The Soul’s Journey Through Mistakes and Failures

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Considering Reincarnation, Karma and Compassion

“I think I was ten different people in this lifetime.” I hear words to that effect quite often and share that sentiment. Looking back on some of my beliefs, things I’d said and done, it’s hard to believe it was me. Who was that guy? How was that possible? I’m so far away from being those people I can’t imagine they were ever me. The really confounding part is how easily long-time, seemingly solid, core beliefs and values could have been ignored, set aside to accomplish a goal, bend the truth, rationalize a behavior. It just goes to show, not only can we change, we do. Sometimes dramatically. When we acknowledge that “life is a work in progress,” the emphasis is always on looking ahead, but some of the more important and lasting lessons are encountered by how we respond to past mistakes and failures, including those of others. Do we ignore them, blame them or suffer the guilt ourselves? Is peace of mind even possible?

It’s been said that both the “saint” and “sinner” reside within us. I’m not a theologian or spiritual teacher, but after eighty some years of sampling spiritual perspectives, I’ve done a lot of connecting the dots. Like a mountain climber who stops to rest and observe the view, I offer a metaphorical sketch of what I see.

Prior to incarnation the soul makes a plan, specifying lessons carried over from previous incarnations, and those yet to be addressed on the ascent toward realization. It also makes a contract with other souls who agree to provide a mutually beneficial circumstance or experience to create the best opportunity for their plans to be fulfilled. Of course, at any point, free will can intervene and halt the soul’s advance.

Now consider an unimaginably enormous and steep mountain. I’ll call it “Love Mountain,” because that’s its substance, and as we go up it expands to become all-inclusive—divine—at the summit. In the valleys below the climbers are absorbed with its features, which are both beautiful and treacherous. When they become discontent feeling separate from Source—God, The Ground of All Being, Infinite Intelligence, Nothingness or whatever you want to call it—they begin to climb. All around the mountain, the flanks are rough and rugged with slippery rock surfaces, mud, boulders, gravel and dense vegetation that provide the full range of earthly experiences. Considered as a whole, the journey for each climber is an evolution in consciousness leading to the realization of their True Self at the summit. The irony, according to Eastern mystics, is that Divine Love is already fully present within all the climbers, but the terrain is so engaging their attention is on the ground in front of them.

 Along the way, climbers become so exhausted they stop and shed their bodies. Those on the Eastern side of the mountain largely believe that their climb, which includes both progress and backsliding, has correspondingly positive and negative consequences, which will carry over when they inhabit a new body and return to the mountain where they left off. They consider it a law of nature. Those on the Western side of the mountain also believe their actions have consequences, referring to an ancient precept that says, “Whatever you sow, you shall reap.” These climbers believe that when they reach the summit, the supreme being will judge them according to what they consider to be right and wrong, good and bad.

 Being one who climbs on both sides of the mountain, with respect to this idea, I prefer the former because judging is inconsistent with this climber’s understanding of unconditional love, which is ascribed to the Creator. Aside from these beliefs, there’s near universal consensus that actions have consequences. Had I as a climber really understood that, or thought about it early in this lifetime, I would have saved himself a lot of backsliding. Then again, mistakes and failures are part of the process of the growth while climbing the mountain.

 That being so, what would be the better response to past mistakes and failures, including those we observe in others? Is there a way forward? Judgments are natural and necessary. We make them every day. But thoughts and speech that amount to “judging”—a negative perception or opinion about us or someone else, perhaps to blame or condemn—get us mired in the “mud.” It can hold us back spiritually. This contemplation was prompted by my fascination with the feeling that, looking back, I have been many different people.

 For me, one way to unstuck is through thoughts of “compassion.” The Mirriam-Webster Dictionary defines it as “sympathetic consciousness of others’ distress, together with a desire to alleviate it.” In the mountain analogy I believe a compassionate response to  mistakes or failures would create a solid step up on the otherwise rugged and slippery slope, because compassion is a demonstration of love. On Love Mountain it provides sure footing. So also with the other virtues, particularly those that formed the core of Jesus’ teaching and example, including humility, gratitude, generosity, truthfulness and forgiveness. Each in its own way reveals and externalizes more of our True Self (divinity) to ourselves and others, which in itself is a certain level of realization.

