.
Here’s the latest from the government, and from Beverley Hughes, the children's minister, on tackling teenage gangs and violence:
http://education.guardian.co.uk/schools/story/0,,2281394,00.html
"There is a false dichotomy that schools are there to provide education only, and not for the welfare of the whole child. If they don't tackle these problems they are going to compromise educational objectives. Where there is a culture of fear and uncertainty in a school, it is something that not just the school, but youth services and police have got to grapple with.
"It's not schools taking this on alone, but they are in the unique position of being the eyes and the ears of the community; they see young people everyday." She added that areas had been identified where schools were being heavily affected, including London boroughs, and inner-city areas including Liverpool, Manchester and Nottingham. "It's very localised in these areas ... for some schools this is a big issue."
Pretty breathtaking hypocrisy really. Here’s a government made up of a group of ignorant, arrogant politicians that has done its best to turn schools, especially in inner cities, into miserable results factories, and they’re suddenly concerned about the welfare of “the whole child”!
Welfare! They mean they want schools to provide them with intelligence on the kids they suspect are violent gang members, since schools are assumed to be the ‘eyes and ears of the community’. Snoops. Spooks. Grasses.
“False dichotomy”? “Educational objectives”? Whose? Not mine, pal. My first educational objective is for kids to enjoy being in schools where there’s a stable, settled and well motivated staff who put the well being of the child at the very top of the agenda. Which is not happening. What they mean is they don’t want bullying to get in the way of swatting and preparing for tests. They’ve bullied teachers into bullying the kids into doing more homework, more ‘booster’ classes, and more ‘literacy’ at the expense of the broader curriculum and their enjoyment of school, and now they’re worried about bullying.
“Culture of fear and uncertainty”? It’s this wretched government that has created a culture of fear and uncertainty in staffrooms up and down the country, in our inner cities especially. Fear of the league tables. Fear of Ofsted. Fear of the Year 6 children not getting their Level 4s.
Uncertainty? No-one’s certain any more what the fuck they’re supposed to be doing. It seems they shouldn’t be providing “education only”, but on the other hand we’ve been bullied by people who insist that getting those Level 4s and GCSEs and getting the schools up the league tables IS the only thing that matters.
Only now it isn’t. Schools have to get those government targets, but they also have to be the eyes and ears of their communities. And we all know what the crims will do to anyone they see as a grass. This is nonsense.
Of course schools should concentrate on education, and of course teachers should be educationalists, first, foremost and above and beyond all else. They should concentrate on the education of the whole child, and not allow themselves to be operatives in results factories chasing meaningless and counterproductive government targets.
They should be helping children reach their full potential in every aspect of their development, which means in terms of emotional intelligence, social intelligence, spiritual intelligence, instinctual intelligence and physical intelligence, as well as academic intelligence. If we sort out these intelligences then by and large we won’t need to concern ourselves with providing the police with intelligence.
I once had a teacher who reluctantly agreed to take a Year 6 class but did so on the sole basis that she would not compromise her beliefs about providing a broad and balanced curriculum that developed all of each child’s various intelligences and encouraged creativity, imagination and a love of learning. Not that I was trying to get her to do otherwise - but she recognized the way things were going, in most schools. If only all teachers were strong enough to take a stand, and stand up for the rights of children.
Personally I have no issues with cooperating with the police where it’s clear that there’s criminal activity taking place. I don’t want the crims to get away with their activities, and I don’t want them hurting and bullying other kids.
But neither do I want idiot politicians and idiot bureaucrats to get away with their efforts to turn all schools into soulless results factories at the expense of real education - the kind of education that helps to prevent angry and disaffected kids from hating school, hating teachers, hating themselves, just hating . . .
Personally I’m sick to my soul with a nasty, soulless system of schooling that exists mainly for its own sake and its own survival, and cares not a jot about the criminal underclass and its sick children. And I’m sick and tired of the fact that so many schools exist only for the more able children, and for the purpose of reaching academic targets.
Teachers are not trained to develop the intelligences that stop kids getting into trouble in the first place. We have geography teachers, literacy teachers, teachers of science, teachers of maths, and so on. We don’t have teachers of children because we don‘t train them to meet the real and urgent developmental needs of our children.
We don’t educate children - we school them and we cram them and we haven’t a clue how to instill in them - especially the less academically able ones - any liking let alone love of learning for its own sake.
Teachers are entitled to tell Beverly Hughes and her ilk to fuck off and only come back when she’s persuaded her Cabinet colleagues to start showing some caring about real education and stop wittering on about their targets and driving up standards, to start showing some understanding and caring about the real needs of children and their families.
It’s incredible that in a supposedly civilized and enlightened country we’re still so ignorant about how to deal with the causes of madness and violence, and how to prevent children going off the rails. It’s unbelievable that we go on trying to ’drive up standards’ at such a cost to children’s well being, and we cling to 19th century paradigms as to what education is all about. “Give these children facts” indeed. It’s infuriating that we sow the seeds of disaffection and violence, and then try to crack down and punish children when they can’t cope, can’t control their fear and anger, and simply crack up.
We should be ashamed that we tolerate poverty and its effects on children and families. The only correlate of low achievement is not skin colour or class or gender or inexperienced teachers - it’s poverty.
But schools can make a difference, in the long run, provided they are allowed and encouraged to be places where children feel valued and happy and where they enjoy learning. English Primary schools used to be renowned world wide for being such places, by and large. But not any more.
English children are now deemed to be the least happy of any in the industrialized world. They struggle with childhoods that are toxic, and they grow up in schools and neighborhoods where their basic human rights are threatened and denied. Life for children in this country has been getting steadily worse, not better. Their quality of life has diminished, even if their test scores have risen, thanks to more and more drilling, rote learning and cramming.
We should all feel thoroughly ashamed. We should all be like that young teacher and from now on take a stand. From now on we should do what’s right by children, not do what’s right by a fucked-up, inhuman and ridiculous system.
John Dunford, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said yesterday "The reality is that schools are an oasis of morality in a world that does not otherwise give many young people guidance and role models of good citizenship." Mr Dunford’s being a little optimistic if he imagines that there’s any substantial “guidance” taking place in schools. It takes a lot more than “guidance” to develop high levels of social, emotional and spiritual intelligence.
Mick Brookes, general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said: "Something needs to be done. Schools aren't just dealing with the culture in schools, but in the culture of the wider community and culture of society.”
The problem is that everyone knows that ‘something needs to be done’, and many of us know what it is that needs to be done, but the people who have created our current system of education with its regressive and repressive and ignorant approach to ‘driving up standards’ patently haven’t a clue what needs to be done, they aren’t capable of listening to those who do, and they aren’t about to do a U-turn and admit they’ve been getting it wrong all these years.
They want quick fixes and they want to tackle the symptoms of the sickness we see all around us, increasing day by day. They're not in the business of finding cures for the causes of the sickness. They’re so far from enlightenment it’s laughable.
.
Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts
Showing posts with label violence. Show all posts
Friday, May 23, 2008
Monday, May 19, 2008
Layer 40 Driving Up Standards
.
As a teacher I have to say there’s nothing finer and better in life than seeing a good teacher inspiring, motivating, enthusing, enabling and leading children towards a lifelong love of learning for its own sake.
But there’s nothing worse than seeing a poor teacher boring, frustrating, dulling, demotivating and turning children away from the whole idea of schools and learning, and making their lives hateful and intolerable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The final word on SATs week. The Today programme on Radio 4 did a final review last Saturday. Some points from the programme:
“Our teachers pushed us really hard.
Children were crying and shaking
Year Six is all Sats - and no creative subjects.”
And the teachers said:
“We assess every half term, so we know where the children are anyway.
League tables are just there to judge the success of the school.
The purpose of the test is to judge the school.
We need to test a broader range of achievement
There is a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in the tests.”
And in response some dumb arse defender of the tests said,
“The SATs just amount to 5 hours at the end of six years.”
Totally refusing to see that the tests distort the teaching and the curriculum on offer. 5 hours! Incredible. They just don’t want to be in the least bit honest about the pressure to constantly practice for the tests, and the fact that most schools have felt a need to change their culture, to work for test scores rather than to meet the real developmental needs of all children and all of their intelligences.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Why the hell would children want to be in a school where they have no interest in the curriculum on offer, and where they get bored, frustrated and alienated every day? Would you, as a parent, want that to happen to your children every day? Of course not.
Would you, as an adult, want to put up with a working life where you get bored, frustrated and alienated every day? Maybe you’re reading this and saying, “That’s exactly what I do”. So why do you do it? “Because I need to earn money!” I hear someone say. So you do it for the money? Fine. Do children get money for putting up with such a life? No. So why should they?
“Get real!”, people are shouting. “Learning isn’t about self-fulfillment and having fun. Learning can’t always be interesting. Besides when kids have passed their exams they WILL be able to earn decent money! That’s why they have to go to school!”
Really? Well maybe that applies to your kids, though you might want to consider that all children learn best and achieve more where the curriculum is relevant, when they have some say in what and when they learn, and when the learning is lively, interesting and motivating.
Is it not reasonable to expect schools to work in this way? Or do you just want schools to go on cramming kids for tests as their key objective, the thing on which they will judged and measured?
Besides, the children most at risk are those that know they’re never going to be ‘competitive’ when it comes to tests - the ones who recognise that their forte, though they may have other (and perhaps more meaningful) strong points, is never going to be their ability to perform well in academic tests. In which case they will never be competitive in the market for the kinds of careers they require exam passes at high grades for them even to gain entry to college courses. At least that’s the way the world looks to them. Though they may feel differently later in life, in which case they can resume studying for exam passes, etc.
Frankly the world looks a pretty bleak place for kids who like to cooperate rather than compete, who like to create and imagine, rather than regurgitate in tests after remembering ‘facts’ and ‘concepts’. For kids who know that they can, in any event, find the things they’re interested in on the Internet, so what’s the point in cramming it in school?
So who can blame kids who refuse to spend their lives doing meaningless things, being hectored by unsympathetic teachers, being disciplined for not wearing the prescribed naff school uniform, being told that only black lace up shoes are acceptable in the ‘Academy’. Academy? Pah!
Who can blame kids for wanting to spend their days riding bikes, playing in the parks, walking in gardens and beside rivers and streams, exploring the woods, hanging out in libraries where they can please themselves what they read, watching TV, watching films, listening to music, and so on. Does any of that sound so terrible?
