I do not see need of more impressive examples than merely refraining from the immoral.
Why not? In the eye of what you observe and perceive as immoral - and which seems to be very strong - I see a certain need for the stronger examples to act as a polarity to balance it out?
As you cannot reach ever the majority isn't it wise to reach the minority which are the people near you (family, friends, working place, groceries etc.)?
You question the wisdom of insisting upon truth in a world where it is not respected, but what is the alternative? Would it be wisdom to instead deny truth, or omit it? Certainly not. Would it be wisdom to portray it with sugar and spice, and everything nice?
I ask you for alternatives which do not point so much to an "either, or" position. You can encourage wisdom in others when you put some trust in them that they are not totally unattainable. It's an art to practice that as we have to teach ourselves to act in this way.
If a person is unwilling to make this distinction, they do not value truth highly enough, and it is not the responsibility of the truthful to descend into the grave to meet these unduly-contented zombies on their own level.
If that is so then you could as well be ignorant towards those you don't want to be responsible for. Couldn't it be the case that the person you are dealing with and which appears to you zombie-like that this person doesn't know about this distinction resp. is not used and educated in thinking that way?
Have you had an experience where you were able to overcome this distance between you and another one and finally, after thinking, it is useless, came to a positive outcome? ... maybe not all at once but in the course of time?
It should be clear that doing this work is not easy at all. The temptation to send everything to hell is exactly the challenge you give to yourself. Every lost battle, every separation from the willingness to see the flaws of others as well in oneself points to an itching spot which says: there is work to be done.
Why smearing someone with sugar when you actually could also be just friendly? In the meaning of befriending yourself with the idea that your interlocutor may be surprised by an attitude of you which you haven't shown before? This may lead to a similar surprise for yourself and you may receive the unexpected. Without guarantee, though. People are smart, even the dumb ones, once they sense that your intention is not to put them down or to win an argument.
I would like to ask you if this is a challenge you can take up the next time you meet someone you attribute to be a zombie or a whining creature. You can be still direct but respectful, no?
HaHa! Greatly said! I hope your "stubborn benevolence and sense of connectivity with all living beings" will nag further on you.
Thank you for engaging, Brian.
I always appreciate how earnestly you embrace a topic. You are voming at this from a healthier perspective than I am at the moment. I’m exacerbated with the rampant evil (i.e. deception) that taints every corner of the man-made world.
Immorality is insanity, quite literally. It is a denial of reality. This is extreme and bizarre, even if ubiquitous. Morality is reasonable and appropriate in all cases and only appears extreme by contrast to the ludicrous example set by immorality. This is why I say I do not look for extreme examples of morality - I don’t think morality is ever extreme. I think it is as mundane and sensible as using an umbrella to stay dry in the rain.
Whenever you ask me to recede into memory for some example, I find it very difficult. It feels like looking for some old piece of paperwork and I’m not sure of its location. I don’t know if I’ve ever closed the gap between me and someone else.
I agree that people are smart - if you can reach them. They are severely damaged and dysfunctional and your voice must cut through layers of scar tissue to be accurately heard. They’ve been manipulated, used, and abused since the very moment they were born. They’ve been brutalized and crippled. They are horrid, shambling mutations of their true self - myself included.
It is very difficult for them to overcome their hypnotized state if not motivated to do so before they enter into a conversation with me. I do not believe I have the power to instill the desire to wake up when they don’t even believe they are asleep.
In my experience, the people who hear truth most clearly are those with a natural proclivity to do so. It may just be inborn. They have ears to hear, so to speak. In a sense, we are always and only preaching to the chior - whatever our messaage. We are helping to improve, expedite and advance, but never to actually convert. The blind are blind, but the sighted can be granted more sight. This is what I’m noticing, but it’s just a theory.
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I understand. Yeah, you're right, morality isn't extreme, it can't be by nature.
I want to answer you in the spirit of Zen:
source: http://info.stiltij.nl/publiek/meditatie/studie/zenstories.pdf
It's maybe worth your time to look for the old piece of paperwork and to succeed in only one time to overcome the distance as it would be not your loss.
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Great story! I am very aware that your council is wise, I am just having trouble right now because I am very resentful over the unrelenting aggression against innocents present absolutely everywhere, from the highest levels of government and beyond, to the most seemingly benign familial relationships.
Coercion, control, manipulation, false obligations, deception, denial - all day long, everywhere you look. A pile of beauty, love, truth, authenticity, peace, and happiness sits on the table in the middle of the room, while everyone clamors and claws at each other all around it, starving, writhing, wailing, and fighting over illusions.
I have often tried to reach for the table - and continue to try - but I grow weak and tired at times, and find myself increasingly inclined to beat them off of me instead of just trying to avoid their aggression and helping them to overcome their desperate grasping.
In any case, I do not wish to monopolize your time. Thank you for your insight and care. Enjoy your evening.
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:) maybe I monopolized your time.
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Um... No.
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... oh ... thank you! That is kind of you.
I hug you, too.
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