Nationalism

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It can manifest as an open hand or a clenched fist

Nationalism is a point of view that puts the identity, interests and values of a nation ahead of other nations, regarding itself as independent and self-sufficient, the ultimate authority on what’s best for its citizens. Grounded in national pride, it has brought people together to assert their freedom, independence and economic growth in the face of domineering kings and tyrants. The French and American versions of democracy resulted from their respective sense of identity and values, driven by a passionate desire to unite and formalize them. So within a nation, collective fervor can contribute to unity and resilience.

However, it can also create division and vulnerability, poverty, war and genocide through exclusive and aggressive policies. History and the sciences, biology and anthropology in particular, have shown that all living systems are interdependent. If your liver cells collectively decide to stop regulating the nervous system, preferring instead to only process hormones that make it bigger and stronger, the organ will become cancerous and create a host of painful symptoms throughout your body. Unchecked, you could die of end-stage liver disease. Whatever the reason, when a living system—family, company, corporation, church or nation— builds a virtual or actual wall around itself, it not only limits variety, innovation and expansion which are evolutionary drivers, it becomes increasingly vulnerable to change with limited ability to adapt.

How does national pride turn into self-centered obsession nationwide? Systemically, the short answer is fear, which begins in a climate of breakdown. When members in a complex living system such as a nation, observe a number of breakdowns that escalate, they feel vulnerable and helpless. They look outside themselves for someone at the top—a king or government— to fix them. As tensions rise and problems escalate, those at the bottom of the social pyramid lose faith in their leader or government. Kings can be deposed. In governing bodies, a charismatic person, often a celebrity who’s had a taste of power acquired by being rewarded and admired, stands up, expresses national pride and criticizes the way the system is being managed, confidently proclaiming easy solutions to complex systemic issues. Not understanding the complexities and relationships involved, everyday citizens are easily seduced by passionate expressions of self-confidence and conviction. They want the quick fixes. And the prospect of something radically new encourages people to participate in the promise of a future where their payoff is both intrinsic (respect, acknowledgement, engagement) and extrinsic (“more money in our pockets”).

How do we know when national pride turns toxic? What are the telltale signs? When those seeking power reveal the mentality of what psychologists refer to as “narcissistic personality disorder,” a red flag should go up. Below, I characterize expressions characteristic of a toxic nationalistic mindset. While the power-seeker speaks of “we the people,” his or her inner compulsion is always “I.”

We’re the best. We come first. (I am the best. I come first)

Words to this effect are a clear expression of collective superiority and self-centeredness. The mindset creates division, erodes trust, limits global cooperation, creates economic and political tension and risks, promotes discrimination or conflicts with marginalized groups and foreign nations, neglects the moral obligation to assist less-developed nations and because environmental issues transcend borders, short-term gains lead to unsustainable practices that harm the planet.

Immigration poses a threat to our culture, livelihoods and security.

A nation’s greatest asset is its people. The greater the diversity of a population, the stronger its resilience, the ability to respond to crises. And greater diversity increases the capacity to innovate, particularly in the areas of health, economics and security. For example, America became strong because it welcomed immigrants. Rather than seeing them as intruders, they were regarded as potential contributors, and we found ways to incorporate, educate and encourage them to become responsible and productive citizens.

We don’t need to depend on outside producers. We’ll produce everything we need.

This is a failure to understand or accept a reality that has the potential to uplift every facet of a nation’s existence. Like it or not, every living system maintains its existence in the context of a larger system. Nothing that’s alive can exist alone, not human beings and not their collectives. When each member (nation) in a whole system (planet) contributes its unique gifts and exchanges them, the whole and its members flourish. A nation that draws a membrane around itself, limits or excludes those benefits. Its unnatural.

We don’t need to belong to regulating organizations. They don’t respect our freedom.

