713.

Principles

Understanding

Two Parts to Life

(I jotted down some notes to do with this realization.  I've written about it before but each writing comes from a slightly different place.)

There are two parts to life.  The first involves time and moving through it, a journey of sorts forming a history with a story to be told.  What one experiences, learns, and wills into action turns into an timeline of  action which becomes this history.  All manner of being comes into play.  Street smarts, conceptual thinking, crafting, logic, passion, all form the soil from which this emerges.  A particular string of events tied together in one person going through their life is one portion of this.  They travel from somewhere to somewhere.  The story of this journey is first conceived in concept and later described by words.

The second part of life actually leads nowhere.  The first part keeps you busy and occupied and surviving while the second part plays out while traveling through the journey, although it has no journey inherent in itself. It is made up of unrelated moments that speak for and stand for themselves.  The senses might be perked, or a flash of realization might strike the person, or some experience with a person, place or thing just happens.  The moment stands out but the reason is not clear.  You just know you experienced it.  It doesn't point to a direction, help form an opinion or conclusion, or resolve anything.  It just stands on its own, no explanation is needed, and stands independent from all analysis. The only observation one can make about it is that it happens throughout life at unexpected times with for no rationale reason.  Even so, its effect is plentiful and profound even though one cannot say why.

Both are the two parts of life.

707.

Principles

Understanding

Sections of life

Just a flash note here.  It seems as if in life there is your involvement with your place in the environment and your activities, and responsibilities.  Your interactions with your neighbors are one example.

Then there is the wider scope of the time and historical setting you live within.  It's where you are placed in the evolution of mankind and all the political, economic and social pressures that influence you.  Seeing how things turn out is of interest.  An example is how political actions have economic consequences.  There is some fascination in this, and it confirms your sense of judgement. It exists outside of your immediate needs so also takes you away from yourself and your own problems and challenges. It also allows for the opportunity to confirm or deny your judgments on various issues of the day which focuses your reasoning and intuition beyond just yourself. This allows you to test your presumptions and conceptions in a wider arean.
It can help you to see how on or off course you are.  It's another guidepost.

Finally, there is the section in life of life itself, on its own terms, just living and experiencing what comes before you.  These experiences are almost history independent.  Seeing a bird scamper on the beach or a wave retreat or having a pull towards a friend you knew 40 years ago are examples.  If the bird was sick due to pollution that would be part of history.  Otherwise just experiencing life without a oontext is  part of what we are here for. These core life expereinces are universal to the human life experience.

I'm not bringing in the spiritual dimension here.  I'm letting just what we see and experience speak for itself.  In this discussion no larger context is called for.  In a sense its kept clean that way.  Concept doesn't pollute.  These sections exist in the material world and emanate from what we can observe.

635.

Principles

Understanding

How it works

At first you understand all sides of an issue, plus the subleties.  But to move on in life a direction has to be had so you refine one particular point of view. It is true for you at the time. You refine it and even debate with others over it, stengthening your resolve within it. While living it you seem to impress others with it, which confirms to you its correctness.  For a time it seems as if you are ahead of your time, on a new wave of understanding as such, and spreading the word.

However, whether it be the times we live in and or human nature itself, others also are strengthening themselves in their resolve and their paths, whether congruent with yours or different.  The right or wrong of their beliefs becomes less important than the assertion of them and themselves.  Every one has become like checker pieces, all taking up an equal measure of space with equal powers. What happens then is that every move you make is met by another move from someone else whose force is equal to yours.  It becomes 'tit for tat' in a sense. All ways from all people are asserted with none dominating. 

Correcting others doesn't work. Even helping others is misused.  Your giving is received until the person is strengthened to a point where they return your help with contention. It is not presonal. Rather the overall forces existing today push the person to their maximum expansion and selfhood.  The individual is enlarged to almost mythological proportions.  Within this environment thankfulness and humility are traits that give one a secondary status.

