tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post7008935067010990756..comments2024-02-10T08:46:51.419-05:00Comments on Rude Armchair Theology: Patterns and storiesMike Croghanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-85353041626837898092007-10-18T09:44:00.000-04:002007-10-18T09:44:00.000-04:00This reminds me of my philosophy of change in myse...This reminds me of my philosophy of change in myself. I meet a lot of people who thwart change dismissively: "Oh, I can't change." I see things that I'd like to change about myself and believe I can do it instantaneously. But, as I say, I have this dinosaur body that needs to be guided toward a new pattern (but maybe that's just a pattern unto itself).<BR/><BR/>It's fascinating to see it from a different perspective: that we, as pattern-seeking beings, are inherently resistant to change rather than dynamic, alive beings who are in constant change. It's almost as if our lives -- the calcification of our behavior -- prepares us for the Big Calcification in the end.Jayce from Rochesterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05766605787783546357noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-17466621966043274052007-10-16T21:05:00.000-04:002007-10-16T21:05:00.000-04:00Good post, Mike.I'm sure I needn't tell you how ni...Good post, Mike.<BR/><BR/>I'm sure I needn't tell you how nicely this dovetails with the Buddhist concept "emptiness".<BR/><BR/>It also reminds me of something I call "indetermination" as evoked here: "<A HREF="http://www.mccull.org/gary/indetermination/index.shtml" REL="nofollow">Indetermination</A>."<BR/><BR/>Perhaps there's no escape from our patterns. But we can mix them up. Why not substitute freedom for dogmas? Why not substitute compassion for certitude? Why not give it a shot!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-57297335636572327852007-10-15T15:15:00.000-04:002007-10-15T15:15:00.000-04:00Thanks, +Alan and Ken! And yeah, +Alan, I think i...Thanks, +Alan and Ken! And yeah, +Alan, I think it's an incredibly important insight - and a challenging yet hugely rewarding practice - to learn to cherish the point of view of folks who see things really differently from you. It's not easy. I'm not good at it. But I want to be better.Mike Croghanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18099387827886541138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-66133335522440020242007-10-15T09:16:00.000-04:002007-10-15T09:16:00.000-04:00Mike, this is quite good. Thanks for sharing this...Mike, this is quite good. Thanks for sharing this, was a nice lift to my Monday morning (I find posts that look behind life's curtain quite uplifting...).<BR/><BR/>Can I have your permission to reprint this on Transforming Society?Ken Tennysonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04456595071948145674noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5403232.post-91570140540983888102007-10-15T06:36:00.000-04:002007-10-15T06:36:00.000-04:00Mike, I'm really interested by the possibilities o...Mike, I'm really interested by the possibilities of this kind of stuff. I once had a colleague who was dyslexic. What fascinated me about Andrew was his capacity for backing up unusual things against each other, engaging the gears at different ratchet points to me, and shooting off in unusual directions. It was like a kind of primitive super Mario game thing, where the rest of us were on the travellator above Andrew, but he was having all kinds of fun in a way which was logical, but not quite my logic. I came to feel spiritual capacity is something released by backing up unusual images/ experiences against each other, and letting the sparks fly — I am sure this is something to do with how artistic creativity works. It's a way of using our patterning capacity to transcend our patterning capacity...<BR/><BR/>Heigh ho — back to the day job — but thanks for your post<BR/><BR/>as ever<BR/><BR/>+AlanBishop Alan Wilsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13879516755776951638noreply@blogger.com