This is like saying we won’t subscribe to traffic laws, water treatment authorities and police departments in our neighborhood. At every level, regulations in human systems are designed to ensure their health, protection and smooth operation. Detaching from these increases a system’s vulnerability to breakdown.

I’m not like your current leaders who are making things worse. You deserve better.

This statement creates division, pitting “Us against Them.” It’s an emotional appeal to those at the bottom of the social pyramid. We learn from debate strategies, that to gain position or power within an existing system, the challenger must assert the negative (whether he or she believes it or not). And reasoned arguments, evidence and supports are given to prove that the status quo is not working. One of the telltale signs of an individual promoting self over social well-being is the lack of these essential components of formal debate—argumentation, instead making emotional proclamations couched in generalities. Rarely if ever do these leaders display reason or intelligence regarding the solutions they propose. It’s a diversionary tactic: You don’t need the details. Trust me. 

Those who resist or stand against us must be eliminated. God wills it! He is on our side!

This proclamation, followed by widespread demonstrations of violence and murder, quickly raise the status of the charismatic individual. Historical examples include Napoleon (France), Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Atatürk (Turkey) and Sun Yat-sen (China).

There is no end to our greatness. Under my rule, we can conquer the world.

The first indication of this particular narcissistic and power-hungry attitude is gaining control of an existing army, pouring more resources into it and building it up through larger and larger successes in gaining ground. The leaders mentioned above fall into this category.

In the current era, two more indicators of toxic nationalism have emerged—

You can’t trust science or facts. (Inference: But you can trust me).

You can’t trust the news media. (Inference: But you can trust me).

By definition, a nation that places its trust in one individual is a dictatorship. A fundamental principle of whole systems states, “The whole organizes the parts.” In a democracy, citizens collectively experience the positive and negative consequences of the consciousness (beliefs, values, moral character) they elect to office. This means that voters at the bottom of a nation’s pyramid are far more responsible for its failures than those in office. When citizens feel neglected, disrespected, undervalued or disenfranchised they will eagerly vote for change. Any change. Thomas Jefferson understood the importance of trust in a democracy. He often stated, “An informed citizenry is at the heart of a dynamic democracy… Whenever the people are well informed, they may be trusted with their own government.”

In an evolutionary, even historical time frame, democracy has not yet proven to be sustainable. In The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling, a pack if wolves recite, “The strength of the pack is the wolf; the strength of the wolf is the pack.” Indeed, the strength of a nation is the citizen, and the strength of the citizen is the nation. All systems are characterized by feedback loops. In living systems they enable the members to adjust based on the state of the whole. For instance, when a democratic nation breaks down, the departments modify their behavior based on goals and performance parameters established in its constitution, not the desire or order of its president or dictator.

Schism in the soul, schism in the body social, will not be resolved by any scheme to return to the good old days (archaism), or by programs guaranteed to render an ideal projected future (futurism), or even by the most realistic, hardheaded work to weld together again the deteriorating elements of civilization. Only birth can conquer death―the birth, not of the old thing again, but of something new… The West will terminally decline unless a new spiritually motivated minority emerges offering new creative leadership, bringing the society to a new level of consciousness and development.

Arnold Toynbee, English historian and philosopher of History

In keeping with my intention that every posting be an appreciation; we can be grateful for the negative consequences of toxic nationalism because pain and dysfunction clearly demonstrate what is not working. The souls caught in the web of narcissism are not “bad.” I believe they’re following a pre-birth plan, intending to learn other-directed, balanced and productive responses to fame, fortune and power. In a word: love.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;

He will not see me stopping here

To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near

Between the woods and frozen lake

The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.

The only other sound’s the sweep

Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,

And miles to go before I sleep,

And miles to go before I sleep.

Robert Frost, Woods on a Snowy Evening

 

Thank you for following Contemplative Photography!

David L. Smith

 

 

Job — Work — Vocation

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Human activity: Toward what end?

