How do you want me to be? It is now the axis of this extreme expansion of individualism. As it happened to all religions, this one seems to be now at its extremes. What could cause this might well be the mixture of individualism with the intense pursuit of social and cultural freedom. All of these appeared as necessities, of course. But since they started to be carried on flags, and heavy proselytism jumped in, deformities also showed up. Up until getting freed of individuality itself.
At the edges of individualism
First payments for the free lunch
There are moments that spring up in life as ones of great lucidity. If they show up in unexpected circumstances, at unexpected times, – and they usually tend to do so – our comfortable peace is gone. That is when we feel we are not what we are ought to be. That is when many of us ask major questions. That is when existential reality reveals itself in glimpses. The restlessness it leaves behind is uneasy to bear. But is easy to get rid of it.
Possible evolution and capacity for development
Evolution begins with a choice. Choice resumes from the beginning the idea of a voluntary act. In the context we are talking here, there is no mechanical evolution. That being one of the biggest misconceptions. There is no guaranteed glorious finale. Inertia will not help here. Though it does in terms of personal development, personal achievements. But not here.
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The violence on the monitor issue
Whether you are a parent or not, you must have been running into a debate on children being affected by violence on TV or in video games. For myself, being in a milieu of active parenthood, the issue presents itself often in a sensitive way. Actually this is one of the challenges for the actual generation of parents. I say parents, because for the kids it is part of their life, without options or much choice. You might be a parent already, or you will be, or maybe not. But the challenge of giving a response to this issue will reach you. The sooner the better, so, should kids be protected from all violence seen on the monitor?
One brilliant definition of vertical thinking
Recently I stumbled upon a quote that perfectly fits as a definition for vertical thinking. It is coming from the Chinese philosopher Wang Bi (226-249) whose merit is that the I Ching was properly reconsidered and its true meaning actualized in historically and ideologically troubled times. And still very much valid. So, here is the quote:
“The symbols (the Signs) serve the purpose of expressing the ideas behind them, the wise words of explaining the Signs. When symbols are comprehended, words can be forgotten, and when ideas are comprehended, symbols can be forgotten. However, if hanging onto words, symbols will never be comprehended, and if hanging onto symbols, ideas will never be comprehended.” (in Wolfgang Bauer, Fundamentals of the Book of Changes, Introduction to the I Ching by Richard Wilhelm, p. 13.)
I very much like the simplicity and clarity of it.
What if the guru is still alive?
The ideal guru is the dead guru. You can just picture him in any way you want. Since he doesn’t affect you directly, you can just imagine him the way you want. He can’t contradict you, you can turn his words in any way you want. You can reference him as you like, as confirmation of your ideas. The worst that could happen is getting into an argument on whether he was right or wrong about that. Sort of a comfort zone. But what if the guru is still alive?
Best Practices for New Year’s Resolutions
Try to remember last year’s resolutions. Did you succeed in keeping them? How many commitments were there? And how many did you keep? Do you remember them at all? After answering yourself to these questions, consider the new ones that just came to life thanks to your enthusiasm at this time. I am sure you are very determined to keep them. Your confidence is at its apotheosis as it should be at every New Year’s resolution time. But just right before it explodes, give a chance to decency. Based on your previous rate of keeping your resolutions, what are the odds for these new ones?
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Shift your perspective on time
Even if we perceive time as a continuous flow of events, originating in the past and unfolding in the future, there is another perspective, a different one, worth considering. A dual perspective delimiting just present and non-present moments. When we talk in terms of time as a flow of unfolding and concealing events, we have the triad of past-present-future. This sequential delimiting is pertaining to our relative existence, thus to our comparative reality. However, if we reorganize our attitude in the context of the existential perspective, herein considering our self developmental potential, the triad can be reduced to the duality of present and non-present. This leads to reorganization of our experience in the self-developmental context, which is the subject of today’s Vertegram post.
On the way to face the absurd
Facing the absurd can become a spring-board for spiritual evolution. This was the final note on the previous post on humor. The absurd is at the root of all jokes. Even if it doesn’t seem obvious. Meeting the absurd is one essential experience that we all have to face, more or less often. The way we are able to deal with it determines how we move on the scale that takes from clarity to despair, form freeing the conscience to suffocation. We are rarely told about this cornerstone of our existential experiences, so I will try to share a few of my thoughts on this.
Enjoying a good laugh
As the good Colonel said, “Nobody likes a good laugh more than I do… except, perhaps my wife… and some of her friends. Oh, yes, and Captain Johnson. Come to think of it, most people like a good laugh more than I do, but that’s beside the point!” In that spirit, today we’ll have a talk on humor. On a serious blog like this one. Feels awkward, somewhat like when you need to explain a joke. You know that feeling, don’t you?
