From: "Richard" (rcarlson@olympus.net)
To: scienceandspirit@sriaurobindocenter-la.com
Subject: Re: "terminator tech.": Focus on positive indicators?
Date: Mon, 8 Aug 2005 21:32:26 +0200

Ron wrote:
Aren't most of us in this forum already painfully aware of the negative trends surrounding us?

Rich:
Perhaps,
but this was not the issue I tried to address in my post, It
specifically referred to a previous train of thought about whether any
type of ethical stance toward the technological evolution could be
discerned from IY. Now perhaps such a perspective can be evolved,
perhaps not. The post also referenced the fact that material
circumstances have seemed to changed since Mother considered the threat
to the vegetal kingdom. I would say and -prefix this with that it is my
opinion - that yes , the evolution of technology has now evolved an
instrument and method by which it can directly threaten the vegetal
kingdom; that indeed circumstances have changed! Now what the outcome
of this will be? I frankly don't know, but one of the loose outlines of
the vision of the forum was to attempt to evaluate such trends in the
world since 1973 - some which are alarming some of which are promising
- in the light of the yoga, in an attempt to discern those trends which
maybe facilitative to the evolution of consciousness as envisaged by
Sri Aurobindo. Admittedly, a position that is merely ethical may or may
not be helpful to this project (ethics is not the goal of the yoga) and
the jury is still out as to whether one could even discern which
worldly processes are or are not facilitative to the project of the
evolution of consciousness.


Ron:
>I admit that a
real bias of mine for this forum is to focus on the many positive signs
that the work done by Sri Aurobindo and the Mother is in fact resulting
in a discernible evolutionary transformation.

Rich:
Well , it
is good that you are aware of your bias,(hopefully I am as equally
informed about my own bias) because once again we are talking about
individual interpretations. In one's interpretations one may choose to
look for positive signs,or one may be pre-disposed to look critically
at world events and from such a vantage try to determine where actions
are required in the world, which ultimately aspire to facilitate
environmental conditions for the work of yoga in the world. Perhaps at
best one may do both. But once again this is an interpretive matter and
we all tend to evolve perspective -to a greater or lesser degree-
within our own hermeneutic circle. In respect to my post specifically
if you are a poor Indian farmer who contemplates suicide as a result of
the changes in agricultural production initiated by huge corporations
such as Monsanto and the World Bank you are going to see the matter
differently than the relatively wealthy American public.


Ron:
The
Mother says that since its advent in 1956, the force is effectively
determining the course of earthly events. The diffusion of the Cuban
crisis and simultaneous inexplicable withdrawal of the Chinese from the
Indian border when >invasion was immanent occurred because of the
presence of this Force. She also says children born after 1962 have
greater receptivity to this Force.

Rich:
Well how one
interprets this saying of the Mother may depend on ones own hermeneutic
circle (which among other things is dependent on one's cultural &
historic background as well as ones education & personal
experience), however, according to Sri Aurobindo the evolution of
consciousness or the advent of the supramental manifestation transcends
our very notions of good or evil, positive or negative, black or white.
So whether one chooses to look at the events of the world thru a half
full or half empty glass is besides the point.

That one
internally should keep a positive attitude in ones practice is not
being argued here. It is quite clear from the Sunlit path that one
should. However, does that mean we stop looking critically at
circumstances shaping world events which could impact human evolution
itself? My own reading tells me that no, that to remain inwardly
optimistic does not necessarily mean that this translates into an
attitude towards world events which must take on the character of a
naive optimism with a view toward the world of I'm OK, Your OK , It is
also my opinion that the attitude of some in the yoga which in short
goes, don't worry about world events, it will all be ok in the end once
Supermind descends is no different then that of other religious
fundamentalist who ignore the events of the world and the affairs of
"others" as they gleefully awaiting the final rapture.

I also
could argue that albeit the Cuban missile crisis was resolved and China
withdrew from the Indian Boarder, that one should not short sell the
deals which were going on behind the scene between Kennedy, Khrushchev,
or the crazed military tactics of Chairman Mao. But what followed the
Cuban missile crisis was a shameless embargo of Cuba by the United
States which along with their own dictorial government caused extreme
misery for the Cuban people. Then after 1962 there was Viet Nam,
Cambodia, Rwanda, Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, there were many
unspeakable genocides and natural disasters, there was 9/11 and the
evolution of weapons technologies which could put a quick end to this
conversation and to life on the planet as well. So I would hope one
would not equate what is essentially a spiritual rupture of the fabric
of time and space (the supramental manifestation) with any equivalence
to any particular outcome of any geo-political event. At least one may
hold these views privately and within a certain community, but be
prepared to argue when you take those positions to the "unbelievers" or
even the more hermeneutically sensitive believers.


(about the positive nature of world events.)

Ron:
Certainly not the impression one gets from most of modern media ...

Rich:

Whether
it appears that the world is getting better or not depends on which
media you are getting your message from. I can assure you, that you
wont normally see Vandana Shiva on Fox News or any of the other media
conglomerates which in her opinion are part of the problem. But in my
opinion Fox news and all the other major networks, tend to portray the
world much more optimistically than would require the American public
to take on a critical view of its own government. They made Iraq seem
like the 51st state before the war, and they tend to paint as rosy a
picture of world events as this administration would like them


Ron:

I wonder if there are similar positive changes also happening in our relationship with the vegetable kingdom?

Rich:
Undoubtedly
there are, however to be able to discern which changes are positive or
negative is at present a function of critical analysis, or if one is so
highly advanced it would be a function of intuitive discrimination or
psychic discernment. But can we all claim to be advanced enough to
properly employ intuitive discrimination or psychic discernment at this
present moment? If not; (of course we should not stop aspiring) should
we discard thinking critically about the world as a pre-requisite to
practice a yoga which purports to be of the world?

well my
perspective by now is probably obvious, but again this reflects my own
bias and I will quickly add that critical thinking applies only to
evaluating current events of the world, it has its limits. Critically
thinking about facilitating an event which by its nature is a
supra-rational or spiritual, is in its own way an oxymoron. As such I
am ready to admit the misplaced concreteness which maybe inherent in
some aspects of the Vision Statement of the forum, and am equally
prepared to put a lid on it.

Rich