There is a middle way, even with our current system and its crying need for a learning revolution, and finding that way involves making schools at least tolerable and enjoyable in parts for the less academically able, and indeed the academically able, who are not, after all, stupid and recognise that the pleasure of doing well in tests cannot cancel out the precious time and effort that's wasted in grading and testing children, rather than continuously assessing, with the students' involvement, whether positive, realistic and mutually agreed learning goals are being reached.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Another hot topic of news today was that “Children could trigger a full Ofsted inspection if they say they are "bored" or unhappy at school under new plans.”
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080519/tuk-boring-schools-may-get-inspection-6323e80.html
So here’s another big stick to beat the schools with! It’s been going this way for a while, to be fair, though. We’ve known for some time that having driven schools to narrow down their curriculum and do more cramming, the government and Ofsted would eventually turn round (when middle class parents, for example, started complaining about their kids’ fucking boring schools) and tell the schools that high tests results alone are no longer enough - the kids mustn’t be bored either!
And woe betide any school that thinks it can now start making learning interesting BEFORE HITTING THE TARGETS FOR SATS AND GCSE’S!!! There will be no changes to the target-setting, testing and Ofsted regimes, you can bet on that. What we have here is an add-on demand to those that are already established, and kept there by the Establishment. Duh Management.
So now, inspectors will ask children and parents whether the learning on offer is boring, and then zap the schools where the answer is yes. A qualitative survey, followed by a bureaucratic response. It’s no better than the previous system. It’s actually worse. Not only does the system not trust the schools and teachers, it will now positively encourage the whistle blowers in its “relentless efforts to drive up standards”.
And how come Ofsted hasn’t concerned itself before now with children’s actual experience of school? What’s going on here?
Stand by for a whole raft of resignations from school managers and teachers who have just had enough of the hypocrisy, the unreasonable demands, the confused priorities, the reversion to Victorian practices, the whole anti-child culture that has as its highest priority “preparing children for work” - for a working life of dull obedience, and conformity to ‘standards’.
No wonder our society’s fucked, people are continuously over-stressed, more and more children and adults suffer from mental and emotional illnesses, more and more murders and violent incidents are happening all around us. So much for driving up standards.
.
As a teacher I have to say there’s nothing finer and better in life than seeing a good teacher inspiring, motivating, enthusing, enabling and leading children towards a lifelong love of learning for its own sake.
But there’s nothing worse than seeing a poor teacher boring, frustrating, dulling, demotivating and turning children away from the whole idea of schools and learning, and making their lives hateful and intolerable.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The final word on SATs week. The Today programme on Radio 4 did a final review last Saturday. Some points from the programme:
“Our teachers pushed us really hard.
Children were crying and shaking
Year Six is all Sats - and no creative subjects.”
And the teachers said:
“We assess every half term, so we know where the children are anyway.
League tables are just there to judge the success of the school.
The purpose of the test is to judge the school.
We need to test a broader range of achievement
There is a tremendous amount of pressure to do well in the tests.”
And in response some dumb arse defender of the tests said,
“The SATs just amount to 5 hours at the end of six years.”
Totally refusing to see that the tests distort the teaching and the curriculum on offer. 5 hours! Incredible. They just don’t want to be in the least bit honest about the pressure to constantly practice for the tests, and the fact that most schools have felt a need to change their culture, to work for test scores rather than to meet the real developmental needs of all children and all of their intelligences.
-------------------------------------------------------------
Why the hell would children want to be in a school where they have no interest in the curriculum on offer, and where they get bored, frustrated and alienated every day? Would you, as a parent, want that to happen to your children every day? Of course not.
Would you, as an adult, want to put up with a working life where you get bored, frustrated and alienated every day? Maybe you’re reading this and saying, “That’s exactly what I do”. So why do you do it? “Because I need to earn money!” I hear someone say. So you do it for the money? Fine. Do children get money for putting up with such a life? No. So why should they?
“Get real!”, people are shouting. “Learning isn’t about self-fulfillment and having fun. Learning can’t always be interesting. Besides when kids have passed their exams they WILL be able to earn decent money! That’s why they have to go to school!”
Really? Well maybe that applies to your kids, though you might want to consider that all children learn best and achieve more where the curriculum is relevant, when they have some say in what and when they learn, and when the learning is lively, interesting and motivating.
Is it not reasonable to expect schools to work in this way? Or do you just want schools to go on cramming kids for tests as their key objective, the thing on which they will judged and measured?
Besides, the children most at risk are those that know they’re never going to be ‘competitive’ when it comes to tests - the ones who recognise that their forte, though they may have other (and perhaps more meaningful) strong points, is never going to be their ability to perform well in academic tests. In which case they will never be competitive in the market for the kinds of careers they require exam passes at high grades for them even to gain entry to college courses. At least that’s the way the world looks to them. Though they may feel differently later in life, in which case they can resume studying for exam passes, etc.
Frankly the world looks a pretty bleak place for kids who like to cooperate rather than compete, who like to create and imagine, rather than regurgitate in tests after remembering ‘facts’ and ‘concepts’. For kids who know that they can, in any event, find the things they’re interested in on the Internet, so what’s the point in cramming it in school?
So who can blame kids who refuse to spend their lives doing meaningless things, being hectored by unsympathetic teachers, being disciplined for not wearing the prescribed naff school uniform, being told that only black lace up shoes are acceptable in the ‘Academy’. Academy? Pah!
Who can blame kids for wanting to spend their days riding bikes, playing in the parks, walking in gardens and beside rivers and streams, exploring the woods, hanging out in libraries where they can please themselves what they read, watching TV, watching films, listening to music, and so on. Does any of that sound so terrible?
There is a middle way, even with our current system and its crying need for a learning revolution, and finding that way involves making schools at least tolerable and enjoyable in parts for the less academically able, and indeed the academically able, who are not, after all, stupid and recognise that the pleasure of doing well in tests cannot cancel out the precious time and effort that's wasted in grading and testing children, rather than continuously assessing, with the students' involvement, whether positive, realistic and mutually agreed learning goals are being reached.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Another hot topic of news today was that “Children could trigger a full Ofsted inspection if they say they are "bored" or unhappy at school under new plans.”
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/pressass/20080519/tuk-boring-schools-may-get-inspection-6323e80.html
So here’s another big stick to beat the schools with! It’s been going this way for a while, to be fair, though. We’ve known for some time that having driven schools to narrow down their curriculum and do more cramming, the government and Ofsted would eventually turn round (when middle class parents, for example, started complaining about their kids’ fucking boring schools) and tell the schools that high tests results alone are no longer enough - the kids mustn’t be bored either!
And woe betide any school that thinks it can now start making learning interesting BEFORE HITTING THE TARGETS FOR SATS AND GCSE’S!!! There will be no changes to the target-setting, testing and Ofsted regimes, you can bet on that. What we have here is an add-on demand to those that are already established, and kept there by the Establishment. Duh Management.
So now, inspectors will ask children and parents whether the learning on offer is boring, and then zap the schools where the answer is yes. A qualitative survey, followed by a bureaucratic response. It’s no better than the previous system. It’s actually worse. Not only does the system not trust the schools and teachers, it will now positively encourage the whistle blowers in its “relentless efforts to drive up standards”.
And how come Ofsted hasn’t concerned itself before now with children’s actual experience of school? What’s going on here?
Stand by for a whole raft of resignations from school managers and teachers who have just had enough of the hypocrisy, the unreasonable demands, the confused priorities, the reversion to Victorian practices, the whole anti-child culture that has as its highest priority “preparing children for work” - for a working life of dull obedience, and conformity to ‘standards’.
No wonder our society’s fucked, people are continuously over-stressed, more and more children and adults suffer from mental and emotional illnesses, more and more murders and violent incidents are happening all around us. So much for driving up standards.
.
Friday, May 16, 2008
Layer 38 License To Kill
.
Bob Dylan - Infidels
License To Kill
Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
And if things don't change soon, he will.
Oh, man has invented his doom,
First step was touching the moon.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there as the night grows still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life
And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill,
Then they bury him with stars,
Sell his body like they do used cars.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there facin' the hill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused,
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.
But there's a woman on my block,
Sitting there in a cold chill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker,
Heartbreaker, backbreaker,
Leave no stone unturned.
May be an actor in a plot,
That might be all that you got
'Til your error you clearly learn.
Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled.
Oh, man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there as the night grows still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Violence 1
Do soldiers have a license to kill?
“Waltz With Bashir” is “a daring new animated documentary that follows Israeli director Ari Folman as he tries to piece together memories of the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps“.
It’s in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Folman was on the radio this morning explaining how he intends to do everything he can to persuade his sons never to take part in any violence whatsoever, regardless of any demands that the State or the Army may make of them. He wants his work to persuade everyone that violence can never be a solution to conflict.
“Folman was a soldier in the Israeli army when it invaded Lebanon earlier that year. It allowed Christian militiamen into the refugee camps and stood by as they went on a killing spree shortly after the assassination of their leader, Bashir Gemayel.”
Well there’s still hope for the Middle East, and for the world, when artists like Folman are able to release powerful films that highlight State and military atrocities, and make the case for shunning violent solutions to problems in all circumstances.
Violence 2
Bob sings, “Oh, man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way.”
(License To Kill)
Well this now clearly includes girls and women, as we know it always has, though maybe to a smaller degree.
This week we’ve been hearing news reports that more and more girls are behaving aggressively and violently, and being generally anti-social. Factors are assumed to be alcohol, our ‘pushy, acquisitive age‘, an ‘economy driven by competition’, and an attitude that’s usually described as ‘laddish’, which presumably means being loud, crude, cocky, rude, insensitive, threatening, gangsterish, binge-drinking, insulting, bragging, attention-seeking, inconsiderate, lacking self-control, over-sexed and generally disgusting.
Clearly what we’re dealing with here are girls who completely lack emotional, social and spiritual intelligence, and we need to ask ourselves why. It’s not hard to see that there are issues about role models, cultural influences, values, greed, sensation-seeking, etc.
And still our education system does nothing to provide for the real developmental needs of these young people, which are to do with substantial amounts of time to consider themselves and others objectively, philosophically and psychologically; to learn something about desirable human values; to learn techniques of self-restraint and self-control; to learn how to relate in positive ways to others, including those outside of the immediate peer group, etc.
