Paul, Thanks for your 2 cents worth. It's not so much there is anything wrong with a party, but why settle for a fool's paradise when there is an alternative? Party on by all means. I don't know what the future condition would be. It is less than even a blur to me. There is no guarantee for this one. No money back refund if not satisfied. Creating the future-now is a bit like that. Total commitment is required without any possibly guarantee that it is not going to blow up in your face. It is an act of faith on my part that it would be any better if we could incorporate some wisdon from First Peoples Way(s) into our lives. My faith is not without its reasons or its basis, but ultimately that it is what it comes down to - and act of faith. I was going to say that acts of faith may pose a problem for those who subscribe to secularism - but even there there is so much which rests on acts of faith day in and day out as to make me realise that secularism itself is a form of, well, if not quite religion, a form of something and not reality stripped naked of all pretensions. Nonsense on stilts, more like it. We talking metaphysics, mate, not physics. Talking about the unconscious in culture. Taling about how our minds and lives are subject to the controls of others, without us knowing about it. Call it the cultural master narratives if you like and their role in rendering us captive. Just who are we? I can't say that i have any real idea of First Peoples thinking on questions of sexuality and gender issues (rarely discussed with outsiders in my limited experience). But i doubt if they would be of the kind which seeks to imprison within the body a life force which was special. From what i have seen, difference from the norm is evaluated according to the contribution this adds to life, and the degree to which those who are in this position respect certain values. There is a greater likelihood that there is a place in life for members of your community within a Way informed by the wisdom of First Peoples than it is (in my opinion) when this present system experiences the next round of deep stress (which appears to be on the horizon) and looks for others to blame for its own shortcomings. But you are right to be cautious. Who knows what beast lurks below the surface. Not me. Each step taken is a tentative one, watching for the known traps - keen to avoid repeating them. Knowing full well that we will probably invent a few news ones, but the alternative is not to move with life at all. And that is no life at all - a voluntary prisoner inside a poorly made cell. Why is it that others wish to confine us in these containers? Why do they seek to imprison us within the latest experiment in "leak proof" vessels? For my part, i can only say that Angel-Beings may come in all shapes and forms for all i know. I am opposed to clipping the wings and locking in cages creatures of the air. I can see i'm on a real winner (NOT!) with my attempts to draw attention to the dangers of secularism. I will restrict my further response to completing the piece on transubstantiation, and then leave you all in peace as i return to the songlines (from whence i seem to have been drawn back here in Recoznet, despite my good intentions). Bruce 7 March Paul wrote: this individual freedom has allowed my community to flourish. the reduction in the power of the church over the state has been essential to this. I would like to know before it is replaced what new 'vision' awaits me and my community. this explanation is not offered, just a blur. why wouldn't I worry that life would get worse? what changes in systems haven't resulted in imprisonment, death and brutality for our mob? (communism being an obvious example) how are your ideas any better? and what is wrong with a party? what is wrong with burning off energy? perhaps I'm misreading you here bruce but this sounds a little wowserish. to ---------- > From: Paul Canning <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: [recoznet2] the state is not secular > Date: Saturday, 6 March 1999 15:05 ------------------------------------------------------- RecOzNet2 has a page @ http://www.green.net.au/recoznet2 To unsubscribe from this list, mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], and in the body of the message, include the words: unsubscribe announce or click here mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?Body=unsubscribe%20announce This posting is provided to the individual members of this group without permission from the copyright owner for purposes of criticism, comment, scholarship and research under the "fair use" provisions of the Federal copyright laws and it may not be distributed further without permission of the copyright owner, except for "fair use."