The only way out of this conundrum is to seek a viewpoint that seeks unification, a perspective that unites all views.  This can be seen 
as higher ground or as a universal viewpoint.  Maybe even as a peaceful perspective or an elevated one.  You try to embody this way of being.  For a time it seems to work.  Others seem to be impressed and even are lured to your 'light' and your posture of peace.

However, cracks appear. As the general level of civilization and subsequent behavior and discourse and amenities declines, small and larger aggravations and personal violations become more frequent. Random violations occur both with individuals and institutions and a certain standard of behavior is no longer a given.  Granted, redeeming actions are still present as their spirit cannot be squelched forever. They represent the healthy force towards equilbrium.  However, they happen despite declining social norms. This includes the family, friends, work, community or lack of, and business and social settings.

As such, a random insult or a lack of manners might trigger a sudden negative response from you.  Your newfound elevated consciousness is no match for sniper like attacks on your well being.  Stress, real health and financial concerns, erode your peace even as you seek to rejuvinate it.  So, a slight or verbal attack elicits from you a knee jerk reaction.  You are back in the frey so to speak.  Your animal one upsmanship and defense mechanism and fight or flight instincts come into play.  You are disappointed with this outcome. It is d let down.  This is not a good resolution for human as a whole or your own behavior.

So how should this be seen?  The answer at this time is that it is all part of experience and one has to just move through it to the other side.  You cannot embody one way of being, even a peaceful worthy way. At times you can represent harmony, at other times you can have a knee jerk reaction.  There is also a place for the latter.  It is not for you to orchestrate how it goes. If you are haggled you might respond in kind.  Othertimes you present wisdom.  All things are done and experienced by you. 

Once again a larger perspective if garnered from all this. Accepting this state of being brings about a temperance in one's attitude and nature. Temperance in all things becomes our only island of safety. Or another way of saying it is we have to put up with all of it gracefully if possible.

610.  Past

Principles

Meaning, understanding


Purpose and suffering

We want to know if our suffering counts.  For a time we suffer and afterwards the suffering makes us purposeful. We want to get beyond the suffering.   However, eventually, something goes wrong, our purpose is not completed. It lets us down, and our suffering returns.  This repeats itself.  Eventually we question the pattern.  We ask 'why' and what lies beneath this pattern.

586. 

Principles

Systems, patterns, and understanding

Top down thinking

Most thought processes, disciplines, scientific research, scholarship, approach the search for truth as building a base working upwards to a pinnacle where truth becomes known.  This never works out fully.  One is always left out on a tangent.

The only approach that does work is from the top down.  You start with the biggest and most encompassing conclusion and work your way down to the particulars.

How does one know if one has the right conclusion?  I suspect that a prerequisite for grasping top down thinking is to have already reached the right conclusion.  Put another way, only one conclusion will fit.  A wrong conclusion should not fit.

If a particular thought, concept, or fact can't be placed anywhere, wait.  In time a place will be found for it, even if other particulars have to be rearranged.
.

568.

Principles

Systems, patterns and understanding

Timetables

There is no time
to retool, revamp or redo.

Forward is the only way,
broken parts and all.

The final story
has to be written..

383.

Principles

Understanding

After giving it all 

Years ago my friend Steve said, “Now you have to use everything you know.”  That stuck with me.  It was the final effort.  For years, then, I worked on the final effort.  Then it came to an end.  I had nothing left to give to it. 

After some time and space pressure was eased.  Tentative exploration  had to replace sheer determination.  Gaps could not be filled with just anything.  Care and consideration sifted what was allowed in.

Certain  hints were given and new understanding was seeping in.  It seemed to bring everything together.  I had to be patient, though, and let it evolve into being so I could be reasonably sure it was meant to be. It had to withstand all my doubts and have enough merit and truth within it to justify the focus it would demand. I am willing, what else is there?  But I am also cautious as experience has made me so.

It is also possible what lies is the future is more mundane, simple, pragmatic.  Day to day life without bells and whistles might be more like it.  There is peace and freedom in this too.

For now there is some pushing forward but not too forcibly as I await to see what unfolds.