None of the above work and learning is really happening, and where it is timetabled in schools it isn’t done well, and it generally isn’t taken seriously, either by the kids or the teachers, and especially the kids who are most in need of it. Neither are schools offering one to one and small group counseling sessions, or opportunities to explore kids’ levels and aspects of EQ and SQ with sympathetic adults. It’s not in the National Curriculum, you see. Kids often have to actually get themselves permanently excluded from mainstream schools before they can access some of the good things and the good teachers that may be on offer in Special Schools. How mad is that?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/16/ukcrime.gender
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/15/ukcrime.youthjustice1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s another stanza of Bob’s to think about, from another track from Infidels, a track called “I and I”.
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don't win the race,
It goes to the worthy, who can divine the word of truth.
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice's beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Note the words “worthy”, “truth”, and “divine” - which are favourite words of mine.
As in
“And think not that you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.”
It’s always good to re-read “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran from time to time.
http://leb.net/gibran/works/prophet/prophet.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5484/Gibran.htm
Collins defines “divine” as:
“To perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight” (spiritual intelligence) and
“To discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power”.
The whole notion of hidden realities I find very interesting. This is fertile territory for reflection and meditation. As is the whole realm of the spiritual, the metaphysical, the supernatural, if you like. This is indeed the realm of intuition and insight. Looking within, not without.
We must train ourselves to let insight pierce and illuminate the dark areas, where logic, reason and the senses cannot penetrate, since our knowledge is always so limited and so open to interpretation, since our senses often fail to make sense of what’s around us, since reason is often based on false premises.
We need these things on the school curriculum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another song to check out on Infidels is “Man Of Peace”.
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/peace.html
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/license.html
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/iandi.html
.
Bob Dylan - Infidels
License To Kill
Man thinks 'cause he rules the earth he can do with it as he please
And if things don't change soon, he will.
Oh, man has invented his doom,
First step was touching the moon.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there as the night grows still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, they take him and they teach him and they groom him for life
And they set him on a path where he's bound to get ill,
Then they bury him with stars,
Sell his body like they do used cars.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there facin' the hill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Now, he's hell-bent for destruction, he's afraid and confused,
And his brain has been mismanaged with great skill.
All he believes are his eyes
And his eyes, they just tell him lies.
But there's a woman on my block,
Sitting there in a cold chill.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Ya may be a noisemaker, spirit maker,
Heartbreaker, backbreaker,
Leave no stone unturned.
May be an actor in a plot,
That might be all that you got
'Til your error you clearly learn.
Now he worships at an altar of a stagnant pool
And when he sees his reflection, he's fulfilled.
Oh, man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way.
Now, there's a woman on my block,
She just sit there as the night grows still.
She say who gonna take away his license to kill?
Violence 1
Do soldiers have a license to kill?
“Waltz With Bashir” is “a daring new animated documentary that follows Israeli director Ari Folman as he tries to piece together memories of the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in Beirut's Sabra and Shatila refugee camps“.
It’s in competition at the Cannes Film Festival. Folman was on the radio this morning explaining how he intends to do everything he can to persuade his sons never to take part in any violence whatsoever, regardless of any demands that the State or the Army may make of them. He wants his work to persuade everyone that violence can never be a solution to conflict.
“Folman was a soldier in the Israeli army when it invaded Lebanon earlier that year. It allowed Christian militiamen into the refugee camps and stood by as they went on a killing spree shortly after the assassination of their leader, Bashir Gemayel.”
Well there’s still hope for the Middle East, and for the world, when artists like Folman are able to release powerful films that highlight State and military atrocities, and make the case for shunning violent solutions to problems in all circumstances.
Violence 2
Bob sings, “Oh, man is opposed to fair play,
He wants it all and he wants it his way.”
(License To Kill)
Well this now clearly includes girls and women, as we know it always has, though maybe to a smaller degree.
This week we’ve been hearing news reports that more and more girls are behaving aggressively and violently, and being generally anti-social. Factors are assumed to be alcohol, our ‘pushy, acquisitive age‘, an ‘economy driven by competition’, and an attitude that’s usually described as ‘laddish’, which presumably means being loud, crude, cocky, rude, insensitive, threatening, gangsterish, binge-drinking, insulting, bragging, attention-seeking, inconsiderate, lacking self-control, over-sexed and generally disgusting.
Clearly what we’re dealing with here are girls who completely lack emotional, social and spiritual intelligence, and we need to ask ourselves why. It’s not hard to see that there are issues about role models, cultural influences, values, greed, sensation-seeking, etc.
And still our education system does nothing to provide for the real developmental needs of these young people, which are to do with substantial amounts of time to consider themselves and others objectively, philosophically and psychologically; to learn something about desirable human values; to learn techniques of self-restraint and self-control; to learn how to relate in positive ways to others, including those outside of the immediate peer group, etc.
None of the above work and learning is really happening, and where it is timetabled in schools it isn’t done well, and it generally isn’t taken seriously, either by the kids or the teachers, and especially the kids who are most in need of it. Neither are schools offering one to one and small group counseling sessions, or opportunities to explore kids’ levels and aspects of EQ and SQ with sympathetic adults. It’s not in the National Curriculum, you see. Kids often have to actually get themselves permanently excluded from mainstream schools before they can access some of the good things and the good teachers that may be on offer in Special Schools. How mad is that?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/16/ukcrime.gender
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2008/may/15/ukcrime.youthjustice1
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s another stanza of Bob’s to think about, from another track from Infidels, a track called “I and I”.
Took an untrodden path once, where the swift don't win the race,
It goes to the worthy, who can divine the word of truth.
Took a stranger to teach me, to look into justice's beautiful face
And to see an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
Note the words “worthy”, “truth”, and “divine” - which are favourite words of mine.
As in
“And think not that you can direct the course of love,
for love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.”
It’s always good to re-read “The Prophet” by Kahlil Gibran from time to time.
http://leb.net/gibran/works/prophet/prophet.html
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/5484/Gibran.htm
Collins defines “divine” as:
“To perceive or understand (something) by intuition or insight” (spiritual intelligence) and
“To discern (a hidden or future reality) as though by supernatural power”.
The whole notion of hidden realities I find very interesting. This is fertile territory for reflection and meditation. As is the whole realm of the spiritual, the metaphysical, the supernatural, if you like. This is indeed the realm of intuition and insight. Looking within, not without.
We must train ourselves to let insight pierce and illuminate the dark areas, where logic, reason and the senses cannot penetrate, since our knowledge is always so limited and so open to interpretation, since our senses often fail to make sense of what’s around us, since reason is often based on false premises.
We need these things on the school curriculum.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Another song to check out on Infidels is “Man Of Peace”.
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/peace.html
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/license.html
http://www.bobdylan.com/songs/iandi.html
.
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Layer 35 On The Ropes, SATs, and So Solid Crew
.
Ashley Walters - Radio 4 - On The Ropes. “John Humphrys in conversation with successful people who have weathered storms in their careers.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/ontheropes.shtml
Listen Again; http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/ontheropes
The blurb for the programme says:
"The tag “bad boy rapper” is easy to hang on Ashley Walters. He's an actor now - currently appearing in "Oxford Street" at the Royal Court theatre in London - but as Asher D of So Solid Crew he went straight to number one in the singles charts and had a platinum-selling album but he also went to jail after police found a loaded handgun in his car.
For this week’s On The Ropes Ashley Walters talks to John Humphrys about what drove him to buy a gun and why he believes the politicians and black community leaders who accused So Solid Crew of glamorising violence and gangs five years ago were wrong. He says if they'd taken the trouble to understand the message they were bringing from the streets of South London they might have heeded the warnings about trouble to come.
He also tells how prison changed him, how he would never buy a gun again and how he still gets stopped regularly by the police when he's driving - most recently, he says, because he was wearing a £300 hoodie!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Points from the programme:
Hoodies are a product of our society. They’re fuelled by anger. Nobody cares why they’re so angry, why they feel separated and segregated from society. Lots of these kids don’t have good parents, never go on holiday, never have good books provided for them.
They don’t find their own “voice”, they don’t understand or relate to the political system. Getting a gun is a weakness, but I didn’t understand that you can’t fight fire with fire. I didn’t understand.
People don’t trust the police. They’re the biggest gang in our area. They still pull me up for wearing a hoodie.
A lot of our kids are bright, talented, artistic. But they’re either not given opportunities to grow and use their talents, or they turn their back on them out of fear of the unknown. They hold on to what they know, even if it’s just the street, and their gang.
It’s almost impossible to stay aloof from the culture of the streets unless you literally stay at home. The older kids pull you into their way of thinking, into taking drugs, into dealing drugs, without even thinking about what they’re doing.
I’m now trying to change things that are wrong in my community. I’m some kind of a spokesperson, and I’m trying to have a positive effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_D_(British_rapper)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/mar/24/race.world
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/interview-ashley-walters-goes-from-bad-boy-to-black-role-model-and-rising-star-of-british-film-461049.html
http://music.guardian.co.uk/urban/story/0,,2081457,00.html
----------------------------------------------
Yesterday a good friend, who’s never used drugs in her life apart from cigarettes (long since given up) and alcohol (in moderation) sent me a text saying that her son hadn’t smoked cannabis for two days. “He feels wonderful and never wants to ‘puff’ again.”
Ashley Walters’ mother and my friend are both public service professionals. Both of them are strong women, and both would be totally against drug taking, but both of them, like lots of parents, are helpless to influence their kids in the face of the peer pressure on the streets, and the desperate need of kids to belong to a ‘crew’, a gang, or just a group of friends who are out there, just trying to have some fun. But as Mick Jagger says, it’s easier said than done.
Ashley Walters is clearly an intelligent, thoughtful and articulate individual, who wants a decent life for himself and his family, and would like to make a difference to the lives of black kids, and the black community in general. He denies he ever glamorized guns and violence, and only bought a gun because drugs and fame had made him paranoid, and he genuinely feared for his life, given the kind of people he knew who were resentful and jealous of his fame and his wealth.
On the programme he talks of instilling in his kids the right values. He wants them to learn how to live well.
He’d better not expect any help from the education system, any more than it helped him to understand life, understand himself and other people, develop emotional intelligence and learn how to handle himself, or understand why human values are important.
It’s hard to measure those types of learning, so no-one does. It’s easier to measure the memorisation of mathematics and words and science - easier to grade those sorts of knowledge through the use of tests. Therefore those are the things that are valued, those are the things that are measured, those are the only things that the education system really gives a damn about. Note: I'm talking about the system here. There are thousands of good people working in schools who do the best they can to support the whole of each child's development, but the refrain everywhere is either 'we don't have time for that', or 'we're told we have to concentrate all our time on "the basics"'.
