There are two ways to bring about a change - either by conversation or by action. Conversation is in many ways preferable, but often the arguments people offer are not close to their real reasons. If someone is afraid of change, there is no point in speaking to them about it, because they will hide the fear behind all kinds of rationalizations. Defeat one argument and, like the hydra, two more spring up in its place. What the other person needs is not reason, but a sense of security.
Sometimes, then, the best way forward is to take a different tack. Give people a different experience; give them an experience that they enjoy and like; and then, when they're happy, explain why it is they feel good about it.
That, I suppose, is the possibility offered to the School by the internet - blogging, online communities, podcasting, downloads. The old paradigm is where the wisdom comes down out of a cloud, in little drops, to the waiting faithful. The traffic is one direction only. If we take up the opportunity offered by the internet, we will suddenly have a different paradigm - in which we create a worldwide online community of philosophy, where every voice is equal in status. And why not, indeed? Socrates went around Greece asking people questions - from slaves to statesmen. What mattered was not who they were, but their wisdom.
Of course, it should never be a substitute for real conversation ... but what do you think? This is a chance to take part in the experiment.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
New Media, New Paradigm
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6 comments:
To take part of your post further. This week in Part 2 we looked at those old, familiar attachments to the 'I'. 'I am happy,' 'I am sad,' etc. The reason for these attachments, it was said, is to be laid at the door of forgetting, reinforced by habit.
I could swear there was a rather sad, listless sigh in the room - and I can understand why. To say that we 'forget' does not actually help us to remember. You feel more up a gum tree than enlightened.
Besides, I don't know that it is true.
Yes, there may be forgetting, but why do we forget? If our true Self is free from attachments then why do we so readily assume a false identity? A persona? What's in it for us that we hug it to ourselves? Forgetting is not an adequate explanation.
And why do we feel such fear when that identity is threatened?
Everyone experiences this dislocation to a greater or lesser degree. Given security the attachments can loosen; and, given action, the individual can experience a freer way, supporting the next step.
But the knowledge side needs to be right too. If it is forgetting, there needs to be a few more links along the way. Otherwise it's too big a leap and too far away from people's understanding of themselves
"...a worldwide online community of philosophy, where every voice is equal in status. And why not, indeed? Socrates went around Greece asking people questions - from slaves to statesmen. What mattered was not who they were, but their wisdom."
Two things that arise in response to this:
- every voice can only be equal in status if people are being true to themselves, if there is integrity. But there is clearly no guarantee of this so the best you can really hope for is that people are at least willing to work through their projections & self-deceptions in the course of dialogue(*). I would suggest that is closer to what Socrates was doing...?
- I suspect the very presence of Socrates and the questions he asked helped people to be wiser than usual? There is a subjective effect. As we know, our attention helps the speaker.
(*) Ever been on philosophy / spirituality chat-rooms? Some appear to have genuine integrity but many are opinionated, tedious and argumentative. The dialogue, at best, is a process where this may be disentangled, assuming people are willing to do this...? I think this would be a more important principle than anything else, willingness to self-reflect during the exchange.
Just been to a lecture by Dr Anthony Grayling, Professor of Philosophy at Birkbeck and popular pundit, on life, liberty and ideas in the 21st century.
This reminded me how essential it is - and I use the word advisedly - for those of us living in the world to get out there and live in the world. If our view of the 'good life', as expounded by Socrates, is not intelligently challenged from time to time then we get lax and complacement.
Professor Grayling had a good deal to say about this and other matters. He reminded us that form and structure are important for human happiness as well as liberty.
I tried to read the Gray Thing's book, but found it a bit dull. Alain de Botton, similarly, failed to press mine.
Gone off Grayling. Discovered he's in a 'religion' debate at St Paul's Girls School on the same side as Dawkins. Nevertheless, he acknowledges Socrates' immense contribution to the civilised modern world and is a proponent of 'an unexamined life is not worth living'. Also speaks well.
I'm all for every means of communication self to self. Who couldn't be, or doesn't want that to be true, all the time ?
We need a bit of practice. Better do it by being, than by offering formulated knowledge !
The SES searches for a common language in its public literature. Sometimes it seems awkward and coming from a 'system', rather than the heart.
In my experience, the only 'clean' way is to first meet the self in the person you're confronting (and that can be done on the internet etc too ?)and take it from there. If you assume they're perfect somewhere inside to start with, it's usually more successful !
We're not very good with knowledge, or spiritual information it might be.. but here's chance at the season of goodwill to say, I've just had my happiest term ever in my long roller-coaster ride in the SES...
Why ? Being, rather than obvious 'knowledge'. When I go into School buildings, I'm suddenly enormously happy and full of goodwill.. put it down to satsanga, and that doesn't just mean clocking-in frequently...Despite the long list of faults we can attribute to the organisation (never thanked, clumsy announcements, lack of individual care -- oh, make your own list...)-- despite all this and that, and finding it very difficult to communicate spiritual information, everyone's being seems to have lifted. So that's what I rely on in meeting people -- the 'knowledge' that we share the same self...
Well, it's a start, I guess.
PS as it's the season of messages of gratitude and goodwill -- thanks to my lifelong best friend, His Holiness..!
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