Now I am going to write about this
text: You may, if you so wish, skip directly to the text by finding”1’
This is a stripped version of a post in my blog johnnysonneborn.blogspot.com,
“The Most Important Principles.”
[I will soon be posting several recently-written short
pieces.]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
THE MOST IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES
The text is written from a humanist perspective so that it could be used
in all cultures, with a presenter tweaking according to the culture.
Part 1 begins with an assumption. On the foundation of the assumption, general
principles are given, putatively elucidating how the human mind thinks.
Part 2 will set forth principles relevant to our
common life riddled with pain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PART 1
ASSUMPTION
1. Every human
being has the fundamental irrepressible impulse to give love to the greatest
scope imagined.
1.1.
Unlike other species, a human being’s imagination becomes
unlimited upon the person reaching adolescence.
HUMAN MATURATION
2. Each human
develops toward spiritual and physical maturity by the force inherent in the creation
principle. This has also been called “innate intelligence”. Within the
creation principle, there are sub-principles, as follows.
3. Development
occurs through three stages: forming, growing, and completing.
Jesus teaches an explication of these in Mark 4:26b-29.
3,1. Emotional growth occurs when love is given
and received, enabling giving of love to a greater social scope, longer
duration, and/or depth.
3.1.1 Action, above, is
intended to benefit its recipient. Since the recipient’s fundamental impulse is
to give love, it follows that the loving action should enable the recipient to
love more greatly.
.
RELATIONSHIPS AND NETWORK
4. The existence of any entity can be described as one
or more four position foundations, which are networks of subject-object
relationships.
5. A subject-object relationship
exists in a project and is established/formed as follows: a would-be subject
partner advertises as such in a new project; another entity declares interest
in becoming an object partner and gives self-information, thus standing
symbolically in the object position; the subject partner expresses a desire for
the other to be a substantial object partner and states the processes and rules
for the project; the other expresses the desire to join the project as described.
Subject-object projects exist between human beings and within a human being,
and we may describe such interrelationships in the microworld.
5 .2 . An object partner is not passive. The partner
offers information and may offer suggestions. As offerer, the partner is in the
subject position: giving and responding, alternation of position, is
continuous. Yet, the subject partner
ultimately determines action, having` taken responsibility for the project and
with a greater awareness of the greater project within which the project
is itself a sub-project.
5.3.
There are types of subject-object partnerships. In one type, the subject
partner has delegated to the object partner responsibility for part of the
project (with the object partner thus poised to stand as the subject in a
smaller project). The subject partner is then bound to unite with and support
whatever the object partner says or does.
5.3.1 In another type, functioning according to
the principle of dual purpose, the subject-partner is designated to pursue
investment toward widening or deepening the project’s impact (purpose/interest of the
whole); the object-partner, being responsible for maintaining the project and
developing it (purpose/interest of the Individual), may warn the investing
partner that the risk involved in that investing appears intolerable, yet
cannot override it I think that the relationships in this horizontal form
are ultimately ones of increase and decrease, with those in the
other form ultimately ones of internal and external.
6. At least when
a project exists as a sub-project, it may be located in a diamond figure
quadruple base, as follows. At the diamond’s apex stands the greater project;
the narrower project’s subject partner and object partner stand at the
diamond’s sides; the fact of their union fills the remaining point. With this,
the occupant of any point may be seen in relation to that of any of the other
three points.
6.1
When a project is aiming for a specific effect, the purpose of the
effect, which is the project, stands at the apex of a temporary quadruple base,
with the result at the bottom: then the subject partner or object partner takes
the project into consideration when choosing actions. When projects, described
as quadruple bases, exist in a hierarchy of ever greater projects, activity
exists in a spiral.
7. In projects of persons (having
minds) a subject partner is always expressing love, and an object partner
returning beauty.
ETHICS
8. The fundamental ethical
principle guiding thinking beings is that of dual interests: an action chosen toward fulfilling an
interest of the self (object) should be taken only if it is hoped that this
will enable the person better to contribute towards the interest of the whole
project, represented by the subject, who
proposed it, while actions taken for the fulfillment of the interest of
the whole should always respect the dignity of individuals affected by it and
facilitate the attainment of their self-interests. [This duality may be the
creation principle itself: building upon an existing foundation – developing
while maintaining a foundation.]
9. God’s three blessings to each human
being, told in Judaism’s creation myth, embody complexification and indicate
that a perfectly mature human being takes the subject position toward any
entity in the natural world or to any angel.
