From: pul@hardy.u.washington.edu (Arbaline)
Subject: Re: Resolution to the One
Summary: Let's get back to posting that which is Happy Happy Joy Joy! :)
Keywords: hold on to your chair
Organization: University of Washington
Date: Sat, 7 Nov 1992 07:16:02 GMT


In article <1deb7mINNth@ef2007.efhd.ford.com> smd@sl0091.srl.ford.com (Steve Dahmen) writes:
>If you become enough of a nuisance, well, there are netmethods of being
>equally a nuisance to you.  Maybe somebody will write a script and send
>it to everyone which will send a repitition of the "Hare Krishna" mantra
>to you every two minutes via email.  Ten or twenty people doing that should
>slow down long enough so maybe you can think about what you're doing.
>But this would be a petty and last resort.

Personally Steve, I was pretty disappointed in seeing you engage in a
flame war which does nothing but perpetrate the disagreements on both
sides and waste bandwidth with negative vibrations, in addition to
implying things which are karmically counterproductive. [Yes I know
that I am just as wrong to resist resisting negativity as one is to
simply resist the negative, but in the core sense all is divine no
matter what, and I am talking in the context of spiritual growth per
unit time here.] Really now, I've seen you do much better than that,
and fill the netwaves with your beautiul Love within us all. Remember
gang, "you add suffering to the world just as much when you take
offense as when you give offense". Come on Steve, shake off that ol'
ego and let that divinity I know and have seen within you to step
forward! :) I would like to refer all readers to a different article
related to this Steve posted to this group a little over a year ago:
(Betcha you didn't think anyone saved that article, eh Steve?) :) :) :)

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|Newsgroups: talk.religion.newage
|From: smd@vab01.larc.nasa.gov (Steve M. Dahmen)
|Subject: A little essay about earth futures
|Message-ID: <SMD.91Aug7142224@vab01.larc.nasa.gov>
|Sender: news@news.larc.nasa.gov (USENET Network News)
|Organization: NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA
|Distribution: world
|Date: Wed, 7 Aug 1991 19:22:24 GMT
|Lines: 240
|
|
|Dear tnr -
|
|This little piece was written for alt.society.futures, but i thought
|perhaps some of you would be interested.
|
|The reference to CyberCraft refers to an individual's posting about
|a neo-wiccan movement that incorporates progressive "planetary" viewpoints
|as espoused by John Lilly and others.
|
|STeve
|==================================
|Date: 25 Jul 91 16:50:41 GMT
|
|cncole@eleazar.dartmouth.edu (Noah Cole) writes:
|>I got this in the mail, it was addressed to me and my postmaster.  It was
|>followed by a copy of my post instructing people to "punish" Nate Simmons
|>by flodding his mailbox.  I also suggested to flood the postmasters mailbox,
|>so HE would do something to Nate... well you can "re-read" the post. Should
|>I be worried about this?
|>
|
|I don't know if you should, Noah, but maybe we, as a race should.
|
|I don't have a clean answer as to how to handle those that "abuse the system,"
|but I do have a feeling that the "let's stone him" mentality will only
|get us, as Humankind, into deeper waters, or maybe something more
|foul-smelling. :-)
|
|It is this violence within the heart of WoMankind that will need to be
|addressed before this planet's tendency to self descruct itself can be
|reversed.  All computer-use issues aside, this whole issue points
|towards a much deeper structure within the "Race Mind" if you will,
|that we must each consider within ourselves, in hopes the vision that
|the understanding of it brings will spread outward throughout the
|Race.  I do feel an odd sort of thanks towards Nate (the original
|perpetrator of the "pyramid" chain letter on alt.society.futures) for
|highlighting this issue, one I think is incredibly appropriate for
|alt.society.futures.
|
|Although I find the CyberCraft concept somewhat obfuscated by the
|eclectic lingo and exclusive "neo-wiccan" attitude, I do resonate with
|some basic premises.  I think that some of these ideas, after the
|"neopopwiccababble" costume is removed, may be useful in understanding where
|our world is headed.
|
|Perhaps the most useful concept I gleaned was that of the
|"changeling."  Although it puts these people in a diminutive place, it
|does describe their purpose very well.  I do strongly believe that
|there is indeed a great change happening, though not very visible to
|the Eye that gazes at the Media-ocre presentation of world events
|(although it is there).  This Change is not being brought about
|through presidential economic reforms, world religions, the education
|of the Third World, or any other expected social change channel.