Welding

This image reminds me to appreciate and not take for granted the opportunities I had along the way to choose work that I enjoyed doing. My parents didn’t have that luxury. I think of the difficulties people had in finding jobs during the Great Depression and Dust Bowl era, including the immigrants who came—and are still coming—to this country without two nickels to rub together. And I think of the billions of souls worldwide who, under the thumb of kings and dictators had no choice but to spend their days toiling in the fields, building temples and fighting on battlefields. Subsistence and staying alive throughout most of human history was “job one.” 

Every year, when I asked my students what was more important to them in considering a career, money or the opportunity to be creative, the vast majority chose the latter. That was not surprising because they were majoring in a creative field—filmmaking, visual communication and television production. Had I put that question to accounting or business majors, the answer would likely have been different. One of the benefits of education beyond high school is that students have both the freedom and opportunity to choose a field of interest that can lead to either work or a job.

A “job” is a contract, usually an exchange of a person’s time and energy for money. The reward is primarily extrinsic. Young people use them as stepping-stones to learning and becoming self-sufficient. And many adults, like my father who couldn’t afford to pursue advanced education, find security and fulfillment it their jobs. “Work” is an activity that provides intrinsic rewards as well as financial compensation. This includes anything that satisfies us as a person. 

I further distinguish between work and “vocation,” the motivation of which has less to do with personal gain or fulfillment, and more to do with feeling “called” to a particular endeavor. It’s work that’s compelling, regardless of compensation. It feeds the soul. Poet-philosopher Kahlil Gibran wrote that “Work is love made manifest.” In this category I include religious orders, great artists, innovators and emergents, people whose lives and work is motivated by love.

Among them was Fr. Thomas Berry, a writer and promoter of deep ecology. He wrote, “The great work before us is reverence and restoration”—reverence for all living things and restoration of the planet, viewed as a living system. Another is theologian Matthew Fox who asked, “Are we making products that are useful and necessary or are we exploiting the earth and degrading our planet for future generations? How does our work relieve the suffering of other beings on the planet?”

The above image, combined with these perspectives, prompts several considerations for further contemplation. How am I investing my time and energy? What is my reason for doing what I do? What are the intrinsic rewards? Is my work commensurate with what I’ve come here to do? To what am I contributing? (See my posting on “Contribution and Legacy”).

Once we recognize that we are interdependent, it only makes sense to work together. It does not make sense to try to beat out the other guy, because there is no such thing, in the ultimate calculus, as “I win, you lose.” I can only win when we all win.

Willis Harman, Engineer, futurist

 

Light And Shadow

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An aesthetic and so much more

There’s an intrinsic satisfaction, an aesthetic pleasure, that comes from the experience of light when it plays a prominent, sometimes dominant, role in a photograph or painting. The works of masters such as Rembrandt, Turner, and Hooper are largely characterized and revered for the qualities of light they depict. Light and shadow are so pervasive in everyday living, we tend not to regard them, but they can be key to an appreciation of the day in addition to artistic contexts.

I have sort of a meditative hypothesis about those moments when we become aware of light and shadow, when we allow ourselves to enjoy and appreciate the forms, contrasts, and gradations they delineate in objects such as this cocktail glass. Just as sports provide an abundance of metaphors for life and living, I think images where light is prominent do this as well—particularly in still images where there’s time to explore the elements and relationships within the frame.

In life, we experience “bright” ideas, “illumination” and “flares of insight.” There’s “light” at the end of the tunnel, the “light” and “dark” or “shadow” side of being human. We have “contrasts” in personality, lifestyle preferences and beliefs. We speak of “color” and “values,” which are properties of light. “Transitions” are equivalent to gradation. “Tone” relates to music and variations in emotional intensity. And “patterns,” both in life and imagery, display the qualities of order and repetition.

Of course, we don’t consciously make these associations when we use these words, not even when we look at a photograph or painting. But I think the subconscious makes these kinds of associations as part of our quest for meaning and significance. Conversely, the role of the conscious mind when confronted with an image is to seek recognition on the way toward analysis and assessment. What is this? Do I like/not like it? Does it move me? Is it curious or provocative? Evocative? Repulsive? Or am I indifferent to it? The objective mind wants to know if something has value or meaning that’s positive or negative. And the subjective mind wants to know how it feels.

