It seems I'm not the only one feeling the new moon and eclipse. This particular essay, closely observing cyclic endings and beginnings.
I would like to offer a different take on obscurity, if for no other reason than to potentially expand the scope of examination. Arcane and transcendent states cannot be truly communicated. They can be shared amongst those who have established a certain amount of experience, yet for the people incapable of reaching finer levels, words, explanations, and even instructions will merely try their patience and often elicit negative, if not violent response.
Modernity obsesses over their definition of equality, and demands this definition to apply into areas where it simply doesn't, and one of these areas is in spiritual existence. Thus to spell out any experiential revelation is also to make it available for the savaging by those who lack the qualities for the experience. We have many solid examples of this in emerging Christianity, as Abrahamic idiots savaged anyone and everyone with deranged narcissistic arrogance.
I would offer, therefore, that Plato's hints and references led those with a certain amount of experience to deeper realizations, while protecting them from those who would do them harm.
I think that is precisely what the obscurity and ambiguity in the dialogues was about. I think many were aporetic and open ended just so they would stimulate the mind of students to realise their own capacity for wisdom, rather than hand them ready made answers on a plate. Well said 🙏
Thank you, Ross. Deep down, everything is connected. There is probably an atom within me that came from somewhere far away in the Universe. As I write this, I can almost recognize it. So, object, subject, and observer are all made of the same matter. Perhaps that is where our curiosity about the things that surround us comes from. You’re right, empathy derives from our being mixed with what surrounds us. It is also fundamental; it is what made us survive as a species and made us stronger because it allows us to be supportive of one another and not just competitive.
I think even that which we perceive as matter is only what our senses and forms of perception and understanding allow; what matter may be in itself, apart from our perception, is something like we know in ourselves as the ‘will”, or the force directing our activities, conscious and unconscious
I agree, Ross. There are two parallel worlds. The one that lies beyond our eyes, the real world, with or without concrete matter. And the world we see when light enters our eyes. In other words, everything is perception; we are still a very long way from truly understanding what reality is. For example, there is a celestial body that we call the Moon. We have even landed there. But is the Moon really as we see it? We must not forget that we are trained, from childhood, to see the world in a particular way.
I think it goes beyond even childhood training; the very nature of the human organism means that we can only ever see and understand according to the particular forms of perception and understanding inherent in us; even atoms are only what our minds are capable of perceiving and conceiving: our way of understanding the world is to look for the smallest units possible and build up a picture of their interconnections etc. But that is relevant to, and in fact could only exist in regards to human consciousness. What the world and ourselves may be apart from consciousness is not going to be a multitude of discrete things, and that goes for the phenomena of atoms and molecules too - all of those things presuppose a consciousness like ours. In a real sense, they don't exist outside of our consciousness. What does exist is the inner nature of the world which is as much our own inner being as anything that appears to us
It seems I'm not the only one feeling the new moon and eclipse. This particular essay, closely observing cyclic endings and beginnings.
I would like to offer a different take on obscurity, if for no other reason than to potentially expand the scope of examination. Arcane and transcendent states cannot be truly communicated. They can be shared amongst those who have established a certain amount of experience, yet for the people incapable of reaching finer levels, words, explanations, and even instructions will merely try their patience and often elicit negative, if not violent response.
Modernity obsesses over their definition of equality, and demands this definition to apply into areas where it simply doesn't, and one of these areas is in spiritual existence. Thus to spell out any experiential revelation is also to make it available for the savaging by those who lack the qualities for the experience. We have many solid examples of this in emerging Christianity, as Abrahamic idiots savaged anyone and everyone with deranged narcissistic arrogance.
I would offer, therefore, that Plato's hints and references led those with a certain amount of experience to deeper realizations, while protecting them from those who would do them harm.
I think that is precisely what the obscurity and ambiguity in the dialogues was about. I think many were aporetic and open ended just so they would stimulate the mind of students to realise their own capacity for wisdom, rather than hand them ready made answers on a plate. Well said 🙏
Thank you, Ross. Deep down, everything is connected. There is probably an atom within me that came from somewhere far away in the Universe. As I write this, I can almost recognize it. So, object, subject, and observer are all made of the same matter. Perhaps that is where our curiosity about the things that surround us comes from. You’re right, empathy derives from our being mixed with what surrounds us. It is also fundamental; it is what made us survive as a species and made us stronger because it allows us to be supportive of one another and not just competitive.
I think even that which we perceive as matter is only what our senses and forms of perception and understanding allow; what matter may be in itself, apart from our perception, is something like we know in ourselves as the ‘will”, or the force directing our activities, conscious and unconscious
I agree, Ross. There are two parallel worlds. The one that lies beyond our eyes, the real world, with or without concrete matter. And the world we see when light enters our eyes. In other words, everything is perception; we are still a very long way from truly understanding what reality is. For example, there is a celestial body that we call the Moon. We have even landed there. But is the Moon really as we see it? We must not forget that we are trained, from childhood, to see the world in a particular way.
I think it goes beyond even childhood training; the very nature of the human organism means that we can only ever see and understand according to the particular forms of perception and understanding inherent in us; even atoms are only what our minds are capable of perceiving and conceiving: our way of understanding the world is to look for the smallest units possible and build up a picture of their interconnections etc. But that is relevant to, and in fact could only exist in regards to human consciousness. What the world and ourselves may be apart from consciousness is not going to be a multitude of discrete things, and that goes for the phenomena of atoms and molecules too - all of those things presuppose a consciousness like ours. In a real sense, they don't exist outside of our consciousness. What does exist is the inner nature of the world which is as much our own inner being as anything that appears to us
The parallels are plainly laid out and not at all sentimental. Beautiful, and as always, Ross, with so many layers! 👏👏👏👏💜💜💜💜😊😊😊😊
You must gather these together and write a book!
Thanks Aria!🙏🙏💚💚
The duality of yin and yang in Taoism helps me put our western world in a perspective of perhaps more promising alternatives.
Certainly! Taoism is an excellent source!
Time itself is a circle.