Wednesday

Four Quotes relevant to my “Myth of The Heartless Tory” writing

I offer 4 quotes below, which don’t amount to a summary of the (difficult to complete) "Myth of The Heartless Tory" (forthcoming book; perhaps 2022):

A) "If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?”

― Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

B) The popular myth is that #WinstonChurchill said:

 "If you’re not a liberal when you’re 25, you have no heart. If you’re not a conservative by the time you’re 35, you have no brain."

C) 

 "An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One is evil – he is anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.”

He continued, “The other is good – he is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. The same fight is going on inside you – and inside every other person, too.”

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?”

The old Cherokee simply replied, “The one you feed.”"

D) 

"There's something wrong with democracy when we aren't in healthy communication between:

1) the collectivist

2) the individualist

3) our sense of a #3rdOrderOfConsciousness with a #TouchOf the Transcendental.

My advice is to find friends who embody the three key energies that we might progress with integrating these energies more deeply in the heart of each of us: 

A) The “Creative Hippy” -distinct from the “Reactive (& pleasure-seeking, bohemian) Hippy”

B) the #CreativeClassicalist 

C) the #CreativePunk

The creative tension between these energies has been developed in talks over a number of decades on “Free Buddhist Audio”*; based on the 1990s observations of Reginald Ray, of the history of Buddhism in South East Asia & the respective roles of:

a) the lay (which I equate with Hippy)

b) the #settledmonastic (Classicalist)

c) the #ForestRenunciant" (CreativePunk)

https://drive.google.com/uc?export=view&id=1A3VfU8zC6uVG_FzUnxaULOShLt6s1tTR

(#PaulCroslandIndependentCandidate)

*I particularly recommend the way that Vajragupta has carried forward the themes, eg around integrating our idealism with our experience without falling into (the trap of) doubt, especially from 40 minutes into the 2010 talk: Being Radical - 40 Years of The New Society & his 2021 talks on #BuddhismAndPolitics

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Hi there Paul! Creative Hippies I think we are!!! Still practicing being present and loving kindness. The experience of life as a dream grows every day. Perception being affected by inner dialogue and ability to stay present. Calm is a gift. Peace is a gift. Compassion is a gift. In every moment. These are the qualities I find I need and love. We need transformation and change to live an evolving life. Clare

Paul Crosland said...

Once there were 5 Susan’s playing a major role in my life; now there are at least 2 Clare’s; 3 if you include John Clare. Here’s the Claire with 1 i that I don’t think is you: Claire on "What is Compassion?"
https://youtu.be/wVcA2OOB2X4
Are you the one grieving (& finding great guidance from) the passing of your mother in 2021?

Paul Crosland said...

Once there were 5 Susan’s playing a major role in my life; now there are at least 2 Clare’s; 3 if you include John Clare. Here’s the Claire with 1 i that I don’t think is you: Claire on "What is Compassion?"
https://youtu.be/wVcA2OOB2X4
Are you the one grieving (& finding great guidance from) the passing of your mother in 2021?