Lighting for motion pictures requires the Director of Photography (DP) to begin a lighting design by identifying the scene’s real or studio-replicated environment, including the source of both primary and secondary light sources. Having practiced and taught this procedure, images where light plays an important role call me to “consider the source” of light, what and where it would naturally be.  It’s a phrase my students came to use when analyzing and designing images, because it results in more potent and true representations.

For instance, from what direction is the “key” (predominant) light coming from? The answer is found by looking at or imagining the shadows. From their placement, one should be able to point to the light source—or where it should be given the situation. What kind of light was used? Shadows with sharp edges are produced by specular, point-sources like the sun on a clear day or bare bulbs. Images with no shadows or soft edges indicate a source that was diffused in some way. Paying attention to these and other qualities of light in an image—and in life throughout the day—is more than a technical exercise. It’s an attunement that heightens perception, deepens appreciation for the great mystery of light, and teaches us how to manage it more effectively at home and in the workplace. Whether we’re aware of it or not, every image is about what the light is doing.

Regarding the mystery that light is, physicist Arthur M. Young wrote in The Reflexive Universe: Evolution Of Consciousness, “Light, itself without mass, can create protons and electrons which have mass. Light has no charge, yet the particles it creates do. Since light is without mass, it is nonphysical, of a different nature than physical particles. In fact, for the photon, a pulse of light, time does not exist: clocks stop at the speed of light. Thus mass and hence energy, as well as time, are born from the photon, from light, which is, therefore, the first kingdom, the first stage of the process that engenders the universe.”

What’s more, increased awareness of the source, qualities, and functions of light—in our lived spaces as well as in photographic or painted images—deepens our appreciation for the capacity of sight. Had evolution not provided the combination of eyes to collect certain photon frequencies and brains to interpret them, we would only be feeling the radiation coming from the sun—and every other source.

Light created the eye as an organ with which to appreciate itself.

Johann Wolfgang Goethe, Poet, statesman

Light is energy and it’s also information, content, form, and structure. It’s the potential of everything.

David Bohm, Theoretical physicist

 

History

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The process of coming to know who we are

Lincoln Memorial

This image brings to mind History, not as a subject to be studied but as a lived experience of past performance. The posture of the woman above seems to say she is exhilarated, feeling the power of the place in that moment. As well, her juxtaposition between columns and the statue of Lincoln provides a symbol of humanity standing on the threshold, looking to the future from a background of struggle and achievement—triumph over adversity and a shift in social policy toward freedom for all.

The way I was taught early on, History amounted to a series of wars and power struggles, accounts of powerful individuals who led notorious lives in the context of creating or engaging in violence and abuses, always from the perspective of Western civilization. Nothing seemed to happen before then. I don’t remember any mention of other cultures in Africa, Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, Central and South America (including the indigenous populations throughout the Americas) China and the rest of Asia. Japan was an exception because of World War II.   

Much later, graduate courses in anthropology introduced me to the history of diverse cultures. Wars and conflicts were included, but the emphasis was on values and customs, subsistence, architecture, creativity and belief systems. It opened my eyes to the validity of and underlying reasons for differences in perceived realities and how people responded to them. Whereas the study of history was about power struggles within and between whole systems, the focus of anthropology was on people and how they managed those systems. 

I learned that globally, irrespective of time, environment, religious beliefs or social conditions, even genetics, people’s commonalities are far greater than their differences. And the idea of race, a social construct  born of historical and contemporary social, economic, educational, and political circumstances, had no inherent physical or biological meaning. From the early 30’s anthropology textbooks cited studies showing that there were no “pure-blooded” people on the planet.

Humans are not divided biologically into distinct continental types or racial genetic clusters. Instead, the Western concept of race must be understood as a classification system that emerged from, and in support of, European colonialism, oppression, and discrimination.

American Association of Physical Anthropologists

We also learned that across cultures and at great time-depths, humans were motivated by the same quests—survival, affection, affiliation, trade, comfort,  technological development, creative expression and the making of meaning.