THE IDEAL
CONCLUSION. We can
imagine a reality in which all persons live/act according to these principles –
a world of lovingness and joyfulness. However, reality as we experience it is
one of sorrow as well as happiness and can be analyzed as featuring pain,
Impatience, fear, anger, and conflict.
PART 2
I will begin with a
suggested origination of our common pain-filled reality. The reader interested
only in the principles derived from this reality can search for ”10” for the
principles.
The origin of painful reality.
It is not unreasonable to think
that the ancestors of all human beings living even before the arrival of
civilization (other ancestral lines having died out) were twins, having evolved
from a previous species in an opportune environment Garden of Eden During childhood the boy and girl separated
from the maternal species and formed a project whose goal was the full
maturation of each [1.1.1.1]. They exchanged love and beauty, helped each
other, and exercised their creativity in exploring the environment. As they
physically matured, they were able to give love to each other at increasing
depths, and so were growing spiritually/emotionally as well. The girl,
intuitively preparing for motherhood, was more protective of foundations they had developed. The boy,
intuitively preparing for developing the foundations, was more adventuresome.
On a fateful day in their adolescence, the girl, alone, thought of an
activity that seemed as if it would be pleasurable. She considered it
positively and soon began engaging in it. Soon her innate intelligence,
manifesting in her conscience, impelled her to pause and examine it in relation
to the project, the interest of the whole. There were two reasons for this:
according to the creation principle, it was one of the kind of activities that
were meant to be shared; it was meant to be performed when she had become more
mature emotionally and able to imagine the thoughts and feelings of her twin.
This caused her to reflect; however, at that age of growth, her intellect was
not sufficiently developed to be sure if this self-interest activity was
appropriate for the project. However the girl, immature in intellect and not
get stable emotionally and already beginning to feel love for the activity,
abandoned her faith in the internal guidance and its warning, and greedily
continued in the activity. Eventually, her love for the activity overrode the power of her innate
intelligence, and she became unable to stop until exhausted.
Now alone emotionally as well as physically, the girl felt dread. Having
abandoned the project she shared with her twin, feeling pain from her
conscience and, being alone and separated from any interest of the whole, she
also felt fear.
As the girl now had come to know clearly, what she had only dimly
sensed, the outcome of the activity, she proposed to the boy sharing the activity in
an attempt to reenter their project, but what would be, in fact, a new project,
in which she would stand as the subject partner. He, seeing her in the confused
state and having abandoned their project, was weakened and, after not so much
hesitation that was prompted by his principled force and conscience, readily
entered into a reciprocal relationship
and then formed a common base with her . The ensuing giving and receiving
action then propelled them into sexual intercourse.
Their new project was not the maturation of each, but the satisfaction of each
centered on each one’s selfish desire.
The boy and girl, each refusing to accept responsibility for
their selfish actions, could not relate in full harmony. When they finally did
beget children, their internal confusion and their disharmony affected even
their reproductive process as well as the nature of their parenting.
Human beings, conceived
and growing up in such circumstances, descendants of the couple whose choice to
follow the selfish will overrode the force inherent in the creation
principle, having inherited dread, guilt, and fear, have been continuingly
tempted to act in violation of the principle of dual interests, even
though many display altruistic behavior as early as the second year of
life.
RESPONSIBILITY
10. in our painful reality, the
innately urged responsibility of each of us to grow to emotional and physical
maturity is difficult, if not impossible to fulfill, for the following reasons.
10.1 In early childhood, each of us acquires from
our caretaker(s) the inclination to overvalue the purpose of the self, and so
shy from acting towards the whole interest: this inclination exists along with
the natural inclination for altruistic behavior.
10.2 Each of us exists as an object partner in
one or more projects. We entered a project at the invitation of the would-be
subject partner, who assured us that developmental action would also benefit
us, either immediately or in due time, In accordance with the principle of dual
interests. Each of us also exists with
unnatural fearfulness, also acquired from the caretaker. This is not a natural
fear appropriate to our being a human, such as the fear of a newborn upon
feeling the strength of the force of gravity and sensing distance from a solid,
nor instructed or experienced fear such of
touching something too hot. Accordingly, we experience fear when
developmental action is about to be undertaken, fear that we will be depleted
without due compensation. In the normal
development of a project, this fear is overcome by our well-grounded faith in
the subject partner. However, when, impelled by our fundamental impulse to give
love more greatly, action is contemplated to give love to another person
stimulating the receiver to pass on the love, fear is heightened . Love offered
to another is an investment entailing risk. If our offer is received, we and
the receiver unite as an expanded project more able also to benefit ourselves.
