So long as we do not, through thinking, experience what is, we can never belong to what will be. - Martin Heidegger
Thinking does not lead to truth; truth is the beginning of thought." ~ Hannah Arendt
I was taught that having thoughts is not thinking.
There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself. - Hermann Hesse
Hi Zohar, fantastic piece, I love the scope. There are a lot of ways I could engage but two things stick out:
I'm curious how much you (or Arendt, I suppose) would attribute this to the utility-drive of modernity, i.e. the need to always be acting in service of something, that we must be adding value. There are no thinking machines (let alone contemplation machines!) only machines to do, make, etc. Maybe as we mechanize ourselves we become more committed to action over thinking for this instrumental purpose.
The second thought I have is how thoroughly dissonant this is with my own experience, not from a sense of desire but rather than of disposition. Thinking to me feels like something impossible to avoid: we can't help but have opinions, feelings, and thoughts. Actually acting them out in the world is much more of a challenge!
The situation you describe is the very definition of the cosmos we live in presently: that is Assiyah. That is the present state of world consciousness. Those who attempt to live within other cosmoses may see a different terrain, but the major problem is the nature of this world in which our lives are so short and mean that as soon as we are born we can consider ourselves dead or worse the food of others who have embraced this situation with gusto and lack of discernment.
This constant state of fear which is due to our center of gravity being in our bodies prevents us from centering in the more transcendent and longer lived higher (a word I do not like in this context) cosmoses available to those who can grow a soul. This realm is designed to grow our souls but in general simply makes us fearful and selfish.
So long as we do not, through thinking, experience what is, we can never belong to what will be. - Martin Heidegger
Thinking does not lead to truth; truth is the beginning of thought." ~ Hannah Arendt
I was taught that having thoughts is not thinking.
There's no reality except the one contained within us. That's why so many people live an unreal life. They take images outside them for reality and never allow the world within them to assert itself. - Hermann Hesse
Hi Zohar, fantastic piece, I love the scope. There are a lot of ways I could engage but two things stick out:
I'm curious how much you (or Arendt, I suppose) would attribute this to the utility-drive of modernity, i.e. the need to always be acting in service of something, that we must be adding value. There are no thinking machines (let alone contemplation machines!) only machines to do, make, etc. Maybe as we mechanize ourselves we become more committed to action over thinking for this instrumental purpose.
The second thought I have is how thoroughly dissonant this is with my own experience, not from a sense of desire but rather than of disposition. Thinking to me feels like something impossible to avoid: we can't help but have opinions, feelings, and thoughts. Actually acting them out in the world is much more of a challenge!
The situation you describe is the very definition of the cosmos we live in presently: that is Assiyah. That is the present state of world consciousness. Those who attempt to live within other cosmoses may see a different terrain, but the major problem is the nature of this world in which our lives are so short and mean that as soon as we are born we can consider ourselves dead or worse the food of others who have embraced this situation with gusto and lack of discernment.
This constant state of fear which is due to our center of gravity being in our bodies prevents us from centering in the more transcendent and longer lived higher (a word I do not like in this context) cosmoses available to those who can grow a soul. This realm is designed to grow our souls but in general simply makes us fearful and selfish.