From the perspective of human evolution, a much broader category than History, the shape of a culture or civilization and how events unfold with them is largely determined by the perception of whom their component individuals see themselves to be—as a people, their identity as whole system. And significantly tied to it, a functioning sociopolitical structure that’s resilient and sustainable in the face of change.

After studying twenty-two collapsed civilizations, historian Arnold Toynbee found that what they had in common was inflexibility under stress and the concentration of wealth into a few hands. Another contributing factor “a loss of social unity in the society as a whole.” He said, “The West will terminally decline unless a new spiritually motivated minority emerges offering new creative leadership, bringing the society to a new level of consciousness and development.”

Systems scientists refer to this developing group as “Emergents.” (The topic of next week’s post). Basically, these are diverse people of faith guided by love, goodwill, planetary sustainability and justice for all. 

The fate of a civilization depends not only on its political system, its economic structure, or its military might. Perhaps, indeed, all of these ultimately depend in turn upon the faith of the people, upon what we believe and feel about man; about the possibilities of human nature; about our relation or lack of it to such intangibles as the meaning of morality or the true nature of value.”

Ashley Montague

In his day, Abraham Lincoln was such a person. Beyond but including his many accomplishments, his vision and integrity, I appreciate with gratitude the shift that he affected in the way we perceived ourselves—a nation united, a people undivided, “With liberty and justice for all.” From the perspective of human evolution—and American history—his creative leadership brought us to a new level of awareness and overall social advancement. 

For me, the Lincoln Memorial is not just a reminder of the man and his legacy. It’s one among many monuments around the world that celebrate the struggle and quest to discover what it means to be more fully human. On the surface, it may appear that History is about war and struggle. But those are actually the consequences of self-centered, separatist thinking. The greater story is the process of learning our true (spiritual) identity, including the potential we have when we unite to create a world that works for everyone.

In our time, what is at issue is the very nature of humankind, the image we have of our limits and possibilities. History is not yet done with its exploration… of what it means to be human.                           C.Wright Mills, American sociologist

 

Stories of Emergence

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The Power of Emergents

The earth’s atmosphere with watery clouds was established about three billion years ago. When creatures emerged with eyes around 100 million years ago, they probably beheld skies something like this. While researching the evolutionary timeline for this information, my attention peaked at the word “emergence,” defined by science as a process where something is coming into being. Among the insights gained from that investigation is that everything comes from something prior. And for us, the process of becoming is a story within a greater story.

The universe is not a place, it’s a story or an irreversible sequence of emergent events. It’s an ongoing creative event. The universe as a whole, and each being within it, is permeated with the power of emergence. 

                                 Brian Swimme, Cosmologist

In the book, The Universe Story, co-authored by cosmologist Brian Swimme and ecologist Thomas Berry, the observation was made that the challenge before us is to discover our personal story within the great “epic of being—the universe story.” The authors reminded me that our personal realities are a construct, that we’re the authors of our experience, particularly in how we respond to what’s happening around us, and the choices we make.

Expanding from a personal perspective and allowing a little imaginative perspective, if the individual stories of human beings going back 40,000 years ago were to be represented by blips of light, and the intensity of each was determined by its contribution to the whole, an animated video of human evolution would begin with dim flickers in Africa that accelerate, spread, and burst into a globe of light far brighter than the nighttime images of the planet from space. A large contributor to that light is the result of human”creativity” and “innovation.”

In whole-systems science and positive-change theory, human innovators are sometimes referred to as “emergents.” They literally emerge from the status quo but they’re not satisfied with it. Having experienced the dysfunction of no longer workable ideas, structures or ways of living, these people dream of something better. And as soon as possible they create or move toward it. For example, the Great Resignation movement, a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, is characterized by people developing a new story for themselves, like valuing a flexible lifestyle and working at home over a regular paycheck and being tied to a desk.

