Treatment Abuse, Behavior Modification, Thought Reform > Straight, Inc. and Derivatives
Chanting???
starry-eyed pirate:
Yeah ?? I heard you weren't even real. :skull:
starry-eyed pirate:
...Like the symbol of all institutions should just be a set of childrens trainin' wheels. The symbol of $tr8; The symbol of the church; The symbol of the school boards insignia; The seal of the president. The American flag should be a set of trainin' wheels. even the patch on the traffic cops sleeve should be a patch of trainin' wheels. The Buddha on the mantle; trainin' wheels...
dragonfly:
Woof-a-Doof:
Zen seemed a natural for me as well. the koans and all. Taoisim seemed to dovetail naturally for me as well. I think what made so much sence in Taoisim was the incessant double speak and toying with words, Straights influence really turned that ancient sect into a joke for me. Christianity really didnt seem to hold any water for me. So where did I fit in?
I had/have respect for the great teachings. And I have admiration for those that can devote thier lives to one thing. There is/was a significant part of me that yearned to be a part of something...something I believed in. It was not enuff for me to have a belief and cherish it, I wanted to be a part of a group that believed as I do.
Problem with this desire was that for me it was, unrealistic. I would be able to stomach 99% of a teaching. The remaining 1% I would stand fast and not budge no matter how much it was explained to me how I was "wrong". Right away I was seen as difficult....oh my favorite one..."We will pray for you"...Clearly I was not in the right place. I have no animosity towards these groups of people.
These folks wanted to "praise", "worship" and "honor" the God of thier affections. I wanted more. I wanted to see the very face of "that" which I sought. That very idea put me at odds with many people right away. I was raised down here in the bible belt and have been hit with the buckle from a very young age and so am pretty familiar with the resistance I face when wanting to become a "part of".
I realized at some point that this (for lack of a better term) "search" could not be trivialized. That the sacred texts were not to be catigorized (sp), rationalized, disected and discussed, arqued and analized (shityy speeling tonight...sorry). The effort I was extending was meant to see the eyes of "that" which I hold as holy. That effort was all to often cheapened by experiencing it with other people.
In the truest sense of the word, it is private. Not because it's "nunya damn bizness", but more so because it is beyond that which can be spoken. I have said before, that words are pointers, in that they generally point us to something...an object or a thought. So words do nothing more really than murk up the waters. My search then is now tween me and "that" which I hold dear. Who could teach me that? Who could also show me via example of what I wanted to reach? No one.
Our friend Pirate is all to fond of saying "Fuck the institutions" and my favorite, "Fuck Authority"...that always brings a smile to my face. It's refreshing to witness such passion and tenacity! And the realy cool thing is that he speaks the truth. Or perhaps, maybe, he speaks words that "point" to the truth. For him it is no longer a subject of debate. He has experienced the lyrics, "The mighty God is a Living Man." Rather than "believing", he has experienced that "All Authority is False"
In the 60's there was a popular phrase that said, "Question Authority". Of course this phrase was "pointed" at the establishment...the man. Yet the phrase has ancient roots, going back before the Christian era. I am thinking it was Cicero who said it and I could very well be wrong, but it was said in the context of the "self" as being the ultimate authority and that that should be questioned. Heard that back in Sociology 101...just another random memory.
Pirate, ya said "You think you're havin' fun and livin' well but you are truly a slave. The trainin' wheels might as well be chains." In prison one only thinks of being free, how to escape and ta fill the mind with plans of being out . Life is a prison to. During our stay in this life-prison we entertain ceratin things that make the time go by. Some of these things are poor choices for entertainment, others are phenominal forms of entertainment. But it's just entertainment man.
Why do we need entertainment? Why do we have a need to believe or not to believe? From the earliest of times we have had a "belief" in something more powerful, magical or greater than ourselves, and we have had a substance to change the way we feel. (Also from Sociology 101) I spoke with a woman I respected about this once and she replied "I am going to answer with biggest question in psychology.....So?"
I heard a truth, I know I did...she brought me to silence.
PPP
starry-eyed pirate:
--- Quote ---On 2006-01-12 15:56:00, dragonfly wrote:
"I do agree Pirate, but for the sake of conversation, lets wonder if it's possible to take advantage of an institutional "spiritual" practice, that is, can we enjoy the support of a group of people with out identifying with them. This seems like true freedom, to come and go as we please, not to simply dismiss, but to be free and benefit at the same time, to be unattached but there.
If it is a reaction, it is dictated by something other than our own inclinations and inertia.
"
--- End quote ---
... ::alieneyesa:: :silly: ...
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version