The media today is full of reports on the Commons Select Committee and its report on SATs and testing. It would be wonderful to think things might now change. Wonderful but hopelessly and naively optimistic. Try to listen to the last few minutes of the Radio 4 Today programme (on Listen Again on the BBC website) for the reading aloud of emails from parents on the subject of SATs, which of course their kids are sitting this very week.
Ashley Walters - Radio 4 - On The Ropes. “John Humphrys in conversation with successful people who have weathered storms in their careers.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/factual/ontheropes.shtml
Listen Again; http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/mainframe.shtml?http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio/aod/radio4_aod.shtml?radio4/ontheropes
The blurb for the programme says:
"The tag “bad boy rapper” is easy to hang on Ashley Walters. He's an actor now - currently appearing in "Oxford Street" at the Royal Court theatre in London - but as Asher D of So Solid Crew he went straight to number one in the singles charts and had a platinum-selling album but he also went to jail after police found a loaded handgun in his car.
For this week’s On The Ropes Ashley Walters talks to John Humphrys about what drove him to buy a gun and why he believes the politicians and black community leaders who accused So Solid Crew of glamorising violence and gangs five years ago were wrong. He says if they'd taken the trouble to understand the message they were bringing from the streets of South London they might have heeded the warnings about trouble to come.
He also tells how prison changed him, how he would never buy a gun again and how he still gets stopped regularly by the police when he's driving - most recently, he says, because he was wearing a £300 hoodie!"
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Points from the programme:
Hoodies are a product of our society. They’re fuelled by anger. Nobody cares why they’re so angry, why they feel separated and segregated from society. Lots of these kids don’t have good parents, never go on holiday, never have good books provided for them.
They don’t find their own “voice”, they don’t understand or relate to the political system. Getting a gun is a weakness, but I didn’t understand that you can’t fight fire with fire. I didn’t understand.
People don’t trust the police. They’re the biggest gang in our area. They still pull me up for wearing a hoodie.
A lot of our kids are bright, talented, artistic. But they’re either not given opportunities to grow and use their talents, or they turn their back on them out of fear of the unknown. They hold on to what they know, even if it’s just the street, and their gang.
It’s almost impossible to stay aloof from the culture of the streets unless you literally stay at home. The older kids pull you into their way of thinking, into taking drugs, into dealing drugs, without even thinking about what they’re doing.
I’m now trying to change things that are wrong in my community. I’m some kind of a spokesperson, and I’m trying to have a positive effect.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Asher_D_(British_rapper)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2002/mar/24/race.world
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/interview-ashley-walters-goes-from-bad-boy-to-black-role-model-and-rising-star-of-british-film-461049.html
http://music.guardian.co.uk/urban/story/0,,2081457,00.html
----------------------------------------------
Yesterday a good friend, who’s never used drugs in her life apart from cigarettes (long since given up) and alcohol (in moderation) sent me a text saying that her son hadn’t smoked cannabis for two days. “He feels wonderful and never wants to ‘puff’ again.”
Ashley Walters’ mother and my friend are both public service professionals. Both of them are strong women, and both would be totally against drug taking, but both of them, like lots of parents, are helpless to influence their kids in the face of the peer pressure on the streets, and the desperate need of kids to belong to a ‘crew’, a gang, or just a group of friends who are out there, just trying to have some fun. But as Mick Jagger says, it’s easier said than done.
Ashley Walters is clearly an intelligent, thoughtful and articulate individual, who wants a decent life for himself and his family, and would like to make a difference to the lives of black kids, and the black community in general. He denies he ever glamorized guns and violence, and only bought a gun because drugs and fame had made him paranoid, and he genuinely feared for his life, given the kind of people he knew who were resentful and jealous of his fame and his wealth.
On the programme he talks of instilling in his kids the right values. He wants them to learn how to live well.
He’d better not expect any help from the education system, any more than it helped him to understand life, understand himself and other people, develop emotional intelligence and learn how to handle himself, or understand why human values are important.
It’s hard to measure those types of learning, so no-one does. It’s easier to measure the memorisation of mathematics and words and science - easier to grade those sorts of knowledge through the use of tests. Therefore those are the things that are valued, those are the things that are measured, those are the only things that the education system really gives a damn about. Note: I'm talking about the system here. There are thousands of good people working in schools who do the best they can to support the whole of each child's development, but the refrain everywhere is either 'we don't have time for that', or 'we're told we have to concentrate all our time on "the basics"'.
The media today is full of reports on the Commons Select Committee and its report on SATs and testing. It would be wonderful to think things might now change. Wonderful but hopelessly and naively optimistic. Try to listen to the last few minutes of the Radio 4 Today programme (on Listen Again on the BBC website) for the reading aloud of emails from parents on the subject of SATs, which of course their kids are sitting this very week.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Layer 32 Taking the Rap, Talking Crap.
.
Film One. Our first venture into making a music DVD.
Film One. Our first venture into making a music DVD.
Scene One. A large commercial estate, somewhere in south east London. Early evening. The two young singers, their manager, their record producer, and a couple of their friends arrive. My business partner and I unload the gear from his vehicle and set up the camera and the lights in the rented studio. We’re good to go. Let’s rock.
Take one. Action! I hit the clapper board. Clack!! Something I’ve always wanted to do. The soundtrack plays from the portable hi-fi, unexpectedly melodic, gentle and subtle:
Quiet rap voice, saying, “Sex, drugs and violence will destroy us -
We need to focus . . . "
Second voice, singing, imploring,
“We don't need to hurt each other,
You're my sister, you're my brother . . .”
It's going well. The two singers - the stars - dressed in cool casuals with yellow turbans around their dreadlocks, are moving well, swaying gently, singing sweetly, looking cool, relaxed . . .
Over to the right their crew are sorting out some drinks and food. I’m not sure why they’re even in the studio when they could be doing this next door in the lounge area, but it‘s none of my business. For all I know they could be having a party right there. Guinness flows. The takeaway bags are emptied out, the food shared out. But what's this? Problems?
(To the sound of “We don’t need to hurt each other . . . “)
“Hey man! This chicken’s hard!”
“Don't shout at me man. It's not my fault!”
“And the chips are fuckin’ cold!”
“I told you don’t shout at me man! I did you a favour going to get some food!”
“This food is shit! I can‘t eat this!”
The film-maker joins in - “Hey! What's going on? Be quiet!”
“Don't you start shouting at me as well!”
“We’re trying to work here! This is a take!”
“You’re disrespecting me man!”
.
"Don't talk to him like that!"
“Fuck you! You better come outside and we can deal with this!”
And so on. Ho hum.
*
Scene Two. Outside. Semi-darkness. Sounds of shouts, threats, challenges. Voices calling out, pleading for calmness and peace. More shouted accusations, counter-accusations, and general “cussing”.
How did we get here? Evidently the record producer and the manager have a history of rivalry and mutual suspicion. Both of them sense that this is a really good song, and someone could make a lot of money from the success of the song, especially if the promotion is good and effective, especially if this video turns out well. They both want some creative input into the video. They both want some influence on the finished product. The video director, on the other hand, has his own ideas, though he’s now threatening to pack up his gear and go home if these fuckwits can’t calm themselves down and allow the filming to go ahead immediately. Nobody needs this shit to be happening, and nobody really understands why it is. The singers stay out of it, and roll another spliff.
Eventually the manager and the record producer wander off down the road between the deserted business units, talking animatedly, but at least not stabbing or shooting one another. In fact they’re not even throwing punches, though it seemed like a close call. It seemed for a while there like things were really starting to rumble. Really kicking off, as they say in this part of the world.
When they come back they’ve apologized to one another, and each is explaining how they’ve had a stressful day, and how the sudden warm temperatures have made it even more tiring and ‘stressful’. We’re just not used to warm weather in this country. The manager’s been dealing with high-powered lawyers all day, big-shot record company executives - nothing to do with these young rasta hopefuls - some other artists he’s handling, an act he’s pushing hard. Some soul sisters, some R & B good-looking shooting star look out we’re about to take off can’t fail to hit the big time chicks. The mother lode. The big bucks. The jackpot. Or so he reckons.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
So what’s happening, man? What’s really going in here? What’s causing this weirdness, this stupidity? This complete and utter lack of emotional and spiritual intelligence?
Here we have some guys, the video director included, who appear to have some issues. All kinds of crap to do with flakey egos, frustration, stress, ambition, greed, exhaustion, desperation, rivalry, pride, possessiveness, jealousy, anxiety, thoughtlessness, and lack of kindness and consideration.
For the rest of the evening the record producer was desperate to explain himself and justify his behavior - to anyone who cared to, or had the time to, listen. He's only 24, and I’d guess he had a track record of getting into trouble thanks to his tendency to sound off first and think about the matter later. He was pretty choked, and really close to tears - just a big kid really.
The manager, the Big Man, having explained all about his heavy day, said his farewells and left us all to get on with this business of making a video, which, it seemed, he hadn’t been keen to do in the first place - because he hadn’t instigated it himself. The thing is, he was a charming and clearly not stupid guy, provided people were deferring to him and things were looking positive as far as he was concerned. I’ve known a lot worse.
*
To be continued.
Friday, April 25, 2008
Layer 19 The World Public Broadcasting Corporation
.
I noticed this week that Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, which is about the physical degradation of the planet and the destruction of unique environments, is about to have a TV showing, on Sky Premier Movies. Seems strange that it hasn’t already been shown on public broadcasting TV around the world, given his passion for saving the planet. Maybe Al Gore is to making films what ‘ethical’ manufacturers are to manufacturing - they like the idea of doing good and being environmentally friendly, but profits come first. And here’s me thinking he wasn’t short of a few quid.