However, we know that the receiver may (for reasons that I will soon mention)
refuse to, in turn, love more greatly, so that unity will not occur and we are
left with depletion of our resources. Overcoming our fearfulness is faith in
the project's plan, ultimately in the subject partner, and belief that the
subject partner participates in projects ultimately stemming from
person{s} of solid goodness. This means that we require courage to have faith
in our subject partner, and, If the fear is too great, we are strongly tempted to
act instead for our own benefit, either to hoard resources or to aggressively
seek acquisition, in both cases fearing future insufficiency, exercising our freedom to leave the project
and embark on our own. It is because we know our own temptability that we know
that the intended receiver of our offer of love will be tempted to refuse it
and may succumb.
10.3 Further, if our offer of love is rejected,
our will to love is strengthened, but there has been no return of beauty
encouraging giving to a greater scope. Instead, of feeling joy, we, deprived of
the object of love, will feel sorrow, the intensity depending upon the depth of
our lovingness.
10.3.1 Fortunately, running
beneath a potential rejecter’s inclination to overvalue an object of self
interest and his or her fearfulness is his or her fundamental impulse to love
more greatly. Considering this should lessen our own fearfulness, and we may
gratefully appreciate it.
10.4
An additional cause of not acting upon a desire to further the interests
of the whole is uncontrolled addiction. Common addictions include addiction to the effect of
alcoholic beverages, of narcotics, and of satisfaction of sexual desire. In
general, while any pleasurable activity may be intrinsically good, one should
avoid over indulging in any, lest strong attachment to the expected pleasure
make it difficult to act for the purpose of the whole . We may consider fearful
attachment to a food source, to the well-being of one’s family excluding
activity for the sake of the community, of one’s community excluding the sake
of the nation, and one’s nation excluding the sake of the world also to be
forms of addiction.
10.4,1 Ritual sacrifice is a method for harnessing
addiction. Symbolically or actually, the next object or action to which we are
attached is placed where we cannot access it. Then, when contemplating any such
object or action, we remember that we had sacrificed the next one, putting it away,
and so are extremely reluctant to indulge.
The more valuable the object or activity, the more the sacrifice is
effective. The purpose of harnessing
addiction is that individual-interest attachment to the object or action is
hindering action for the whole
interest The sufficiently costly sacrifice, therefore, is offered to the
whole interest, the project. While the
addiction remains, it is now as if it had never been. Thus, the obstruction
which we, as the object partner with uncontrolled addiction, had presented to
our subject partner has been removed, and our
subject partner may welcome us, as the object partner with controlled
addiction, back into the project. In Alcoholics Anonymous, the “higher power”
to which desirable alcoholic beverages are sacrificed actuaily is the interest
of the whole, namely, to get on with life.
10.4.2 Internally, if we are addicted to some thought,
such as a fantasy, or to some desire (e.g., for greater social power), putting
it aside may require attaching a painful action to it.
10.4.3
Any powerful selfish desire may become
addictive.This is notably, even universally, true of selfish sexual desire. Sexual desire always arises from the impulse
to give love to the greatest scope imagined. We may imagine a future transformed
reality with love and happiness. We may even imagine that there is something
greater, transcending what we can imagine, beckoning us on. Then, how can
sexual love best contribute to the coming of such a reality? This would be in
the production of an heir as a step in the scenario leading to an ideal global
civilization, which is the greatest interest of the whole. Therefore, a sexual
desire not accompanied by the intention of such production is inherently
selfish and, being powerful, becomes addictive.
10. 4.3.1
There is a two-fold reason why
appropriate, unselfish desire is so difficult to maintain. Unlike primates,
such as the chimpanzees who can become pregnant only several years apart, human
beings can become pregnant every 10 or 11 months; upon becoming pregnant and
delivering a baby, a human female must devote several years to rearing the
child, and for this she will not only optimally have the support of her mate,
but also have attained emotional maturity. Thus, there is a multi-year gap
between the age of acquiring the physiological ability to reproduce, along with
its appropriately developing hormones, and the age for optimal reproduction. To
deny for such a long period the natural urge to reproduce, which would lead to
a certain happiness, the interest of the self, requires faith in a greater
benefit in a far future, the interest of the whole. To sustain such faith
requires the utmost courage.
10.5 Suppose we give in to the
temptation just to not seek to love more greatly, fearing possible or even
probable pain, but stay in our comfort
zone? To do so would be to imprison within our mind the impulse to give true
love. All our actions would be alienated from our deepest nature. Rather, to
continue seeking opportunity to give greater love will give us a new sense of
freedom. 10.5.1 Even this heroic
determination, however, would not itself establish the internal freedom that we
seek. The love that we give must be pure.
