I've never had someone so casually create a crushing despair in me, Neil. Your writing has always affected me greatly, but the sense of general futility that is often expressed weighs a ton. As someone who still holds out hope for society's betterment, your words often feel like mountains on my head.The sense of truth in them, I think, is what gives them so much weight.
On Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 4:25 PM, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > The smell of authority gets up my nose however disguised Gabby - we've > just seen an example in rugby union with a Welsh player sent off for a > decent tackle and then banned for three games to reinforce the > referee's authority. It all reeks of what people do given authority. > Sport hardly matters, but the example is good. I don't know what's > happening in Detroit. I do know that in Spain a ring of bastards > (priests, nuns, doctors) removed 40,000 kids from their parents and > adopted through mass baby trafficking beyond the Fascists. I was > tempted once to become an anarcho-existential organisational > practitioner and break some windows from the inside, but somehow > jargon remains with the same smell. > Molly's got a point - the problem is that words so rarely match what > happens. The gadfly of irony loses its sting too,much as increasing > lexicon (equafinality, artifactuality etc.) ... and paradigms of > synergy fade in the dust of asset strippers. > > So where are the solutions we might express? > > On Oct 18, 8:15 pm, gabbydott <[email protected]> wrote: > > Puh, this is the flowery version of "I am against dualism" (compare: All > > power plays are based in these memes because they require opposition), > which > > is understandable if the writer gets payed by the line. Whereby the scent > of > > power being related to hierarchies is decently overtoned, now isn't that > > lovely. No mod here has the power over the ban button, this is me here > > trolling and spreading an unpleasant odor. Puh, could someone please > > let in some fresh air? > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > On Tue, Oct 18, 2011 at 1:16 PM, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > Power relations work only in a group with leadership who's view is > > > based on power and the idea that "i" or "we" can have more or less > > > than "you." There are views that realize that every group operates > > > holistically, and the flow of operation and pinnacle of achievement is > > > not dependent on power but synergy. A savvy leader knows the group > > > members potentiality, talent, perceived limitation, resources etc., > > > and creates the conditions necessary for every and all to move beyond > > > them as a whole. It takes a big picture view of how each person > > > operates and where the group fits in the community (whole). A group > > > with such leadership can become a change agent. The leadership > > > understands that power is a misnomer, as it is not power that fuels > > > the group effort, but synergy. > > > > > Given, not all groups operate like this. Not everyone has realized > > > the fallacious nature of "power." Fallacious because we indeed are > > > operating as a whole on the more subtle levels. Our view can distort > > > what is really occurring, because it is often too narrow (egocentric - > > > me against them- or ethnocentric - us against them.) All power plays > > > are based in these memes because they require opposition. Leaders who > > > allow the talent in the group to emerge and mentor, who can inspire > > > group vision and keep the group focused to it, who recognized each > > > individual contribution and potential and provide resources necessary > > > for fulfillment are indeed rare. But they are emerging whether by > > > necessity of a higher calling. > > > > > I find it interesting that here in Detroit, Mayor Bing, who receives a > > > whopping $.90 annual salary, has done more to allow the worldcentric > > > leadership of the city to emerge than anyone in the history of the > > > city. His critics say that he has not made any tangible change > > > although you don't have to look far to see that he has. He operates > > > at a much higher meme than our President, although I suspect that the > > > conditions of the world might not be ready for any other than a power > > > based person in the Presidency. > > > > > Power relations are inevitable in groups whose members know no other > > > way. But there are other ways and other views. > > > > > On Oct 17, 7:00 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > I think we have to admit to some inevitability of power relations - > > > > objectivity gets as invasive as bully-power if we aren't careful. > > > > > > On Oct 17, 2:27 pm, James Lynch <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > Personal power seems part and parcel to living authentically > (whatever > > > > > that might mean), motive and intent buried in the basis of > authority. > > > > > I take your meaning is that there are a few deeply rooted memes for > a > > > > > weak basis on authority, and it makes me wonder about how we assess > a > > > > > disproportionate amount of authority on achievement and how this > gets > > > > > corrupted by the apparent values celebrated in our society. Is this > in > > > > > dissonance with nature, I wonder, or are we as mesmerized by it as > the > > > > > bird or fish to a shiny object. I'm trying to scrap out a few > > > > > paragraphs here and there on rhetoric and writing to get a grasp of > my > > > > > own, hopefully it will light a fire under my pen. An act of > futility > > > > > perhaps.. > > > > > > > On 10/15/11, Molly <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > > I don't think we are all stuck. Certainly there are many memes > that > > > > > > are, and many that are not. Spiral Dynamics is a good model that > > > > > > allows us to understand the states and stages of humanity, and > how we > > > > > > each spiral up and down them in our lifetime. Someone who can't > see > > > > > > past their ethnocentric or egocentric view will play the power > card. > > > > > > > > On Oct 14, 10:42 pm, archytas <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> I once lived amongst mice - it was a university psychology > thingy. > > > I > > > > > >> first wondered why the subordinate mice didn't overthrow the > king > > > > > >> mouse and he (he was always male) always kept his crew in > vicious > > > > > >> check ans "poverty". I knew the underling males could be > trained > > > and > > > > > >> fed to defeat him. Later I just saw that nothing changed except > the > > > > > >> identity of the king mouse. I grew to quite like individual > mice > > > but > > > > > >> not the mouse society. > > > > > >> Currently, though we have an extensive understanding of genetic- > > > > > >> environment-evolution stuff - sufficient at least to make most > > > nature- > > > > > >> nurture debate old hat - we are still stuck in a > misunderstanding of > > > > > >> our animal situation and in dire myths that hide the nature of > > > motives > > > > > >> even from those who lay claim to extirpate ideology. One wants > to > > > > > >> live and let live, yet this is never enough. We need 'power' of > > > some > > > > > >> kind to negate power itself - or fatalism. > > > > > > > >> On Oct 14, 2:03 pm, rigsy03 <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > >> > Though motives can work themselves into a snarl- like yarn or > > > string- > > > > > >> > and one often needs time (maturity and education) to follow > the > > > path > > > > > >> > backwards. (The Labyrinth myth comes to mind.) > > > > > > > >> > On Oct 14, 1:36 am, RP Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > > >> > > Man is bound by God through genetics , environment etc. , > but > > > all of > > > > > >> > > it so hidden that to an individual he is absolutely free , > and > > > free he > > > > > >> > > is as he is the agent , it is he who decides and acts and as > > > such the > > > > > >> > > bonds beings so subtle as to be unconscious , he is > consciously > > > doing > > > > > >> > > everything freely.If we can be aware of our real motives we > can > > > > > >> > > control our actions to some degree and it is in that way > that > > > > > >> > > knowledge of our hidden motives can help us. > > > > > > > >> > > On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 11:41 PM, archytas < > [email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > >> > > > I like the theme RP - but what of being 'bound' by > > > > > >> > > > genetics/evolution/ > > > > > >> > > > environment - which gives some clues on how to escape > through > > > > > >> > > > knowledge? > > > > > > > >> > > > On Oct 13, 4:30 pm, RP Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> It is God who binds you and not you yourself , and so you > are > > > > > >> > > >> accountable to yourself and society , but not to God. In > this > > > world > > > > > >> > > >> you are doing everything freely , but in God's presence > you > > > are > > > > > >> > > >> just a > > > > > >> > > >> puppet. If I am bound to err , it doesn't absolve me of > the > > > action > > > > > >> > > >> as > > > > > >> > > >> it has been done by me , and if you hurt me , again you > are > > > > > >> > > >> accountable for it as it is done by you. It is only in > God's > > > > > >> > > >> presence > > > > > >> > > >> that you are innocent as you are a puppet in his hand , > but > > > in > > > > > >> > > >> man's > > > > > >> > > >> world you are accountable and responsible for every > action > > > unless > > > > > >> > > >> society frees you of that responsibility on the grounds > of > > > insanity > > > > > >> > > >> on > > > > > >> > > >> your part. You are always the agent and as such always > > > responsible > > > > > >> > > >> for > > > > > >> > > >> your every action and inaction. > > > > > > > >> > > >> On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 8:36 PM, Vam < > [email protected]> > > > wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> > When everything is predetermined... and if we all > accept > > > that as > > > > > >> > > >> > fact... accountability is without meaning ! > > > > > > > >> > > >> > Accountability has a meaning when I have a choice in > the > > > matter, > > > > > >> > > >> > and > > > > > >> > > >> > if I am aware of that personal freedom. > > > > > > > >> > > >> > On Oct 13, 7:46 pm, RP Singh <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> >> When everything is predetermined , the obvious truth > that > > > it is > > > > > >> > > >> >> man > > > > > >> > > >> >> who is acting , makes man accountable to man and > society > > > and > > > > > >> > > >> >> not to > > > > > >> > > >> >> God. > > > > > > > >> > > >> >> On Thu, Oct 13, 2011 at 8:10 PM, Vam < > > > [email protected]> > > > > > >> > > >> >> wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> >> > But I couldn't see the rational thread between the > "God > > > > > >> > > >> >> > alone..." > > > > > >> > > >> >> > premise and its "Man alone..." derivative ! > > > > > > > >> > > >> >> > On Oct 13, 7:20 pm, archytas <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> I rather like the idea RP, of the corollary. > > > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> On Oct 13, 3:02 pm, RP Singh <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > AS everything good and evil is done by God's > dictates > > > and > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > everything > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > that a man endures is from God's pleasure , the > > > corollary > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > follows -- > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > whatever a man does , he is free to do and > > > accountable to > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > man and > > > > > >> > > >> >> >> > society.- Hide quoted text - > > > > > > > >> > > - Show quoted text - > > > > > > > -- > > > > > Please do not put me on forwarding lists or submit my address to > cute > > > > > online greetings or anything else for that matter. If you must, > please > > > > > forward me in BCC and send me a link to cute greetings. Many > thanks! >