If the World Public Broadcasting Corporation were to make a film about Planet Earth in the 21st Century, for transmission to the rest of the universe, it might go like this:
Establishing shots:
Various faces of children around the world, both happy and sad; soldiers, armoured vehicles and aircraft unleashing incredible firepower against civilians and one another. Scenes of awesome beauty - sunrises and sunsets, mountains, gardens, forests and lakes. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre with their plumes of smoke, collapsing into rubble, and as they do so covering New York with vast clouds of dust and airborn debris. Families enjoying home life in various ways - laughing, playing, eating meals, sitting and walking in gardens and other places of great beauty, driving cars, watching TV. Traffic jams, factories, churches, temples and mosques. Various works of art, including paintings by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Klimpt, Turner and Monet; sculptures by Hepworth, Moore, Picasso, Michelangelo and Rodin. Clips from quiz shows, soap operas, video games and films such as Apocalypse Now, The Terminator, Alien and Predator. People embracing, holding hands, kissing, smiling, making love, looking at one another adoringly. People shouting, arguing, punching, fainting, collapsing. Ambulances, police cars and fire engines speeding to emergencies. Streets full of demonstrators and protestors, libraries full of people silently reading, rooms full of computers where silent faces stare at screens. Bands performing, children playing trumpets, singers singing, drummers drumming, various instrumentalists reeling and rocking. Six different people wearing blindfolds, each touching a different part of an elephant, trying to describe it from his or her particular point of contact. Hurricanes blowing, floods rising, glaciers melting, the sun shining on beaches full of people sunbathing or lying in the shade under palm trees. Scenes of joy on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, various festivals, a child’s birthday party. A nuclear explosion.
Voice over:
Good evening people of the universe. Planet Earth is a wonderful, beautiful, frightening, ugly, inspiring, uplifting, depressing and amusing place, depending on where you’re standing, what you’re looking at, who you’re listening to, and whether you have food to eat, money to spend, a proper home, security, friendship, peace and love in your life.
This programme’s aim is to show a balanced portrait of a unique planet, in all its glory and its misery, showing it how it is, and not trying to say whether any of it is good or bad, right or wrong. Is it wrong for big fish to eat little fish? For birds of prey to kill small mammals? We are not setting out to judge or even to comment. Feel free to comment on it as you wish. Our intergalactic email address will be given at the end of the film for you to send us your comments. Or your judgements. You can be the judge.
People of the Earth are ready to be judged on the state of our planet. We have made it as it is. We found it in a state of virginal innocence, and we have embraced it, worshipped it, treasured it, abused it, defiled it, injured it and tried to make it better again.
As human beings we have many strengths and many weaknesses. We have issues. We have problems. We are sometimes argumentative, selfish, aggressive, abusive and disrespectful. At our best we can be thoughtful, generous, creative, appreciative, loving, peaceful, sympathetic, and awesome in our ability to unlock the mysteries of the universe through science, mathematics, technology and the use of computers and other machines which are the products of our intellects and our capacity for cooperation, collaboration, innovation and ingenuity. We have the capacity for brilliance and for stupidity, and you will see the results of these wherever you look. It is inevitable that our behaviour will be both sublime and disgusting, since there are many people on this planet, in various states of ignorance, desperation, confusion and unhappiness, and also sublime, talented, gifted and awesomely enlightened.
We have educated people who are nevertheless hopelessly confused and ignorant, and we have unschooled people who are unbelievably wise and enlightened. We have clever fools and we have naïve savants and sages. It takes all sorts to make a planet. It takes a whole village to educate a child, and it takes a planet to educate the human race.
Our task at the World Public Broadcasting Corporation is to educate, inform, entertain and enlighten. We have many eyes and many voices. We have a multitude of viewpoints, explanations and opinions. During the course of this film you will hear them all. We will not only show you Planet Earth as it is, we will show it to you from many different perspectives, and we will invite you to reach your own conclusions and make your own judgements. Some say there is no one truth. But there is one truth that matters, and that is YOURS. See things our way - see things your way.
Having seen the truth what will you do about it? Are you able to help us? Planet Earth needs all the help it can get. We are in danger of destroying so much that is beautiful and meaningful on this planet. We are in danger of wiping ourselves out with nuclear weapons. If you’d like to help us in our quest to be a happy, peaceful, grateful, appreciative, positive and harmonious planet, please get in touch. Without help we may all perish. Without your help we may have to educate and enlighten ourselves, and we’re not very good at those things in spite of centuries of our best efforts. So please. Please, help. Get in touch. Come on down.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Salvation Studies. Module 1.
Appealing to space beings for help is like looking to God for solutions to our problems on Earth. It’s not going to happen. Even if there were space beings or a God or gods in a position to enlighten us, support us, or offer us help, how on Earth would they go about it? Who would they go to see or speak to?
George Bush claims that God speaks to him. Many of us doubt it. Tony Blair thought he had a direct line to his Maker. Look what happened to him. Was Iraq a “failure of Intelligence” or a failure of intelligence? Or was God just having a laugh? Or was it arrogance and hubris on the part of men who thought they were hearing the voice of God, and maybe even thought they were somewhat godlike themselves, which is fair enough when they are treated that way by so many followers, believers and worshippers.
No. We have to do this thing ourselves. Our fate and our fortune is in our own hands. No space beings or gods or saviours or upper-class sons of millionaires or of the manse are going to do it for us. We, the People, have to do it for ourselves. We have the need, and what is more we have the capacity to enlighten ourselves, and to help one another become enlightened, and then to work together collectively on our own salvation, our own better, brighter, more brilliant future as individuals and as a planet.
And if we don’t do this thing for ourselves, as a species, then we don’t deserve any help, any salvation. To hell on a handcart, or to a much better place on vehicles of our own design and manufacture? The choice is ours. The journey is long. The way ahead is rocky and obscure. But we need to get together and get started. All aboard!
The point is that the answers are within. Each and every one of us has to look within and try to fathom out what we’re doing and where we should be going. Though we could start by paying attention to what some of our best thinkers and scientists and sages have said through the ages. To begin with we need a framework of values and ethics.
Maybe start with the Buddha - maybe the most ancient source of counsel and wisdom. Starting with his more modern translators and interpreters?
Then there are more recent scholars and researchers, people of sublime wit, integrity and vision - people who had the capacity to really observe the world truthfully and objectively.
Abraham Maslow was a brilliant researcher who had the insight that in order to better human beings we should start by developing our awareness of what the very best of our species actually look like, how they behave and what they accomplish. Not famous people - just so-called ordinary people who somehow stand out from the crowd.
The next blog, Layer 20, will be a summary of what Maslow noticed about human potential, about high functioning human beings, and what he described as “self-actualised” individuals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In the news today.
The Orwell Prize for best political writing. Won by a Palestinian human rights activist, Raja Shehadeh, for his book Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape. He describes the destruction of the beauty of the land, and the loss of the enjoyment of the land. Also the confinement of Palestinians to towns and villages. They are unable even to use the roads, which are now only for Israeli settlers.
Please read the first chapter of the book here: http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books/palestinianwalks.aspx
http://www.profilebooks.com/news.php?news_id=25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Value of Investing in Emotional, Social and Spiritual Intelligence.
Still more concern for anti-social behaviour, violence and crime. How to deal with difficult children? After Columbine, the US state of Colorado focused on prevention of mental and emotional sickness, not trying to ‘fix’ them at 16.
School based classes were developed, and anger management for children as young as 4 years of age. They are taught to understand their bodies and their emotions. There were no parental objections to ‘wishy-washy touchy-feely’ stuff ‘detracting’ from academic focus and attainment.
There has also been systematic family support for children growing up in violent homes. Outreach programmes were funded.
Through these various programmes and changes to the school curriculum they have saved millions of dollars in special education costs, plus reduced costs of healthcare and policing. They reckon 3 dollars have been saved for every dollar invested in early intervention.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brilliant anecdote on a Radio 4 programme (The Reunion) about Thompson Comics. A particular issue had one of the characters in the Dandy making his own fireworks. Someone from a government department wrote a letter to the comic warning them that it was illegal for individuals to make fireworks in this country. In the next issue the Dandy's editor printed a trailer for the following week, which just said, “Next week Desperate Dan will show you how to make an atomic bomb.”
I noticed this week that Al Gore’s film, An Inconvenient Truth, which is about the physical degradation of the planet and the destruction of unique environments, is about to have a TV showing, on Sky Premier Movies. Seems strange that it hasn’t already been shown on public broadcasting TV around the world, given his passion for saving the planet. Maybe Al Gore is to making films what ‘ethical’ manufacturers are to manufacturing - they like the idea of doing good and being environmentally friendly, but profits come first. And here’s me thinking he wasn’t short of a few quid.
If the World Public Broadcasting Corporation were to make a film about Planet Earth in the 21st Century, for transmission to the rest of the universe, it might go like this:
Establishing shots:
Various faces of children around the world, both happy and sad; soldiers, armoured vehicles and aircraft unleashing incredible firepower against civilians and one another. Scenes of awesome beauty - sunrises and sunsets, mountains, gardens, forests and lakes. The Twin Towers of the World Trade Centre with their plumes of smoke, collapsing into rubble, and as they do so covering New York with vast clouds of dust and airborn debris. Families enjoying home life in various ways - laughing, playing, eating meals, sitting and walking in gardens and other places of great beauty, driving cars, watching TV. Traffic jams, factories, churches, temples and mosques. Various works of art, including paintings by Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Van Gogh, Picasso, Klimpt, Turner and Monet; sculptures by Hepworth, Moore, Picasso, Michelangelo and Rodin. Clips from quiz shows, soap operas, video games and films such as Apocalypse Now, The Terminator, Alien and Predator. People embracing, holding hands, kissing, smiling, making love, looking at one another adoringly. People shouting, arguing, punching, fainting, collapsing. Ambulances, police cars and fire engines speeding to emergencies. Streets full of demonstrators and protestors, libraries full of people silently reading, rooms full of computers where silent faces stare at screens. Bands performing, children playing trumpets, singers singing, drummers drumming, various instrumentalists reeling and rocking. Six different people wearing blindfolds, each touching a different part of an elephant, trying to describe it from his or her particular point of contact. Hurricanes blowing, floods rising, glaciers melting, the sun shining on beaches full of people sunbathing or lying in the shade under palm trees. Scenes of joy on Christmas Day, Thanksgiving, various festivals, a child’s birthday party. A nuclear explosion.
Voice over:
Good evening people of the universe. Planet Earth is a wonderful, beautiful, frightening, ugly, inspiring, uplifting, depressing and amusing place, depending on where you’re standing, what you’re looking at, who you’re listening to, and whether you have food to eat, money to spend, a proper home, security, friendship, peace and love in your life.
This programme’s aim is to show a balanced portrait of a unique planet, in all its glory and its misery, showing it how it is, and not trying to say whether any of it is good or bad, right or wrong. Is it wrong for big fish to eat little fish? For birds of prey to kill small mammals? We are not setting out to judge or even to comment. Feel free to comment on it as you wish. Our intergalactic email address will be given at the end of the film for you to send us your comments. Or your judgements. You can be the judge.
