Today: CT Step 8 - There is a greater harmony in the
world. (MP3)
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| There is a greater harmony in the world. CT Step 8 |
In your relationship with the world, you will find
conflict and you will find harmony. It will be difficult to reconcile the two,
for they seem to be mutually exclusive. But they are all part of the same
condition. This seems ambiguous and contradictory, and yet you must approach
both with a growing equanimity. The man and woman of Knowledge only value the
power and the presence of Knowledge, whether it manifests itself in situations that
seem harmonious or in situations that are conflicted. The man and woman of
Knowledge are not bound by simple definitions. They are free of the restraints
of this kind of thinking. This gives them the ability to see, to know and to
act.
There is a greater harmony in the world. You bring
this harmony into the world by being close to Knowledge. There is no deception.
There is no dishonesty. There is no avoidance.
Therefore, look at all things today and wait for
the real understanding to emerge within you. Do not ask for the situation to
explain itself to you. Do not ask for people to reveal themselves to you, for
this must come about naturally. It is this looking and this waiting that bring
your mind in service to your Spirit and give you new eyes to see.
Practice 8: One
30-minute stillness practice.
Contemplation practice.
Hourly practice.
Picture: Close-up of the building in
the picture today.
This is the building of the Royal College of
Organists – London, England. We can assume it is a place of teachers and
students dedicated to musical harmony. Religious music, ideally, is intended
to contribute to harmony among people. We know music and musicians are not free
from conflict, but often they are mellow. People passing in front of the building in the Step photograph
above, are likely having conflict and/or harmony at that moment, with no
relationship to the college. Both pictures taken October 8, 2009.
From the journal:
CT
Step 7 - The difficulties I see in the world today are the opportunities for me
to develop discernment.
Note:
This is a long entry. There are many interesting parts. As far as a bar for
your own journaling, it might encourage you to go more broadly and deeply. I’ve
increased that over time.
8:05 a.m. Friday, August 31, 2001 – On leave today.
Can I use it well?
Step 7 – The difficulties I see in the world today
are opportunities for me to develop discernment.
Is there any greater conflict than the need to
operate interdependently?
My earth. I don't remember exactly when I took on
ownership and responsibility for the planet, but it was at a young age.
I grew up in the 1950s and, considering the
challenges facing the Soviet Union, I imagined being the leader of that country
and working behind that Iron Curtain to transform the country.
Things that came across the TV were the Kefauver hearings and Sen.
Joe McCarthy of – Wisconsin – where I lived [House Un-American Activities]
One day, reading through a Popular Mechanics
magazine I saw ads for the Littleton and Jamestown stamp companies and decided
to collect stamps. That was what got me interested in the world and oriented me
to its geography.
At Koenig Elementary school, in Mr. Peterson's 6th
grade class, there were maps on the wall – and black airplanes – some type of
plastic –
The Weekly Reader brought news of the world to us
every day. Walter Cronkite was on TV – "You Are There" –
taking us back into time, even to interview Julius Caesar.
Dave Garroway was on the TV. At the end of
the program he held his hand up and said
"Peace" with his right hand palm up flat out and open. (no
weapon)
We were on the national news once. A locomotive
engine had run in the night from Manitowoc to Two Rivers jumped the end of the
track and ended up in the river. I remember seeing the headlight shining up
through the muddy river water.
Unions were bad. At my father's company, the
employees were striking. My dad had to stay in shifts at night. That scared my
mother.
My mom was from Baltimore. She married Dad after WW
II. My Aunt said that she wanted to get away. She got more than she bargained
for. Two Rivers, Wisconsin was the boonies in 1946. She said that as they went
north from Milwaukee, it got darker and darker. No streetlights of the big
city.
My mother was a pioneer, though she didn’t know it.
After 40 or 50 years she's adapted and found Two Rivers to be her home.
Our family struggled financially. My dad would have
benefited from the G.I. Bill, but I guess
it never occurred to him.
He had been a good student in high school. I guess
his teachers got him down to Madison to see the University of Wisconsin. He
said he went to the University – in the front door and out the back.
In 1946 he went back to the Metal Ware Corporation
and took up where he left off learning manufacturing by doing – a self-taught
engineer who would become part of the U.L. (Underwriters Laboratory) Review
team for his product area.
I went to church at the Calvary Evangelical
Lutheran Church. It was small and has remained that. The St. John's Lutheran
Church where my father had gone was too conservative? I don't know, but we did
go to this church.
Two Rivers was mostly a Catholic town. It had been
settled by the French and Polish. There were Germans too, they the Lutherans
and evangelical United brethren.
We had a six – six public school system.
Kindergarten was for everyone. Then, for the Catholic kids, grades 1 – 8 were
in the two parochial schools – St. Mark's and Sacred Heart. Later a third
Catholic school was formed.