Emergents are often people who place a high value on health, personal growth and spiritual development. They can see themselves as social engineers or agents of positive change. In business and industry they’re working on alternatives to carbon-based energy, sustainable ecology, responsible forest management, animal and watershed conservation, health promotion, nutrition, applications of nanotechnology, energy-efficient transportation, artificial intelligence and the commercialization of space. These and others like them are recognized as visionaries, authors, life-coaches, globally-consciousness individuals, motivational speakers and teachers who champion authentic living, personal, social and global coherence, human potential and positive developments in every field. These people are easy to identify—in person and on the Internet—because they are already walking their talk, setting integrity to their values over fame and fortune.

Less obvious, but equally deserving of the label emergent, are family members, neighbors and everyday people who are quietly living moral, ethical and socially responsible lives, people looking for ways to work smarter and kinder with consideration for all and love of the planet. These people do a good job and take pride in their work, no matter how menial it may seem to others. Typically, they’ve opted out of the status quo and popular culture, at least in part, preferring the more quiet and substantive values of personal enrichment, fulfillment and service to others.

The coming of a spiritual age must be preceded by the appearance of an increasing number of individuals who are no longer satisfied with the normal intellectual, vital, and physical existence of man, but perceive that a greater evolution is the real goal of humanity and attempt to affect it in themselves, to lead others to it, and to make it the recognized goal of the race. In proportion as they succeed and to the degree to which they carry this evolution, the yet unrealized potentiality which they represent will become an actual possibility of the future.

Sri Aurobindo, Indian mystic, philosopher

Because the contributions of emergents have evolutionary survival value for the planet and all its inhabitants, I see them as paving the way toward a positive and more sustainable future. As the vanguard of whole system’s flourishing, they give us hope. And they deserve to be acknowledged, encouraged, and supported—by all of us, including the mass media.

After a talk at the World Future Society some years back, I identified emergents and their initiatives as part of a panel. An elderly woman commented afterward that she felt inadequate compared to the people I’d mentioned. “It’s just not in me to do that kind of thing,” she said. My response was to suggest she identify someone whose work she admires—whether or not she knew them personally—and support them however she could. It seemed to encourage her.

Each in our own way can shape our life-story to contribute to the whole, if even to pray. Actually, just be being alive we are contributing. Every day. The only question: What will be my contribution, and to what?

Change the story and you change perception; change perception and you change the world

           Jean Houston, Author, Author, human potential emergent

 

Authenticity / Going Home

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Where is our true home?

Geese In Flight

As these geese take flight, returning to the places they were born to find food and mates, my thoughts turn to the place we call “home.” For some, it’s where we were born, the house we lived in the longest or where we live now. If “Home is where the heart is,” it could simply consist of thoughts or memories of living together. What is it that makes a home? Is it the place? The house? The people who live in it? All of these? Something else? Something more?

I notice that as our location changes we make new homes. And I wonder about those who have several houses. Are they all considered home? Or is there one place that has priority? And do different members of the family consider the same place home? Sometimes I hear people talk about “Home-home” and “Home away from home.” So what constitutes home? Is it where the heart is? I think for most of us, it’s the household where we felt or now feel most connected and comfortable, the place where we can be our most authentic self.

The image of these geese, particularly their reflections on the water, has me pondering what it means to “return home.” Many of us go home for holidays, perhaps to reconnect with our roots, relatives and friends. Whether or not this involves travel, we return to the places where we found or currently find comfort, hopefully acceptance and the opportunity to be truly ourselves and be appreciated.

I also recognize that there’s an inner home, the place where the true Self resides. Returning there, connecting with that place in me, I’m inspired to live as I ought, not just as I want. Yasuhiko Kimura, a Japanese mystic and author who integrates spiritual philosophy and science, defines authenticity as “The clarity of being in which there is no self-deceit.” Liiving authentically then, is the expression of thought, word, and deed with integrity to purpose rather than social norms, circumstances or the expectations of others.