10.5.2
For the impulse to result in giving love, it must become an emotion for
loving. The emotion, guided by the operation of the intellect, becomes the will
to act in a specific way; then active love will occur if a person has
sufficient power. All too readily, however the impulse picks up not just the
emotion of loving, but one or more other emotions seeking expression. It may
pick up the desire to hurt someone in order to release stored up feelings of
resentment and revenge; in such a case, a kiss may be a bite in disguise. The
impulse to love may pick up the desire to be hurt as punishment for actions
considered guilty. It may take up sexual desire inappropriate to the intended
object of love. It may be affected or diverted by an irrational desire-- a
desire intellectually known to be impossible of satisfaction--, which may
result from extreme dissatisfaction or may be imbibed from a parent. To be
internally free, we must forgive any who have caused us pain and forgive
ourselves. In the case of irrational desire we will need to find a cure in a
therapy.
SOCIETY
11. A project of any societal scope (e.g., marriage, a plan to
share enjoyable activity, a plan to benefit the neighborhood) purports that –
as in every project –actions for the whole interest will result in benefits for
the actor to some extent, and is an investment, with risk.
11.1 The family has been the basic unit of any
society. Societal relationships at any
level may be seen as family relationships writ large.
11.2 The expansion of a society, even one
that was not yet civilized, but definitely a civilized society that is able to
continue to thrive, has usually been dependent upon the example of a person demonstrating the viability of a
greater societal investment, a greater sacrifice involving a new technology –
often a series of such persons. If the example is remembered and societally
practiced, and it becomes a tradition, then, sooner or later, it is likely that
a political entity based upon the tradition will be established. The exemplary person has had greater faith;
and the greater his or her nobleness, the sooner the societal practice
will occur. (In an interpretation of Genesis 4, the roles of the brothers –
presumably, each with their families and living with their parents – are seen
as elder and younger, and this is a true typology in a patriarchal culture in
which the elder participates comfortably in the father’s possessions, while the
younger, with nothing to lose, is more likely to innovate. Nevertheless, what
the younger is doing in the story is to sacrifice the availability of the
animals as food before their maturity, while the elder sacrifices the
availability only of immature plants. Attachment is stronger to that which is
more valuable.)
[ A history of such expansion may be found implicit in the Hebrew
Scriptures culminating in the story of Solomon’s kingdom, a cautionary tale,
written by persons well after the destruction of the kingdom, it shows the
perils of deviating from the tradition.
Accepted history shows attempts to revive the tradition and move forward
with it. The Gospels of the Christian tradition may be seen to trace ultimately
unsuccessful attempts to establish a political entity enshrining an example and
the tradition that ensues from it.]
ACTION FOR SOCIETY
12. To act toward the
development of a society, or toward a reformation/transformation
of a society, we may either be the innovative person or seek and find and
assist one.
13. Societies, however, have needed
not only development but also purification, which should, or perhaps must,
precede the development. The purification that a society needs is the purging
of injustice.
14. Therefore, any of us who belong
to an oppressor class have the additional responsibility to seek to end the oppression in which we are complicit, not
only by repenting for it, not only in order to cleanse our feelings of guilt,
but also to facilitate opportunity for forgiveness among the oppressed. The facilitating actions are called
reparations.
REPARATION
15. Any person can forgive another who hurt him or her, and this cleanses
the feelings of hurt and resentment, and also works towards harmony. However,
simple forgiveness is not benevolent: the offender is left with feelings of
guilt. Towards the removal of these, actions by the offender to repair historic
and current pain are called for. Yet, historic and current pain will likely be
too great to be fully repaired by the offender’s actions. If this is the case,
what may move the heart of the offended is for the offender to offer
reparations to the point of barely tolerable cost. This may also be accepted by
the offender’s conscience. Then, a fully harmonious relationship between the
two can be established.
16. Forgiveness with recognition of
painful reparations may establish emotional harmony – reconciliation if the
parties had been in harmony before the offense –; however, the social situation may be one in which the offender can continue
to impose upon the offended. Therefore, the offending person or class--acting
towards the purpose of the whole, the full cooperation in a project for the
facilitation of greater loving, should set reparations and/or other means
towards the offended’s full external freedom and for equality, for only then
can the internal freedom of each – the freedom to give pure love in the
realistic expectation that it will be received-- be attained. Only then will
there be peace, substantial harmony, and full happiness.