Koenig was on the southside – poor side of town. It
had kindergarten – with Mrs. Eek. Washington high school was on the north end
of town. It also had an elementary wing – grades 1 – 6 – then a 7 – 8 grade
section and the high school 9 – 12.
Life was a strange blend. Us non-Catholic kids came
together in the 7th and 8th grade at the high school – then the Catholic kids
poured in at 9th grade.
I remember life in town being very religious. Maybe
it was just me. The kids in my neighborhood were Catholic. My best friend,
Jimmy S…, was going to be a priest.
I recall we were riding our bikes one day. We had
just learned the trick of riding no-hands. We were riding on school Street and
about to turn on to 11th Street.
Jimmy says, "If it's God's will, I'll turn
this corner with no-hands".
I thought to myself, why would God care if anyone
turned a corner riding no-hands?
I wonder if Jimmy became a priest? I suppose I
could look it up on the net.
Another Catholic friend, Jim R…, seems to have
disappeared. He became a doctor, then a psychiatrist. He had a unique take on
life.
His explanation was that he almost drowned as a
10-year-old. That changed his life. He had a sharp mind and great confidence.
In this 1950s – 60s conflicted world, I move from
devout Lutheran to agnostic with a night-walk insight.
I still can feel that experience. I was on
Washington Street, almost in front of Mrs. Suettinger's house, it was about 8p.m.
and I was walking home. The Joseph Mann Library had been a second home for me
and I was returning from there.
Pondering right and wrong, the actions of the world
and people – it struck me that "We had a fear enforced morality". We
chose to do things, or not do things, not because they were right or wrong, but
out of fear of punishment – of going to hell.
Having gone to Sunday School and Summer Bible
School and being taught about Jesus and doing good, I tended to be an obedient
child.
Being the first born son was a definite advantage
and I was spoiled in many respects. I got mad at my birthday parties when I
could win any games.
Though I was fairly bright, I had little athletic
skill. I was often sick with bronchitis. I was picked on and got beaten up
frequently. Once when I called in an older guy to help me with three kids that
were giving me a hard time, I got detention.
Another time when I picked on a younger kid, the grocery
store owner called my folks. Busted again.
It was a fishbowl small town. It was clear to me that
if I did anything wrong, I’d get caught and punished. That's what I learned in
church and at home, and that's what happened.
My friends – and peers – pushed the envelope
harder. The Catholic kids were more aggressive – particularly those with
parents who had status in the community.
But then there was the world. Social studies was my
favorite subject. I liked history and enjoyed learning about the world.
Perhaps it was because I read so early that my life
was so expansive in my mind.
When did I take on responsibility for the world?
Some Bible passages come to mind. "For God so
loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in
him shall not perish, but shall have everlasting life".
Then there was the great commission – "Go ye
therefore teaching all nations, baptizing them In the name of the Father, the
Son and the Holy Spirit".
In 7th and 8th grades we learned the Lutheran
catechism. Pastor Lipton(?) was the minister at the time. We had very good
discussions – Bonnie W…, Marilyn R…, (others in picture) Kenny Kail.
I was active in Luther League – went to
conventions. Saw the beginnings of politics at play.
Popularity was a strange thing. I think I was
accepted/tolerated for my humor. At the start of my freshman year we moved to
the north end of town – 2827 Forest Avenue – a beautiful Cape Cod. Small…but
after years of searching, something had been found.
The family dysfunction sent me out into the world.
Lunch time and dinner time was for debate. My mother had strong views and a
sharp mind. Dad did not have time for many of the political issues. Besides he
could never win an argument with my mother.
I don't know that I can ever remember my Mom saying
he was right in other than a very sarcastic tone.
In a richer environment they both would have done
better. I don't know what fates kept them in Two Rivers. My mother was
terrified whenever my dad traveled. He turned down other job offers because of
that.
They fought a lot, or rather my mother raged and
father took the blows. We had no money and had gotten into debt early.
As for those who had more money in the world, it
was all because of inheritance or the giving of money. My mom was not a
business person – start a business, make money. Neither was my dad. There were
no "business people" in my family. They were all workers – successful
in their roles, but no bosses.
It is 2001, August, 31st, a Friday, as I write
this. Last night on A & E I saw the Steven Spielberg bio. Is that what prompts
me to begin this now? Spielberg's life began in film interest at an early age
and represents an amazing story. An inspirational story of a gifted person who developed
those gifts for the benefit of humanity.
In college I became interested in film and TV –
reading Marshall McLuhan and
studying filmmaking. I wanted to make the great film that saved the world. My
path would be different as I dealt with the world.
Another catalytic viewing was a C-SPAN American
Writer Series Show on Emerson and Thoreau. Reading Emerson in American
Literature as a sophmore in college was an experience. I found people who
thought like I did.