People of the Earth are ready to be judged on the state of our planet. We have made it as it is. We found it in a state of virginal innocence, and we have embraced it, worshipped it, treasured it, abused it, defiled it, injured it and tried to make it better again.
As human beings we have many strengths and many weaknesses. We have issues. We have problems. We are sometimes argumentative, selfish, aggressive, abusive and disrespectful. At our best we can be thoughtful, generous, creative, appreciative, loving, peaceful, sympathetic, and awesome in our ability to unlock the mysteries of the universe through science, mathematics, technology and the use of computers and other machines which are the products of our intellects and our capacity for cooperation, collaboration, innovation and ingenuity. We have the capacity for brilliance and for stupidity, and you will see the results of these wherever you look. It is inevitable that our behaviour will be both sublime and disgusting, since there are many people on this planet, in various states of ignorance, desperation, confusion and unhappiness, and also sublime, talented, gifted and awesomely enlightened.
We have educated people who are nevertheless hopelessly confused and ignorant, and we have unschooled people who are unbelievably wise and enlightened. We have clever fools and we have naïve savants and sages. It takes all sorts to make a planet. It takes a whole village to educate a child, and it takes a planet to educate the human race.
Our task at the World Public Broadcasting Corporation is to educate, inform, entertain and enlighten. We have many eyes and many voices. We have a multitude of viewpoints, explanations and opinions. During the course of this film you will hear them all. We will not only show you Planet Earth as it is, we will show it to you from many different perspectives, and we will invite you to reach your own conclusions and make your own judgements. Some say there is no one truth. But there is one truth that matters, and that is YOURS. See things our way - see things your way.
Having seen the truth what will you do about it? Are you able to help us? Planet Earth needs all the help it can get. We are in danger of destroying so much that is beautiful and meaningful on this planet. We are in danger of wiping ourselves out with nuclear weapons. If you’d like to help us in our quest to be a happy, peaceful, grateful, appreciative, positive and harmonious planet, please get in touch. Without help we may all perish. Without your help we may have to educate and enlighten ourselves, and we’re not very good at those things in spite of centuries of our best efforts. So please. Please, help. Get in touch. Come on down.
* * * * * * * * * * *
Salvation Studies. Module 1.
Appealing to space beings for help is like looking to God for solutions to our problems on Earth. It’s not going to happen. Even if there were space beings or a God or gods in a position to enlighten us, support us, or offer us help, how on Earth would they go about it? Who would they go to see or speak to?
George Bush claims that God speaks to him. Many of us doubt it. Tony Blair thought he had a direct line to his Maker. Look what happened to him. Was Iraq a “failure of Intelligence” or a failure of intelligence? Or was God just having a laugh? Or was it arrogance and hubris on the part of men who thought they were hearing the voice of God, and maybe even thought they were somewhat godlike themselves, which is fair enough when they are treated that way by so many followers, believers and worshippers.
No. We have to do this thing ourselves. Our fate and our fortune is in our own hands. No space beings or gods or saviours or upper-class sons of millionaires or of the manse are going to do it for us. We, the People, have to do it for ourselves. We have the need, and what is more we have the capacity to enlighten ourselves, and to help one another become enlightened, and then to work together collectively on our own salvation, our own better, brighter, more brilliant future as individuals and as a planet.
And if we don’t do this thing for ourselves, as a species, then we don’t deserve any help, any salvation. To hell on a handcart, or to a much better place on vehicles of our own design and manufacture? The choice is ours. The journey is long. The way ahead is rocky and obscure. But we need to get together and get started. All aboard!
The point is that the answers are within. Each and every one of us has to look within and try to fathom out what we’re doing and where we should be going. Though we could start by paying attention to what some of our best thinkers and scientists and sages have said through the ages. To begin with we need a framework of values and ethics.
Maybe start with the Buddha - maybe the most ancient source of counsel and wisdom. Starting with his more modern translators and interpreters?
Then there are more recent scholars and researchers, people of sublime wit, integrity and vision - people who had the capacity to really observe the world truthfully and objectively.
Abraham Maslow was a brilliant researcher who had the insight that in order to better human beings we should start by developing our awareness of what the very best of our species actually look like, how they behave and what they accomplish. Not famous people - just so-called ordinary people who somehow stand out from the crowd.
The next blog, Layer 20, will be a summary of what Maslow noticed about human potential, about high functioning human beings, and what he described as “self-actualised” individuals.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
In the news today.
The Orwell Prize for best political writing. Won by a Palestinian human rights activist, Raja Shehadeh, for his book Palestinian Walks: Notes on a Vanishing Landscape. He describes the destruction of the beauty of the land, and the loss of the enjoyment of the land. Also the confinement of Palestinians to towns and villages. They are unable even to use the roads, which are now only for Israeli settlers.
Please read the first chapter of the book here: http://www.theorwellprize.co.uk/the-award/short-books/palestinianwalks.aspx
http://www.profilebooks.com/news.php?news_id=25
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Value of Investing in Emotional, Social and Spiritual Intelligence.
Still more concern for anti-social behaviour, violence and crime. How to deal with difficult children? After Columbine, the US state of Colorado focused on prevention of mental and emotional sickness, not trying to ‘fix’ them at 16.
School based classes were developed, and anger management for children as young as 4 years of age. They are taught to understand their bodies and their emotions. There were no parental objections to ‘wishy-washy touchy-feely’ stuff ‘detracting’ from academic focus and attainment.
There has also been systematic family support for children growing up in violent homes. Outreach programmes were funded.
Through these various programmes and changes to the school curriculum they have saved millions of dollars in special education costs, plus reduced costs of healthcare and policing. They reckon 3 dollars have been saved for every dollar invested in early intervention.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A brilliant anecdote on a Radio 4 programme (The Reunion) about Thompson Comics. A particular issue had one of the characters in the Dandy making his own fireworks. Someone from a government department wrote a letter to the comic warning them that it was illegal for individuals to make fireworks in this country. In the next issue the Dandy's editor printed a trailer for the following week, which just said, “Next week Desperate Dan will show you how to make an atomic bomb.”
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Layer 17 No Magic, No Mystery. The Dalai Lama
Shakespeare’s birthday. St George’s Day. To be or not to be. Killing a dragon?
This blog consists of more quotations from the Dalai Lama. Sub-headings are my own.
Chapter Two. A Spiritual Revolution.
This is not about religions.
In calling for a spiritual revolution am I advocating a religious solution to our problems? No.
I have realised that there are other faiths and other cultures that are no less capable than mine of enabling people to lead constructive and satisfying lives. What is more I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being.
The influence of religion on people’s lives is generally marginal, especially in the developed world. No single religion satisfies all humanity. We may also conclude that we humans can live quite well without recourse to religious faith.
As a human being I have a responsibility towards the whole human family, which indeed we all have. Since the majority do not practice religion I am concerned to try to find a way to serve all humanity without appealing to religious faith.
Religions are all directed towards helping human beings achieve lasting happiness. And each of them is, in my opinion, capable of facilitating this. Under such circumstances a variety of religions (each of which promotes the same basic values) is both desirable and useful.
My concern in this book is to try to reach beyond the formal boundaries of my faith. I want to show that there are some universal ethical principles which could help everyone achieve the happiness we all aspire to.
Religion versus spirituality.
I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality.
Religion I take to be concerned with faith in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another, an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of metaphysical or supernatural reality, including perhaps the idea of some form of heaven or nirvana. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, rituals, prayer and so on.
Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit - such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony - which bring happiness to both self and others.
While ritual and prayer, along with the questions of nirvana and salvation, are directly connected with religious faith, these inner qualities need not be, however. There is no reason why an individual should not develop them, even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system. This is why I sometimes say that religion is perhaps something we can do without. What we cannot do without are these basic spiritual qualities.
Concern for other’s well-being.
There is much confusion, as often among religious believers as among non-believers, concerning what spiritual practice actually consists in. The unifying characteristics of the qualities I have described as ‘spiritual’, may be said to be some level of concern for others’ well-being. In Tibetan we speak of shen-pen kyi-sem, meaning ‘the thought to be of help to others’. And when we think about them, we see that each of the qualities noted is defined by an implicit concern for the well-being of others.
Moreover, the one who is compassionate, loving, patient, tolerant, forgiving, and so on to some extent recognises the potential impact of their actions on others and orders their conduct accordingly. Thus spiritual practice involves acting out of concern for others’ well-being.
It also entails transforming ourselves so that we become more readily disposed to do so. To speak of spiritual practice in any terms other than these is meaningless.
My call for a spiritual revolution is therefore not a call for a religious revolution. Nor is it a reference to a way of life that is somehow otherworldly, still less to something magical or mysterious. Rather, it is a call for a radical reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self. It is a call for a turn toward the wider community of human beings with whom we are connected, and for conduct which recognises others’ interests alongside our own.
Some may object that a revolution of spirit is hardly adequate to solve the variety and magnitude of problems we face in the modern world. However, given that each problem could certainly be solved by people being more loving and compassionate toward one another - however improbable this may seem - they can also be characterised as spiritual problems susceptible to a spiritual solution.
This is not to say that all we need do is cultivate spiritual values and these problems will automatically disappear. On the contrary, each of them needs a specific solution. But we find that when this spiritual dimension is neglected, we have no hope of achieving a lasting solution.
Bad news is a fact of life. Events can be divided into two broad categories: those which have principally natural causes - earthquakes, droughts, floods and the like - and those which are of human origin. Wars, crime, violence of every sort, corruption, poverty, deception, fraud, social, political and economic injustice are each the consequence of negative human behaviour.
And who is responsible for such behaviour? We are. There is not a single class or sector of society that does not contribute to our daily diet of unhappy news. Fortunately, unlike natural disasters, about which we can do little or nothing, these human problems can be overcome because they are all essentially ethical problems.
Where ethical restraint is lacking, there can be no hope of overcoming problems like those of rising crime. What then is the relationship between spirituality and ethical practice? Since love, compassion, etc, by definition presume some level of concern for others’ well-being, they also presume ethical restraint. We cannot be loving and compassionate unless at the same time we curb our own harmful impulses and desires.
Religious belief is no guarantee of moral integrity. Looking at the history of our species, we see that among the major troublemakers - those who visited violence, brutality and destruction on their fellow human beings - there have been many who professed religious faith, often loudly. Religion can help us establish basic ethical principles. Yet we can still talk about ethics and morality without having recourse to religion.