10.5.1 Even this heroic
determination, however, would not itself establish the internal freedom that we
seek. The love that we give must be pure.
10.5.2
For the impulse to result in giving love, it must become an emotion for
loving. The emotion, guided by the operation of the intellect, becomes the will
to act in a specific way; then active love will occur if a person has
sufficient power. All too readily, however the impulse picks up not just the
emotion of loving, but one or more other emotions seeking expression. It may
pick up the desire to hurt someone in order to release stored up feelings of
resentment and revenge; in such a case, a kiss may be a bite in disguise. The
impulse to love may pick up the desire to be hurt as punishment for actions
considered guilty. It may take up sexual desire inappropriate to the intended
object of love. It may be affected or diverted by an irrational desire-- a
desire intellectually known to be impossible of satisfaction--, which may
result from extreme dissatisfaction or may be imbibed from a parent. To be
internally free, we must forgive any who have caused us pain and forgive
ourselves. In the case of irrational desire we will need to find a cure in a
therapy.
SOCIETY
11. A project of any societal scope (e.g., marriage, a plan to
share enjoyable activity, a plan to benefit the neighborhood) purports that –
as in every project –actions for the whole interest will result in benefits for
the actor to some extent, and is an investment, with risk.
11.1 The family has been the basic unit of any
society. Societal relationships at any
level may be seen as family relationships writ large.
11.2 The expansion of a society, even one
that was not yet civilized, but definitely a civilized society that is able to
continue to thrive, has usually been dependent upon the example of a person demonstrating the viability of a
greater societal investment, a greater sacrifice involving a new technology –
often a series of such persons. If the example is remembered and societally
practiced, and it becomes a tradition, then, sooner or later, it is likely that
a political entity based upon the tradition will be established. The exemplary person has had greater faith;
and the greater his or her nobleness, the sooner the societal practice
will occur. (In an interpretation of Genesis 4, the roles of the brothers –
presumably, each with their families and living with their parents – are seen
as elder and younger, and this is a true typology in a patriarchal culture in
which the elder participates comfortably in the father’s possessions, while the
younger, with nothing to lose, is more likely to innovate. Nevertheless, what
the younger is doing in the story is to sacrifice the availability of the
animals as food before their maturity, while the elder sacrifices the
availability only of immature plants. Attachment is stronger to that which is
more valuable.)
[ A history of such expansion may be found implicit in the Hebrew
Scriptures culminating in the story of Solomon’s kingdom, a cautionary tale,
written by persons well after the destruction of the kingdom, it shows the
perils of deviating from the tradition.
Accepted history shows attempts to revive the tradition and move forward
with it. The Gospels of the Christian tradition may be seen to trace ultimately
unsuccessful attempts to establish a political entity enshrining an example and
the tradition that ensues from it.]
ACTION FOR SOCIETY
12. To act toward the
development of a society, or toward a reformation/transformation
of a society, we may either be the innovative person or seek and find and
assist one.
13. Societies, however, have needed
not only development but also purification, which should, or perhaps must,
precede the development. The purification that a society needs is the purging
of injustice.
14. Therefore, any of us who belong
to an oppressor class have the additional responsibility to seek to end the oppression in which we are complicit, not
only by repenting for it, not only in order to cleanse our feelings of guilt,
but also to facilitate opportunity for forgiveness among the oppressed. The facilitating actions are called
reparations.
REPARATION
15. Any person can forgive another who hurt him or her, and this cleanses
the feelings of hurt and resentment, and also works towards harmony. However,
simple forgiveness is not benevolent: the offender is left with feelings of
guilt. Towards the removal of these, actions by the offender to repair historic
and current pain are called for. Yet, historic and current pain will likely be
too great to be fully repaired by the offender’s actions. If this is the case,
what may move the heart of the offended is for the offender to offer
reparations to the point of barely tolerable cost. This may also be accepted by
the offender’s conscience. Then, a fully harmonious relationship between the
two can be established.
16. Forgiveness with recognition of
painful reparations may establish emotional harmony – reconciliation if the
parties had been in harmony before the offense –; however, the social situation may be one in which the offender can continue
to impose upon the offended. Therefore, the offending person or class--acting
towards the purpose of the whole, the full cooperation in a project for the
facilitation of greater loving, should set reparations and/or other means
towards the offended’s full external freedom and for equality, for only then
can the internal freedom of each – the freedom to give pure love in the
realistic expectation that it will be received-- be attained. Only then will
there be peace, substantial harmony, and full happiness.
No comments:
Post a Comment