Writings like this did not have same impact on
others as it did on me – at least not those around me.
I was reading at a high level. In the high school
freshman test of reading comprehension I had the highest score. I was reading
on the college freshman level.
The reading thing would be a constant irritation
throughout my life.
10 a.m. S2K – This is the year to write and
publish.
Making sense of the world has been a lifelong
challenge. It may only be recently that I've accepted the world, even as the
local masters of my fate rejected my leadership in improving my little part of it
– the Northern Shenandoah Valley.
The world really doesn't want to be saved, or at
least the people within it. If left alone to their own devices, people –
individuals will save themselves. It might not be a pretty sight, but they all
have plans.
My daughter is right now in the drama of saving her
life by having a baby. She's being kept in the North Texas Mental Hospital for
the moment to protect her baby – Susan Marie who is due in 10 days. Sarah Marie
Christoffel is a strong soul in a challenged intellect.
My son is saving his life with his two children,
their mother – they’re unmarried. I've been dragged along by their lives the
past 25 years.
On one hand I've sought to save the world, but the
drama and trauma of personal relationships has demanded much of my energy and
time. Have I learned anything? Well the purpose of this reflection is to answer
that.
Why are you reading this anyway? See if someone had
a life that, in retrospect, offers some lessons in an entertaining way?
Sermons that are not parables don't last too long
in the mind. Beginning, middle and end. Stories have completion which is rare
in the world. It mostly drags on.
The entropy of things is a challenge. Over time it
tires us out. Then there's the next life.
So, here in the middle of my life how can there be
a story when there's no end in sight?
The world is to have ended by now for sure. The
computer bug was to do it in 2000. Revelation predicts it, or at least a change.
This ends, then there's a new heaven and new earth.
After 55 years and observation of physicality and
what has been pieced together of the historic record, they don't know if this
is the middle of time or not. [A short report from the middle of time]
Completion is a good feeling. To end something and
begin something new again. Cycles of time, rhythms are in place. Human history,
on reflection, shows how the movements affected life and brought what is now
the 21st century style of living in existence. Thanks to indigenous peoples and
sects who shun technology where they can, plus various isolated people – it is
possible to see various levels of human culture all at the same earth-plane time.
There are the Bushmen, the aborigines, the Amish, the Islamic fundamentalists,
monks and isolated societies, warring tribes – and high society. Six billion
people is the count.
Back in 1946 when I was born, maybe 2 billion on
the planet. Now we are over six.
When will it end? It won't – the earth bio-system
will rebalance.
Compared to the time when I decided to save the
world in 1955 – the population has doubled and relationships have become very
complex.
In the 1980s there was a call for Voluntary
Simplicity. Duane Elgin wrote a book
with that title. We have now involuntary complexity.
That effectively thwarted my plans to change the
world. Conflict is being bred by human population growth at a greater and
greater rate. Communications and technology have shrunk the world, but where is
the peace?
This is my planet. I live here. But I'm passing
through life asking it to be better.
Do people like conflict? Do they thrive on it
because it energizes them?
Options for wasting time increase. Is this good or
bad? Order is required for peace, but whose order is it? Chaos can be fun, if
the pain energizes you. Power over others is something people like to try.
This essay is an exercise in discernment. What
model holds true in the creation? Can I be inside myself and an outside viewer
of the play out of the sector of the Creation?
To my mind there is no other valid perspective
except that of Greater Community. That may in fact not even be a great enough
context.
Like nested Russian dolls, we exist within levels.
If we attend to the structures of the world, there are greater and lesser – but
they are all integrated.
My life has been lived in the broad band of middle
America. There is no average anymore – that disappeared sometime in the 1970s.
So, what am I? An entertainer, a performer. I
performed for my kids. They were a difficult audience. In teaching, my goal
spiritually was for them to Know that when there was nothing, they had God.
→Vision – the
lecturer, speaker, writer – the believable synthesis of life. Regional
intelligence – a way to cross the many borders, thresholds set up for order and
organization.
Borders must be crossed to integrate our
experiences and live.
– My exposure to GC Spirituality has confirmed my
emerging perspective. Make room for life. Care for what is already here. 10% of
humanity needs the GC perspective – that's 60 million – 6,000,000,000 – 6
billion
"Choose life that you might have
abundance". I always thought that was from Jesus. I couldn't find it in
the Bible search.
→ Community is
how life solves problems and deals with threats, internal or external.
→The life force
on earth is particularly strong because of the favorable environment. An
imbalance has been created as technology has gained dominance over biology. The
mechanical, binary imperative appears to be subjugating biology and damaging
our environment.