|
|I submit that the real change that is happening out there is a spiritual one, 
|and that such a change is very possibly the only one that can alter
|the currently questionable destiny of our (great?) planet Earth.  In addition,
|I also feel that there are definately those present within the sheep flocks
|of the common man who are here to stir things up, to move people, to
|remind us or at least hint to us our higher purpose as a Race.  Some will
|say they are shepherds, others will call them wolves.
|
|Note that by _spiritual_, I do NOT mean *religious*; I do not refer to
|the various theological belief systems present on Earth, but rather
|the instrinsic feeling-connection that we, as humans have with one
|another.  We are *finally* approaching a point in our legacy that we
|have a growing body of people who are growing tired of destroying one
|another in the name of a god, whether it be in the name of the
|Supreme, or a lesser god of sex, money, or power.  These undoubtedly
|evolutionary entities are starting and striving to find some kind of
|common essence among themselves in order to promote *real* security
|for our countries, our environment, and our common dignity as conscious life.
|
|
|Where can we see this change?  I would begin by looking into the eyes
|of some of the four to six year-old children in your world.  I move in
|many different social circles, and in each one I hear discussions
|about some of the outrageous things these kids are doing.  And I don't
|mean mental feats, but rather feeling feats, human acts of Love and
|dogma-free wisdom that stupify their parents, relatives, any
|oftentimes anyone whose lives they touch. Perhaps these occurences
|have gone on just as frequently in the past; it's not easy to say.
|But of the many elders I have spoken to, many affirm that such clarity
|and presence was not common in the previous generation, save a handful
|of social savants that have pushed our cultures forward.  To those
|that have capacity to see beyond just "physical" eyes, the
|unquantifyable wisdom and love of some of these children may be felt
|in the quietness of an unexpected moment of intimacy -- an intimacy
|which most of us adults, still so afraid of the Child Within us, have
|great difficulty touching.  Before you deny this assertion, I would
|ask that first you allow yourself to get peaceful and allow a child
|who has not yet been inculcated with our world's determination for
|separateness and violence to gaze at you, to allow them to bring you a
|flower, to allow a quiet moment with them.  I think if you do this
|with Love in your own heart, you may find something very special
|there. Even without love, there's still a chance. :-)
|
|I am hearing more and more about Mens' Spirituality groups, Womens'
|spirituality groups, non-denominational gatherings for world peace, world
|peace meditations/prayers, Ecumenical religious gatherings and services,
|and many other events that seem to indicate a fundamental change of
|attitude in at least a small portion of our society.  To me these changes
|point towards an evolution away from a tribal, separatist society and towards
|an understanding that we are all here together, like it or not.  And since 
|we are here together, why not like it? Sorta like:
|
|    The same sun shines on our bodies and the same moon causes us to
|    wonder about the universe...  Regardless of my belief or non-belief
|    about God or anything else, you have a right to exist in any manner
|    you choose, and I ask you to give me the right to exist in the belief
|    system I have chosen for whatever reason, and I give you the same
|    rights; the only thing I ask is that you do not perform any act that
|    prevents me from making my choices, and I extend to you the same.
|
|Of course there are many caveats and deeper understanding to the above
|sentiment, and no doubt great hubbub could be made over its "truth" or
|even feasibility.  It has some incredible futures that would evolve,
|were even a small group of people capable of practicing it.  Although
|definately not the answer to the societal question in this moment, the
|pondering of it could very likely lead many of us to lead more
|fulfilling, peaceful lives.
|
|Another arena to study to see signs of cultural progress (mostly the
|U.S., to my knowledge) is that of the Media.  Despite the many fingers
|pointed at it as being a cool, calculating Big-Brotherish entity that
|is rotting our children and ourselves from the inside out, I think
|there are undoubtedly candles in the darkness.
|
|I personally am witnessing an increasing number of feature films that
|push us to deeply ponder our value and belief systems, pushing us
|beyond our egocentric focus to see, or rather feel, that maybe there
|is another way to be.  There are a number of films pointing a quiet
|finger at possible realities and futures which heretofore the general
|public had little or no interest or capacity to understand: the
|possiblity that maybe, just maybe the Human Race is NOT the center of
|the universe; that maybe there's more to death than a heaven/hell
|polarity; that maybe we're here to live and love, and not to hate and
|then die... maybe there's even more to the  spiritual world than
|a bearded old man in the Sky and a fiery, soul-snatching fiend somewhere
|in the netherworlds.
