Is "seems to" more than opinion?
> On Dec 5, 2013, at 8:24 AM, Ron Kulp <[email protected]> wrote: > > The topic of value rigidity > Seems to rest on the concept > Of "facts". Not opinion or hypothesis. > Reflection and reasoning from facts. > Ego keeps us from being empirical . > Causes us to make assumptions like > Facts are just opinions. > > Sent from my iPhone > >> On Dec 5, 2013, at 2:37 AM, MarshaV <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> >> To me, this is the type of suffering the Buddha addressed. >> >> >> "I keep wanting to go back to that analogy of fishing for facts. I can just >> see somebody asking with great frustration, ``Yes, but which facts do you >> fish for? There's got to be more to it than that.'' >> >> "But the answer is that if you know which facts you're fishing for you're no >> longer fishing. You've caught them. I'm trying to think of a specific >> example. -- All kinds of examples from cycle maintenance could be given, but >> the most striking example of value rigidity I can think of is the old South >> Indian Monkey Trap, which depends on value rigidity for its effectiveness. >> The trap consists of a hollowed-out coconut chained to a stake. The coconut >> has some rice inside which can be grabbed through a small hole. The hole is >> big enough so that the monkey's hand can go in, but too small for his fist >> with rice in it to come out. The monkey reaches in and is suddenly >> trapped...by nothing more than his own value rigidity. He can't revalue the >> rice. He cannot see that freedom without rice is more valuable than capture >> with it. The villagers are coming to get him and take him away. They're >> coming closer -- closer! -- now! What general advice...not specific >> advice...but what general a > dv >> ice would you give the poor monkey in circumstances like this? >> >> "Well, I think you might say exactly what I've been saying about value >> rigidity, with perhaps a little extra urgency. There is a fact this monkey >> should know: if he opens his hand he's free. But how is he going to discover >> this fact? By removing the value rigidity that rates rice above freedom. How >> is he going to do that? Well, he should somehow try to slow down >> deliberately and go over ground that he has been over before and see if >> things he thought were important really were important and, well, stop >> yanking and just stare at the coconut for a while. Before long he should get >> a nibble from a little fact wondering if he is interested in it. He should >> try to understand this fact not so much in terms of his big problem as for >> its own sake. That problem may not be as big as he thinks it is. That fact >> may not be as small as he thinks it is either. That's about all the general >> information you can give him. >> >> ... >> >> "On the road now and talking about traps again. The next one is important. >> It's the internal gumption trap of ego. >> >> "Ego isn't entirely separate from value rigidity but one of the many causes >> of it. If you have a high evaluation of yourself then your ability to >> recognize new facts is weakened. Your ego isolates you from the Quality >> reality. When the facts show that you've just goofed, you're not as likely >> to admit it. When false information makes you look good, you're likely to >> believe it. On any mechanical repair job ego comes in for rough treatment. >> You're always being fooled, you're always making mistakes, and a mechanic >> who has a big ego to defend is at a terrific disadvantage. If you know >> enough mechanics to think of them as a group, and your observations coincide >> with mine, I think you'll agree that mechanics tend to be rather modest and >> quiet. There are exceptions, but generally if they're not quiet and modest >> at first, the work seems to make them that way. And skeptical. Attentive, >> but skeptical, But not egoistic. There's no way to bullshit your way into >> looking good on a mechan i > ca >> l repair job, except with someone who doesn't know what you're doing. >> >> "-- I was going to say that the machine doesn't respond to your personality, >> but it does respond to your personality. It's just that the personality that >> it responds to is your real personality, the one that genuinely feels and >> reasons and acts, rather than any false, blown-up personality images your >> ego may conjure up. These false images are deflated so rapidly and >> completely you're bound to be very discouraged very soon if you've derived >> your gumption from ego rather than Quality. >> >> "If modesty doesn't come easily or naturally to you, one way out of this >> trap is to fake the attitude of modesty anyway. If you just deliberately >> assume you're not much good, then your gumption gets a boost when the facts >> prove this assumption is correct. This way you can keep going until the time >> comes when the facts prove this assumption is incorrect." >> >> - ZAMM >> >> >> Moq_Discuss mailing list >> Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org >> Archives: >> http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ >> http://moq.org/md/archives.html > Moq_Discuss mailing list > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org > Archives: > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ > http://moq.org/md/archives.html Moq_Discuss mailing list Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc. http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org Archives: http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/ http://moq.org/md/archives.html