This is, S2K says, a consequence of
"intelligence. Gaps are created – RUOW –
I am beginning to experience the gift and that is
my life. Perhaps my body served my mind in my mind has served my spirit better
than I know, or could appreciate yesterday – 12 hours ago.
I've been drawn to great teachers – people who
intuited wisdom and presented it to the world in their writings and speaking.
Those lessons reverberate through time in the mental environment. Evolution is
crude in the mechanical world. Knowledge is gathered slowly in the scientific
world. We enter in a middle point and muddle through to find out where we are
Our predecessors completed the story – made it
stick, so they’d know where we go when it ends. Life – individual lives clearly
end. They may in almost before beginning.
Each story is based on turtles all the way down.
(teachers all the way down 11/9/01)
That there is a family of man is patently true. I
am of that family and so are you, here on my planet, our planet.
When reading "Black Elk Speaks"
there was his vision of heaven – it was a Native American vision. Each earth
culture sees heaven as reflection of that culture. My mind saw earth with many
heavens – Karmic loops of souls going through these heavens. A new integration
is required come about. (should/must 11/1/01)
Those that are drawn to power over others push
technology and seek other economic advantages. Conflict is a market force. Life
is denied and affirmed on a daily basis.
Regional Community – A New Perspective
It is self-governing and networking it may thrive
as a sneaker-net.
If government can't do it, the people must, but
they must be empowered. A government that does not invest on behalf of its
people is wicked.
Totalitarian governments want people to be educated
for productivity, but not in order to think. Many people agree with this. They
want the stability of the hegemon. Social, but not intellectual growth. So they
wonder why things don't get better when they themselves are unwilling to think
and work. This is Marie's dream. Live by personality and an illusion of work.
The work of the region was outside the office in
meetings which brought together people who otherwise would not have met.
The Iroquois League – to travel to the separated –
as Hiawatha did – and create a greater community council based on humanity.
What is the future of humanity? One race awareness,
planetary self-sufficiency. That or self-destruction.
Stewardship – sustainable growth.
In peace I head out to Rotary. A worldwide service
organization devoted to peace. In this year of work ahead of free time through
leave I can volunteer for The Marsh Institute and Rotary International for
building regional communities. It takes more than a village –
Amen & Amen –
T-om Su-ne
[11/9/01 Regional Community – It takes more than a
village.]
6p.m. Contemplation – Being home today, with only
Rotary to attend, I did not expect to see many "difficulties in the world
today" which would be opportunities for discernment.
As of 6 p.m. it has been a full day. My morning
writing is a narrative of my life process of discernment. It answers – or will answer
why I see regions. It is a partial history of that emergence. I have no idea if
there's any literary merit, but the call to write has been strong. There is a
great window of time for me to begin. I can leave the PDC at age 55 and
still take a check. I'll need it.
The text says "…in your relationship with the
world, conflict is something that must be faced. If you can do this, it will
give you courage and self-determination".
I've been through great conflicts in my work here
in the Shenandoah Valley. When they changed my job, I told Ed Daly I was going
to tough it out – the work was too important. I have a deeper experience of the
region, more than I know myself. As I do my work, in the reactions of others, I
see no diminishment in my ability to present the issues. Working with Clayton
Walton and John Cromwell has given me great insight and wonderful partners.
This afternoon I watched "Black Elk
Speaks" – the C-SPAN presentation on that work and significance in the
American Writers Series. I'd heard the first 90 minutes on July 10.
Well,
if you read the whole thing, you know more about my life than you probably
wanted to know. Contained within the flow are some good thoughts, along with
marginal memories. This is why you need a very cheap journal, like the basic
composition book, so you can write out what is coming to your mind. This is
mostly accurate, but much is left out as it is, and pieces will be added. Know
thyself. We continue.
NNC
Note: If you’ve some interest, but this is the
first time you’ve seen Steps, you should go to the beginning blog post. From here you will learn about Steps to Knowledge
and can begin it on the day that makes sense; then progress as needed. Begin at
the beginning.
If you do know about Steps, but have not done Steps
twice completely, read the related materials, and have a sense of the direction
of this study, you won’t get the experience. The Introduction begins:
“This is the Steps
to Knowledge Continuation Training. It is designed to build upon the Steps
that were learned in Steps to Knowledge to
enable you to experience the grace, the power and the direction of Knowledge in
your life and to become an expression of Knowledge in everything that you do.
If you have completed the book, Steps to
Knowledge, twice through and have followed the instructions as they were
given without altering the curriculum in any way, then you are now ready to
begin this more advanced study”.
If you are an independent student, that is
certainly an option. Posts here provide a trail that may let you have a virtual
companion when and if you want one. One may have to study alone, as I did in
the beginning. There are other Steps students blogging their experience and you
might find a person more like you as a companion, or use a number of such Steps
journeys. There are options as well through the Free School of the New Message.
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