|
|Even popular music, even if only (apparently) for the reasons of
|capital gain, has allowed hints of a more unified way of life to
|permeate its skin.  One particular example that stands out for me is
|Bette Midler's, _From a Distance._  I have heard others express this theme
|in other musical genres as well, from eclectic string quartets to country
|music to newage space music to rock (GO GREATFUL DEAD!!).  Not much
|heavy metal though :-).
|
|Other fine arts are begining to reflect a desire to exit mankind's
|legacy of conflict as well, although you have to be willing to journey
|into some of the more eclectic artistic circles to find them.  Many
|are using the arts to inspire people to let go to some higher purpose,
|some higher perception of who they are. And many are moved.
|
|And what about therapy?  We're finally getting to the point that it's
|no longer a major social faux-pax to admit you have decided to look at
|an unhappy childhood, and a growing concensus that very few of us,
|indeed, had a truly happy, high self-esteem childhood and adolescence.
|As we gain greater freedom to discuss that which is meaningful for us,
|we find that we were not the only ones abused as children, that other
|fathers and mothers couldn't handle their drinking..... that other
|folks have some nasty secrets just like us.
|
|Many of us are realizing that it's not completely our (personal) fault
|that our lives are not mentally, emotionally, or sexually fulfilling;
|that by looking at it we can and millions do move beyond the pain into
|a whole new life.  Therapy styles and possiblities have also
|progressed, although the mainstream therapeutic community is still
|rooted in arcane perspectives and processes that are yet extremely
|time- and money-consuming.  But there is an ever-expanding inner
|circle of those that have, like many of the children of these last
|decades, a higher vision for WoMan and for our planet.
|
|So there's some thoughts on the change, how about a solution?
|>From my undoubtedly limited point of view, an economic or social aid
|patch here and there is just that -- a patch.  A dirty band-aid
|applied with good intentions to a festering wound cut deep in the
|flesh of humanity with the dagger of ill-will, suspicion, separation,
|and malice.  The patch makes many of us, as members of a leading edge
|country, feel like at least we are doing something... but it is not
|enough to cure it.  
|
|We are coming to a time when we must excise this festering flesh with
|a clean scalpel and a loving, steady hand of an entity that is ready
|to promote a true, deeper healing of the body politic on which it
|operates.  And who IS that entity?  I believe that entity is you, and
|me, and all sentient creatures that are aware of themselves.  And that
|body politic is our own little world, our own seemingly microscopic
|personal universe where we interact each day in the world.  There is
|no doubt in my mind that the real change in our future as WoMan upon
|Earth will come not from a econopolitical messiah, nor the comeraderie
|of a handful of econopolitical prophets _cum_ world leaders, but
|through the effortful restructuring of personal attitudes by those
|that own them.  For it is these attitudes that have put these people
|"in charge," at least in our country.  In a very real sense, our
|leaders cannot do what we are not as a majority willing to do.  And if
|indeed cooperation may save our planet, then it is WE, not THEY that
|must begin the cooperation.
|
|
|We as a human race have looked to our politicians and religious
|leaders as venerable fathers (perhaps eventually, mothers) who will
|somehow figure out how to "fix" things for us; that all we must do is
|just keep on living as we are and maybe they can do it.  We claim
|ignorance and incapability at changing anything in our world...
|waiting for a bumbling country doctor to get us a new dirty band-aid.
|
|And as we wait for another to treat our wound, we turn around and
|chastise other human beings, verbally and otherwise, and hit them
|about the head (many times below the waist) with our petty belief
|systems and egocentric fears and angers.  I don't say this to point
|fingers at mailbox fillers or anyone else... my ego is into payback as
|well.  I don't think they are at fault.  They, and we, inherited this
|social climate from generations before us, and were molded by the sad
|and angry tales left behind.
|
|So why don't we recognize how much of us comes from these tales and
|let them be tales?  How much longer do we really have to continue the
|nearly ubiquitous patriarchal attitude of "payback and conquer"?  How
|many tales of oppression, sufferage, and revenge do we wish to leave
|for our children, and our grandchildren?  I would imagine that if more
|people would begin to move their thinking beyond their immediate personal,
|religious, and political needs of the moment, to those that have to
|inherit this outrageous human legacy, then we might just survive.
|
|  "Who knows.... If a Terminator could learn to respect Life, maybe
|   we have a chance."
|
|	Paraphrase from the
|	Closing line of the movie _Terminator 2: Judgement Day_
|
|
|
|--
|-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*
|Steve Dahmen, Systems Analyst                         (804) 864-4519 (W)
|Vigyan Research, Inc .- NASA Langley Research Center                    
|Internet: smd@vab01.larc.nasa.gov
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