We must be able to show that violence towards others is wrong. And yet we must find some way of doing so which avoids the extremes of crude absolutism on the one hand, and of trivial relativism on the other. Ordinary common sense should tell us that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering. We have no means of discriminating between right and wrong if we do not take into account others’ feelings, others’ suffering.
One of the things which determines whether an act is ethical or not is its effect on others’ experience or expectation of happiness. An act which harms or does violence to this is potentially an unethical act.
Emotions and motivation.
When an individual’s overall state of heart and mind is wholesome, it follows that our actions themselves will be (ethically) wholesome.
The individual’s overall state of heart and mind (or motivation) in the moment of action is the key to determining its ethical content, and this point is easily understood when we consider how our actions are affected when we are gripped with powerful negative thoughts and emotions such as hatred and anger. In that moment our mind and heart are in turmoil.
Not only does this cause us to lose our sense (!) of proportion and perspective, but we also lose sight of the likely impact of our actions on others. Indeed, we can become so distracted that we ignore the question of others, and of their right to happiness, altogether. Our actions under such circumstances - that is to say our deeds, words, thoughts, omissions and desires - will almost certainly be injurious to others’ happiness. And this in spite of what our long-term intentions towards others may be or whether our actions are consciously intended or not. The less calm we are, the more likely we are to react negatively with harsh words, and the more certain we are to say or do things which later we regret bitterly, especially if we feel deeply for that person.
When the driving force for our actions is wholesome, our actions will tend automatically to contribute to others’ well-being. They will thus automatically be ethical. Further, the more this is our habitual state, the less likely we are to react badly when provoked. And even when we do lose our temper, any outburst will be free of any sense of malice or hatred. The aim of spiritual and, therefore, ethical practice is thus to transform and perfect the individual’s kun long [spirit, disposition, motivation]. This is how we become better human beings. [Spiritual intelligence]
I trust that I have made it clear that a spiritual revolution entails an ethical revolution.
This blog consists of more quotations from the Dalai Lama. Sub-headings are my own.
Chapter Two. A Spiritual Revolution.
This is not about religions.
In calling for a spiritual revolution am I advocating a religious solution to our problems? No.
I have realised that there are other faiths and other cultures that are no less capable than mine of enabling people to lead constructive and satisfying lives. What is more I have come to the conclusion that whether or not a person is a religious believer does not matter much. Far more important is that they be a good human being.
The influence of religion on people’s lives is generally marginal, especially in the developed world. No single religion satisfies all humanity. We may also conclude that we humans can live quite well without recourse to religious faith.
As a human being I have a responsibility towards the whole human family, which indeed we all have. Since the majority do not practice religion I am concerned to try to find a way to serve all humanity without appealing to religious faith.
Religions are all directed towards helping human beings achieve lasting happiness. And each of them is, in my opinion, capable of facilitating this. Under such circumstances a variety of religions (each of which promotes the same basic values) is both desirable and useful.
My concern in this book is to try to reach beyond the formal boundaries of my faith. I want to show that there are some universal ethical principles which could help everyone achieve the happiness we all aspire to.
Religion versus spirituality.
I believe there is an important distinction to be made between religion and spirituality.
Religion I take to be concerned with faith in the claims to salvation of one faith tradition or another, an aspect of which is acceptance of some form of metaphysical or supernatural reality, including perhaps the idea of some form of heaven or nirvana. Connected with this are religious teachings or dogma, rituals, prayer and so on.
Spirituality I take to be concerned with those qualities of the human spirit - such as love and compassion, patience, tolerance, forgiveness, contentment, a sense of responsibility, a sense of harmony - which bring happiness to both self and others.
While ritual and prayer, along with the questions of nirvana and salvation, are directly connected with religious faith, these inner qualities need not be, however. There is no reason why an individual should not develop them, even to a high degree, without recourse to any religious or metaphysical belief system. This is why I sometimes say that religion is perhaps something we can do without. What we cannot do without are these basic spiritual qualities.
Concern for other’s well-being.
There is much confusion, as often among religious believers as among non-believers, concerning what spiritual practice actually consists in. The unifying characteristics of the qualities I have described as ‘spiritual’, may be said to be some level of concern for others’ well-being. In Tibetan we speak of shen-pen kyi-sem, meaning ‘the thought to be of help to others’. And when we think about them, we see that each of the qualities noted is defined by an implicit concern for the well-being of others.
Moreover, the one who is compassionate, loving, patient, tolerant, forgiving, and so on to some extent recognises the potential impact of their actions on others and orders their conduct accordingly. Thus spiritual practice involves acting out of concern for others’ well-being.
It also entails transforming ourselves so that we become more readily disposed to do so. To speak of spiritual practice in any terms other than these is meaningless.
My call for a spiritual revolution is therefore not a call for a religious revolution. Nor is it a reference to a way of life that is somehow otherworldly, still less to something magical or mysterious. Rather, it is a call for a radical reorientation away from our habitual preoccupation with self. It is a call for a turn toward the wider community of human beings with whom we are connected, and for conduct which recognises others’ interests alongside our own.
Some may object that a revolution of spirit is hardly adequate to solve the variety and magnitude of problems we face in the modern world. However, given that each problem could certainly be solved by people being more loving and compassionate toward one another - however improbable this may seem - they can also be characterised as spiritual problems susceptible to a spiritual solution.
This is not to say that all we need do is cultivate spiritual values and these problems will automatically disappear. On the contrary, each of them needs a specific solution. But we find that when this spiritual dimension is neglected, we have no hope of achieving a lasting solution.
Bad news is a fact of life. Events can be divided into two broad categories: those which have principally natural causes - earthquakes, droughts, floods and the like - and those which are of human origin. Wars, crime, violence of every sort, corruption, poverty, deception, fraud, social, political and economic injustice are each the consequence of negative human behaviour.
And who is responsible for such behaviour? We are. There is not a single class or sector of society that does not contribute to our daily diet of unhappy news. Fortunately, unlike natural disasters, about which we can do little or nothing, these human problems can be overcome because they are all essentially ethical problems.
Where ethical restraint is lacking, there can be no hope of overcoming problems like those of rising crime. What then is the relationship between spirituality and ethical practice? Since love, compassion, etc, by definition presume some level of concern for others’ well-being, they also presume ethical restraint. We cannot be loving and compassionate unless at the same time we curb our own harmful impulses and desires.
Religious belief is no guarantee of moral integrity. Looking at the history of our species, we see that among the major troublemakers - those who visited violence, brutality and destruction on their fellow human beings - there have been many who professed religious faith, often loudly. Religion can help us establish basic ethical principles. Yet we can still talk about ethics and morality without having recourse to religion.
We must be able to show that violence towards others is wrong. And yet we must find some way of doing so which avoids the extremes of crude absolutism on the one hand, and of trivial relativism on the other. Ordinary common sense should tell us that establishing binding ethical principles is possible when we take as our starting point the observation that we all desire happiness and wish to avoid suffering. We have no means of discriminating between right and wrong if we do not take into account others’ feelings, others’ suffering.
One of the things which determines whether an act is ethical or not is its effect on others’ experience or expectation of happiness. An act which harms or does violence to this is potentially an unethical act.
Emotions and motivation.
When an individual’s overall state of heart and mind is wholesome, it follows that our actions themselves will be (ethically) wholesome.
The individual’s overall state of heart and mind (or motivation) in the moment of action is the key to determining its ethical content, and this point is easily understood when we consider how our actions are affected when we are gripped with powerful negative thoughts and emotions such as hatred and anger. In that moment our mind and heart are in turmoil.
Not only does this cause us to lose our sense (!) of proportion and perspective, but we also lose sight of the likely impact of our actions on others. Indeed, we can become so distracted that we ignore the question of others, and of their right to happiness, altogether. Our actions under such circumstances - that is to say our deeds, words, thoughts, omissions and desires - will almost certainly be injurious to others’ happiness. And this in spite of what our long-term intentions towards others may be or whether our actions are consciously intended or not. The less calm we are, the more likely we are to react negatively with harsh words, and the more certain we are to say or do things which later we regret bitterly, especially if we feel deeply for that person.
When the driving force for our actions is wholesome, our actions will tend automatically to contribute to others’ well-being. They will thus automatically be ethical. Further, the more this is our habitual state, the less likely we are to react badly when provoked. And even when we do lose our temper, any outburst will be free of any sense of malice or hatred. The aim of spiritual and, therefore, ethical practice is thus to transform and perfect the individual’s kun long [spirit, disposition, motivation]. This is how we become better human beings. [Spiritual intelligence]
I trust that I have made it clear that a spiritual revolution entails an ethical revolution.
Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Layer 16 Ancient Wisdom, Modern World, The Dalai Lama.
.
To finish off this series of blogs on Buddhism and spiritual intelligence, this is what Christmas Humphries had to say on:
The Effects of Satori.
Satori is seeing into one’s own nature, and seeing that Nature is not one’s own. The vision (or the experience of satori) may come quite suddenly or slowly arise. It is in no way to be confused with a psychic trance or the phantasy of the schizophrenic. Nor is it concerned with morality or any man-made code. It is a foretaste of the Absolute Moment, of Cosmic Consciousness, of the condition in which I and my Father are one.
The effects of Zen (and Zen means Satori) are proportionate to the degree of Satori attained. Sometimes the happy man would burst into a song or an improvised poem; sometimes he merely laughed, and it is to be noted that no other religion or philosophy has used, as Zen deliberately uses, laughter as a means to a spiritual end. Roars of laughter, cleansing, healthy, ferocious laughter, are part of the Zen monk’s daily life and of those who practice Zen.
Others who have tried to describe the reward of their years of tremendous effort speak of a sense of certainty, of serenity, of clarity, and of unity with nature and the universe around.
Hui-neng described the serenity:
Imperturbable and serene the ideal man practices no virtue;
Self-possessed and dispassionate he commits no sin;
Calm and silent he gives up seeing and hearing;
Even and upright his mind abides nowhere.
With clarity of mind, whence emotion and passion have ebbed away, comes an inner certainty of purpose and the right way to achieve it. And the certainty is quite impersonal.
But the mind, though aloof from the senses’ attraction, is never in the clouds of an ideal world. There is a vital sense of here and this and now. The student achieves a sense of the Absolute Moment, and knows that all things are equally important, equally real and unreal, equally part of himself. The flower in the crannied wall is indeed the universe, and nothing exists beyond this life that is not contained within it.
