> > > >>>> the outer you do you mean the face we show to the
> > >> world..figuratively...for
> > >> > > >>>> my part i am aware of 3 "me's"...the outer me..who plays the
> > >> > > >>>> role
> > >> in the
> > >> > > >>>> world..responds and acts according to situation..the inner
> > >> > > >>>> me..or
> > >> my
> > >> > > >>>> thoughts and my experience ... and further back ..the self in
> > >> the
> > >> > > >>>> shadows..which knows and has all the answers..but i dare not
> > >> bring this self
> > >> > > >>>> to the fore..because i am aware that it will shatter the
> > >> self-image my inner
> > >> > > >>>> self has created of me..its mostly fear of the unknown..and the
> > >> > > >>>> consequences..(conquering yourself is the most difficult thing i
> > >> think)..but
> > >> > > >>>> it watches from behind nevertheless..and you are aware of
> > >> it..perhaps there
> > >> > > >>>> are infinite layers..which reveal themselves as you grow...
> > >> if any of
> > >> > > >>>> this makes sense.....
>
> > >> > > >>>> On Sun, Jul 11, 2010 at 9:43 PM, Molly <[email protected]>
> > >> wrote:
>
> > >> > > >>>>> There is a pattern in life that goes like this: if we are
> > >> confronted
> > >> > > >>>>> with a problem, want to know ourselves, or are looking for
> > >> particular
> > >> > > >>>>> meaning in life – and we take this into the contemplative
> > >> > > >>>>> space,
> > >> hold
> > >> > > >>>>> the question in our mind, dwell on it before sleep each night –
> > >> > > >>>>> however we ask and continue to ask in silence - the answers to
> > >> our
> > >> > > >>>>> questions will eventually come to us. This pattern is age old,
> > >> found
> > >> > > >>>>> in ancient texts such as the bible “ask and ye shall receive,
> > >> knock
> > >> > > >>>>> and the door shall be opened to you,” Luke 11:9
>
> > >> > > >>>>> "We have not even to risk the adventure alone, for the heroes
> > >> > > >>>>> of
> > >> all
> > >> > > >>>>> time have gone before us - the labyrinth is thoroughly known.
> > >> > > >>>>> We
> > >> have
> > >> > > >>>>> only to follow the thread of the hero path, and where we had
> > >> thought
> > >> > > >>>>> to find an abomination, we shall find a god; where we had
> > >> thought to
> > >> > > >>>>> slay another, we shall slay ourselves; where we had thought to
> > >> travel
> > >> > > >>>>> outward, we shall come to the center of our own existence. And
> > >> where
> > >> > > >>>>> we had thought to be alone, we shall be with all the world."
> > >> Joseph
> > >> > > >>>>> Campbell, The Hero with a Thousand Faces
>
> > >> > > >>>>> I find these answers can come from anywhere, and often the most
> > >> > > >>>>> unexpected places: a spam email, a Facebook post, a passing
> > >> remark
> > >> > > >>>>> from a stranger, and intimate disclosure from a loved one.
> > >> Whatever
> > >> > > >>>>> the source, the act of recognizing the answers we are given is
> > >> > > >>>>> recognition of enduring fulfillment. We are recognizing spirit
> > >> in
> > >> > > >>>>> action, energy in motion, Divine Action. It can all occur in
> > >> silence
> > >> > > >>>>> within us, or be expressed in creativity, but it is always the
> > >> > > >>>>> realization of the inner you. And in this kind of heroic
> > >> discovery
> > >> > > >>>>> you find that this inner you in fact is what governs your outer
> > >> you.
>
> > >> > > >>>>> What do YOU think?
>
> > >> > > >>>> --
> > >> > > >>>> \--/ Peace
>
> > >> > > >> --
> > >> > > >> \--/ Peace
>
> > >> > > > --
> > >> > > > ASHOK TEWARI
>
> > >> > > --
> > >> > > \--/ Peace- Hide quoted text -
>
> > >> > - Show quoted text -
>
> > > --
> > > ASHOK TEWARI
>
> > --
> > \--/ Peace- Hide quoted text -
>
> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
