Diebert wrote:
Sue, while your questions are interesting and challenging in a good way as well as the possible answers of Kevin will be, you leave yourself open to some criticism too.
It's all too feminine to confuse shape and form with content.
True, women can’t see past the shallows they live in.
My questioning of Kevin goes much deeper though. For when we are discussing philosophical thought; and that is how Kevin has characterised his trip to the US, in philosophical terms; the person emanating that thought cannot be separated from it in anyway.
So asking questions like these ones you mention -
Why would a sage behave like this, dress like that, not do this, always want to do such and so?
- could be appropriate in some situations. For example, on this forum, any person can be subject to this type of scrutiny if what they say seems to not match up with their actions. Even dead people’s lives are often gone over with a magnifying glass looking to better understand their ideas. The usefulness of such activity can only really be appreciated by those who are themselves striving to break down those mental blocks that hinder their own further philosophical development.
Sure there are contemporary elements to nurturing and spreading ones wisdom but they are always in movement and change and certainly shouldn't worry other aspiring sages too much.
Kevin has his own life to live, as I do mine. And it is in my nature to judge and discern all things to uncover the truth therein. Therefore, Kevin, like any other thing in Nature, will be placed under the magnifying glass to see what’s what. Kevin’s opening post and some of his replies on this thread just don’t add up with what I know of his knowledge about women and the emotions. So naturally, I’ve questioned what’s on his mind.
Why not worry more about Dan flip-flopping between comedy and bored comments and threatening to delete nonsense topics? If he's that unstable on a message board I wonder on what roller coaster he is when not behind the keyboard. Or perhaps the keyboard brings it out?
I don’t “worry†about Dan, Kevin, or anyone for that matter. Dan’s “flip-flopping†can be boring, and sometimes it can be interesting. Presently, I don’t think Dan is interested in dealing with the stuff that feeds some of that “f-fâ€. One day he may have to – but we’ll just have to wait and see.
Or lets analyze David's attempt in censoring the 'QRS' word because of his irritations. This is a long way from the " unconventional discussion forum suitable only for the bravehearted" or the definition of genius being "the infinite capacity for giving pain."
David’s idea of replacing “QRS†with the word “wisdom†is a sound one, as it better describes what he, I, and others do on this forum than does “QRSâ€. It was discovered that changing the term was going to cause too much confusion, so David dropped the idea. The idea, and the about face on it, does in no way contradict the above passages you have selected and placed in inverted commas. Actually Diebert, it isn’t at all clear what point you were trying to establish by using those passages. If you feel like it, you might outline what you were thinking.
Compared with Solway alone with beard at the customs of Homeland Security, the general discomfort, wear and tear of traveling and its effects on the contents of the mind, I'm not so sure what your definition of 'masculinity' has evolved into these days.
I did offer to go along with him and help carry his bags, but he said he’d be able to manage alone. : (
I bet that Kevin’s come back from his holiday feeling invigorated, and glad to be home. That’s why most people travel in the first place, because they are bored with their everyday lives and desire a change. Even if they end up going on the holiday from hell they’d still plan another trip for next year. Travelling is also useful if you enjoy telling other people about all the places you’ve been to. Most people have a favourite travel story that they like to drag out at dinner parties. My favourite one is about the time I was travelling through the middle of outback Queensland in forty-five degree heat, no other living thing for hundreds of miles around, and out of nowhere, a man dressed in a suit ran...
And doesn't your post show an attachment to a sort of 'example' to follow, a rigidness in how you attach lifestyle and expression to a certain spiritual maturity?
No, my post shows the same quality of thought that I strive for in every post I write. That Kevin and I have slightly different views on what we find personally “spiritually inspiring†is as inevitable as we liking different foods.
While there's certainly a connection, it's really severely limiting to connect wisdom to not traveling, not sharing pictures or experiences or promoting ones ideas by name and number each and every post.
Like I said above, Kevin and I have different views on this. He’d be aware of where my disagreements are coming from, but even if he wasn’t, it doesn’t matter in the least, as my reason for the post was to assert my view on the subject.
If everybody starts to expect ruthless, cutting edge and sober posts, it would be about time to do the reverse once in a while!
If “everybody†started writing “ruthless, cutting edge and sober posts†focused on wisdom - this forum would be an even more unique place than it already is.
I for one am really looking forward to the way Kevin will reflect upon his journey and the people he met, in the light of his philosophy.
Yes, I’m looking forward to that too.
Perhaps he could have started of with this right away but his expression of gratitude is a very primal psychological response to the wealth of experiences and reception of kindness and generosity he might have experienced. The basic law of exchange not even a sage can avoid: one receives and one gives back. It's like breathing and cannot be helped, only perhaps by minimizing receiving gifts or charity of any kind. This might mean not coming out much, or not breathing at all perhaps.
Yes, Diebert, your response to Kevin’s post is a “reverse†to my “ruthless, cutting edge and sober†one. But I’m sure Kevin will be tickled pink at hearing that his “primal psychological responses†are “unavoidable†- “like breathingâ€.