For years now, Martha, there have been voices like yours defining a new
moment in human history. You mentioned the truly selfless individual an
inhabitant of humankind's new third stage.
Your comments make me wonder if it's possible as you describe it. That
is, first, can a human achieve recognition or enlightenment or spiritual
awareness on a broad scale without what I'll call a triggering mechanism?
Second, by the nature of our psyches, is that trigger not often found in a
moment of spiritual, emotional and/or physical discontinuity?
If (a big if) one takes the view that theodicy is a viable view of human
existence even today, then "evil" is substantiated broadly speaking as a
catalytic agent. Because it exists, it defines--or helps define--Truth
and Love. Perhaps the third age is not at all as you describe it, but
something of a mix of your stage and our current level.
In one of the most poignant and moving scenes in Brothers Karamazov,
Dmitri, the accused patricide, has fallen asleep on a hard bench in a room
after undergoing intense interrogation about the almost unspeakable evil
discovered in his father's house.
In his sleep, Dmitri dreams a significant dream. Most importantly, upon
awakening, he finds a pillow beneath his head which before was not there.
In so many words, he calls out "Who did this for me? Despite the evil
crime for which I am being held unjustly, despite what is for you all
clear evidence that I killed my father, who--who among you saw fit to
relieve my discomfort?"
No one answers. It was a selfless act of compassion which the author
describes, and the moment of apotheosis for Mitya Karamazov. For this
Brother, the rest of the action is denouement.
Do we need the flame, the blade, the needle, something sharp and painful
to make us DISTINGUISHING humans? Today I think so. I find it hard to
imagine humankind able to lead everywhere a life completely tied to the
wonderful values you have described. There will always be a down side.
In leading the discussion, people like those on this list are crucial. We
partially define the playing field. We at best might hope to fulfill the
role of a kind of humanistic Big Bang which spreads out mysteriously from
a Center, complete with inexplicable phenomena, Dark Bodies, Chaos and
brilliant points of "invisible light". And black holes, too.
Business shares is this highly emotional and spiritual model I have typed
here. Not all business is good. Not all decisions are positive, wise,
beneficial in any way. We speak about best-in-class, which means
classification exists from one side of the business acumen spectrum to the
other. That's a kind of good and evil in business, but not evil in the
spiritual or religious sense. How do those in business with awareness,
compassion, courage and imagination learn to improve? By making mistakes,
getting burned, pushing the improvement wheel one more turn to see what
happens.
Do we need a dark side of things--broadly defined--to discern the bright
side?
I think we do. While my heart and spirit leap out to embrace words like
yours, I don't for a second now believe that it's a universal possibility.
Rather, we develop islands of "competence" and understanding, and build
bridges where we can. All the while, we are keenly aware of how easily we
can turn off those outside the conversation who view us as effete, devoid
of reality, stuck in phrases, insular, exclusionary by the very level of
our dialog.
And we keep trying.
Best regards,
-- Barry Mallis Total Quality REsource Manager MARKEM Corporation Keene, NH bmallis@markem.com