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Tuesday, August 25, 2009

I'm a Believer!




When I read 'The Passionate Mind' by Joel Kramer I remember my mind being blown over and over again. I ate it up. Delicious! Now, I've picked up 'The Passionate Mind Revisited' by Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad, and I can't seem to get past the first page of the introduction. It just seems so right on when it says:

"We (Joel and Diana) believe that to better use the faculty of thought, it's essential to understand the nature and effects of one's worldview--specifically, how morality and spirituality are embeded in it. To do this, spirituality needs to be "brought down to Earth" by collapsing the separation between the spiritual and the mundane created by predominant traditional worldviews. We believe that this age-old false and destructive split that separates the spirit from the world, and makes the world of lesser importance, is one reason we are a species at risk."

I really like that they specify who the "we" is in the above quote. They are speaking for themselves. And to "understand the nature and effects of one's worldview" is an amazing concept that seems to be particularly important. It is for me because I see that my actions spin out of what I believe. What I believe is not seperate from the life I lead and what I do. But beliefs can seem like they live in an imaginary world, and then there is a "real" world that shows the "truth". So it seems like people do think that beliefs are different and apart from the world. This is a scientific slant taken too far: you believe what you want, and I'll believe what I want and we'll "share" our divided world of measurable transactions. We need to communicate and understand more about ourselves and others than the currently dominant worldview seems to allow.

And to speak of how "morality and spirituality are embeded" in our shared world is a bold assertion. But, (dare I say?) I think it's true.

5 comments:

Bob Weisenberg said...

I agree with your thoughtful observations. This is one of the reasons why Yoga has had such a big impact on my life. It really is about "union" of everything in one's self and one's life.

"One with the Universe" used to be kind of a joke, as in "What did the Yoga guru say to the hot dog vendor?". Answer: "Make me one with everything".

Now "One with the Universe" bristles with reality and infinite meaning.

Thank for the blog.

Bob Weisenberg
yogademysitified.com
@reweis

Bob Weisenberg said...

Sorry for typo in last comment. It's:

yogademystified.com

Bob W.

YogaforCynics said...

Intriguing post, Brooks. I just finished reading Kramer & Alstad's "Guru Papers"--which is a bit of a slog, with stuff in it to rankle just about anybody, but certainly provides a feast for the mind. So, I've been wondering if "The Passionate Mind" is any good...and I'll take this post as a "yes."

Brooks Hall said...

Thanks, Bob, for the thoughts and the joke!

Thanks Dr. YogaforCynics Jay! Yes I dug 'The Passionate Mind' (1974). I just read it a couple years ago. Yoga Teacher Danny Paradise had it on a reading list.

Tina said...

I always appreciate a good book referral--will look into this one, thanks!