These new possessions of the mind, however, are not of immediate growth; they develop anew with each experience. For a while occasional vision may have no effect on character, for the momentum of old habits of thought and thought-reaction is immensely strong.
Yet slowly a new sense of values supersedes the old; truly a new man is born, and the sustained and tremendous effort to reach the new stage on the path of development was found to be worthwhile.
The Self has taken over, and the appetites of a pack of ill-trained animals which yelp and growl and bite at each other, have at least been recognised as such. If they do slip off the lead sometimes, it is at least with the master’s knowledge, if not with his consent. And that is a long stage on the way to Enlightenment.
* * * * * * *
The Dalai Lama
It’s interesting how, after decades of hearing nothing but positive things said about the Dalai Lama, insofar as one heard anything at all, the news media now regularly report on China’s condemnation of this unique figure, and it’s interesting the way in which China does it without actually referring to him in person, preferring to say “The Dalai Clique” does this or that or the other. They deliberately make it sound as though he’s the leader of some sort of minor would-be revolutionary gang, agitating for the liberation of his homeland, Tibet, from what he sees as the clutches of the communist imperialists.
All the Dalai Lama can then do is insist that he accepts the fact of Tibet being part of China, but protests about the oppression of native Tibetans and the suppression of their Buddhist faith. He wants to see more autonomy and more religious freedom for Tibet, whilst it remains politically within China’s control.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s what he says in Ancient Wisdom, Modern World - Ethics for the New Millenium.
We all desire to be happy and avoid suffering, and are sustained in this quest by hope.
People in the wealthier countries seem to be more prone to mental and emotional suffering. There is a disturbing prevalence among these people of anxiety, discontent, frustration, uncertainty and depression. They also suffer a growing confusion as to what constitutes morality and what its foundations are.
People feel uneasy and dissatisfied with their lives. They experience feelings of isolation, and often depression. Psychological and emotional suffering is often found amongst great material wealth throughout the west.
On the one hand their wealth allows them to have increasing levels of autonomy and private ownership of expensive homes and goods, and on the other hand they have little interdependence and tend not to see that their personal happiness has any connection with the happiness and wellbeing of others.
In effect they create societies in which people find it harder and harder to show one another basic affection. [And neither do they feel a need to do so.] In place of a sense of community and belonging we find a high degree of loneliness and alienation.
The contemporary rhetoric of growth and economic development greatly reinforces people’s tendency toward competitiveness and envy. No wonder so many people are afflicted by stress-related disease. Such disproportionate emphasis on external progress and material wealth is bound to result in unhappiness, anxiety and lack of contentment.
Scientific knowledge alone cannot provide the happiness that springs from inner development, the happiness that is not reliant on external factors. Indeed, though our very detailed and specific knowledge of external phenomena is an immense achievement, far from bringing us happiness it can actually be dangerous. It can cause us to lose touch with the wider reality of human experience and, in particular, to overlook our dependence on others.
Consciousness belongs to that category of phenomena without form, substance or colour. [It is metaphysical] It is not susceptible to investigation by external means.
The challenge we face is to find some means of enjoying the same degree of harmony and tranquillity of traditional communities while benefitting fully from the material developments of the world as we find it at the dawn of a new millennium.
There is an abundance of severely negative trends within modern society. There is no reason to doubt the escalation in murder, violence and rape cases year by year. We hear constantly of abusive and exploitative relationships both in the home and within the wider community, of growing numbers of young people addicted to drugs and alcohol.
None of these problems are by nature inevitable. They are all ethical problems. They each reflect our understanding of what is right and wrong, of what is positive and what is negative, of what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. But beyond this is something more fundamental: a neglect of what I call our inner dimension.
It’s obvious that our needs transcend the material and merely sensual. The prevalence of anxiety, stress, confusion, uncertainty and depression among those whose basic needs have been met is a clear indication of this.
Our problems, both those we experience externally such as wars crime and violence, and those we experience internally - our emotional and psychological sufferings - cannot be solved until we address this underlying neglect.
That is why the great movements of the last hundred years and more - democracy, liberalism, socialism [toryism, neo-conservatism] - have all failed to deliver the universal benefits they were supposed to provide, despite many wonderful ideas.
A revolution is called for, certainly. But not a political, an economic, or even a technical revolution. We have had enough experience of these during the last century to know that a purely external approach will not suffice. What I propose is a spiritual revolution.
To finish off this series of blogs on Buddhism and spiritual intelligence, this is what Christmas Humphries had to say on:
The Effects of Satori.
Satori is seeing into one’s own nature, and seeing that Nature is not one’s own. The vision (or the experience of satori) may come quite suddenly or slowly arise. It is in no way to be confused with a psychic trance or the phantasy of the schizophrenic. Nor is it concerned with morality or any man-made code. It is a foretaste of the Absolute Moment, of Cosmic Consciousness, of the condition in which I and my Father are one.
The effects of Zen (and Zen means Satori) are proportionate to the degree of Satori attained. Sometimes the happy man would burst into a song or an improvised poem; sometimes he merely laughed, and it is to be noted that no other religion or philosophy has used, as Zen deliberately uses, laughter as a means to a spiritual end. Roars of laughter, cleansing, healthy, ferocious laughter, are part of the Zen monk’s daily life and of those who practice Zen.
Others who have tried to describe the reward of their years of tremendous effort speak of a sense of certainty, of serenity, of clarity, and of unity with nature and the universe around.
Hui-neng described the serenity:
Imperturbable and serene the ideal man practices no virtue;
Self-possessed and dispassionate he commits no sin;
Calm and silent he gives up seeing and hearing;
Even and upright his mind abides nowhere.
With clarity of mind, whence emotion and passion have ebbed away, comes an inner certainty of purpose and the right way to achieve it. And the certainty is quite impersonal.
But the mind, though aloof from the senses’ attraction, is never in the clouds of an ideal world. There is a vital sense of here and this and now. The student achieves a sense of the Absolute Moment, and knows that all things are equally important, equally real and unreal, equally part of himself. The flower in the crannied wall is indeed the universe, and nothing exists beyond this life that is not contained within it.
These new possessions of the mind, however, are not of immediate growth; they develop anew with each experience. For a while occasional vision may have no effect on character, for the momentum of old habits of thought and thought-reaction is immensely strong.
Yet slowly a new sense of values supersedes the old; truly a new man is born, and the sustained and tremendous effort to reach the new stage on the path of development was found to be worthwhile.
The Self has taken over, and the appetites of a pack of ill-trained animals which yelp and growl and bite at each other, have at least been recognised as such. If they do slip off the lead sometimes, it is at least with the master’s knowledge, if not with his consent. And that is a long stage on the way to Enlightenment.
* * * * * * *
The Dalai Lama
It’s interesting how, after decades of hearing nothing but positive things said about the Dalai Lama, insofar as one heard anything at all, the news media now regularly report on China’s condemnation of this unique figure, and it’s interesting the way in which China does it without actually referring to him in person, preferring to say “The Dalai Clique” does this or that or the other. They deliberately make it sound as though he’s the leader of some sort of minor would-be revolutionary gang, agitating for the liberation of his homeland, Tibet, from what he sees as the clutches of the communist imperialists.
All the Dalai Lama can then do is insist that he accepts the fact of Tibet being part of China, but protests about the oppression of native Tibetans and the suppression of their Buddhist faith. He wants to see more autonomy and more religious freedom for Tibet, whilst it remains politically within China’s control.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here’s what he says in Ancient Wisdom, Modern World - Ethics for the New Millenium.
We all desire to be happy and avoid suffering, and are sustained in this quest by hope.
People in the wealthier countries seem to be more prone to mental and emotional suffering. There is a disturbing prevalence among these people of anxiety, discontent, frustration, uncertainty and depression. They also suffer a growing confusion as to what constitutes morality and what its foundations are.
People feel uneasy and dissatisfied with their lives. They experience feelings of isolation, and often depression. Psychological and emotional suffering is often found amongst great material wealth throughout the west.
On the one hand their wealth allows them to have increasing levels of autonomy and private ownership of expensive homes and goods, and on the other hand they have little interdependence and tend not to see that their personal happiness has any connection with the happiness and wellbeing of others.
In effect they create societies in which people find it harder and harder to show one another basic affection. [And neither do they feel a need to do so.] In place of a sense of community and belonging we find a high degree of loneliness and alienation.
The contemporary rhetoric of growth and economic development greatly reinforces people’s tendency toward competitiveness and envy. No wonder so many people are afflicted by stress-related disease. Such disproportionate emphasis on external progress and material wealth is bound to result in unhappiness, anxiety and lack of contentment.
Scientific knowledge alone cannot provide the happiness that springs from inner development, the happiness that is not reliant on external factors. Indeed, though our very detailed and specific knowledge of external phenomena is an immense achievement, far from bringing us happiness it can actually be dangerous. It can cause us to lose touch with the wider reality of human experience and, in particular, to overlook our dependence on others.
Consciousness belongs to that category of phenomena without form, substance or colour. [It is metaphysical] It is not susceptible to investigation by external means.
The challenge we face is to find some means of enjoying the same degree of harmony and tranquillity of traditional communities while benefitting fully from the material developments of the world as we find it at the dawn of a new millennium.
There is an abundance of severely negative trends within modern society. There is no reason to doubt the escalation in murder, violence and rape cases year by year. We hear constantly of abusive and exploitative relationships both in the home and within the wider community, of growing numbers of young people addicted to drugs and alcohol.
None of these problems are by nature inevitable. They are all ethical problems. They each reflect our understanding of what is right and wrong, of what is positive and what is negative, of what is appropriate and what is inappropriate. But beyond this is something more fundamental: a neglect of what I call our inner dimension.
It’s obvious that our needs transcend the material and merely sensual. The prevalence of anxiety, stress, confusion, uncertainty and depression among those whose basic needs have been met is a clear indication of this.
Our problems, both those we experience externally such as wars crime and violence, and those we experience internally - our emotional and psychological sufferings - cannot be solved until we address this underlying neglect.
That is why the great movements of the last hundred years and more - democracy, liberalism, socialism [toryism, neo-conservatism] - have all failed to deliver the universal benefits they were supposed to provide, despite many wonderful ideas.
A revolution is called for, certainly. But not a political, an economic, or even a technical revolution. We have had enough experience of these during the last century to know that a purely external approach will not suffice. What I propose is a spiritual revolution.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)