Going home in this sense is reconnecting and recommitting to a life of focused purpose—What am I here to be? As well as what am I here to do? One of the ways I do this is by reading through my Meditation Workbook, a collection of my own and other’s inspirational thoughts, poems, prayers, meditations, contemplations, essays and information—writings that have been important to me. As with photographs, they reflect back to me certain qualities of identity and aspiration. By reconnecting with my “family” of beliefs and values in those pages, I can better act deliberately in ways that reinforce them—always with an open mind and a willingness to modify them as consciousness evolves. As a source of inspiration, these materials always re-energize me and call me to center.

What a blessing it is to have comfortable and enriching homes, both in the world and in consciousness. The temptation is to think that these are due to circumstances. But just as a house is not automatically a home, both domains require continuous work—physically, mentally and spiritually. And like migrating geese, to get there we have to go there.

The light that shines farthest shines brightest at home.

              Rhoda and Homer Slabaugh (Amish)

Symmetry

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An indication of balance and agreement

Train Trestle Symmetry

According to Nobel laureate Phil Anderson, “It is only slightly overstating the case to say that physics is the study of symmetry.” The word “symmetry” comes from the Greek, synnetria, meaning “Agreement in dimensions, due proportion, arrangement.”

I’ve chosen this theme for contemplation because, somewhere along the line, I’d gotten into the habit of noticing symmetries and associating them with the aesthetic sensibilities of harmony, proportion, and balance—touchstones in my everyday aesthetic awareness. 

Whenever I’m made aware of something symmetrical, whether in a garden or grocery store, on a digital clock or distant highway, I experience a little Aha!, a twinge of harmony. I’ve come to think of it as a sort of attunement to the fundamental patterning of the universe. The experience seems to say to me, “What you’re thinking or doing in this moment is in harmony with your purpose—and all is well.” I reached this conclusion because, over the course of many years, the feeling that “all is well” occurred consistently in association with sightings of symmetry. Subtle experiences like this are rarely talked about, yet imagination and pattern recognition are among the features that distinguish us from other members of the animal kingdom.

This is not to say that symmetry is the only or even primary arrangement of the universe. It’s not. Asymmetry is the other side of the coin—and just as significant. But to show the pervasiveness of symmetry and to help us know where to look, it commonly appears in many domains.

Accounting: (Balance sheets)

Aesthetics: (Symmetry in faces has been shown to be physically attractive)

Architecture: (Every civilization. Cathedrals, temples, mosques, pyramids, White House)

Art: (Pottery, jewelry, quilts, sand-paintings, carpets, furniture, masks)

Biology: (The DNA spiral. Bilateral animals: humans, plants, starfish, sea urchins)

Chemistry: (Symmetry underlies all specific interactions between molecules in nature)

Communities: (Certain suburbs, streets, city grids)

Consciousness: (Yin/Yang. Logic: If Paul is as tall as Karen, Karen is as tall as Paul)

Food: (Fruits and vegetables cut in half are all symmetrical)

Games: (Chess, Chinese Checkers, Playing Cards, Hop-Scotch, Jump-Rope)

Geometry: (Drawings and transformations, scaling, reflection, rotation)

Language: (The words—“Mom” “Dad” “Pop” “Nun”)

Mathematics: (Algebraic equations. Even and odd functions in calculus)

Music: (Canons, permutations, invariance, pitch, scales)

Nature: (Rainbows, raindrops, leaves, sand dunes. beehives, bird, birds, insects, reptiles)

Physics: (The symmetries of the laws of physics determine the properties of particles)

Roads: (Right & left lanes, cloverleafs, tunnels, overpasses)

Social Interaction: (Reciprocity, empathy, dialog, respect, justice, revenge)

Spatial relationships: (Vertical or horizontal. The photograph of the above train tressel)

Time: (Expressed in numbers: 9:09am , 10:10pm, 6:36pm, 1:41am, 3:33pm)

Transportation: (Cars, trucks, trains, airplanes)

It is the harmony of the diverse parts, their symmetry, their happy balance; in a word it is all that introduces order, all that gives unity, that permits us to see clearly and to comprehend at once both the ensemble and the details.

Henri Poincare, French theoretical physicist

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smithdl@fuse.net

DavidLSmithPhotography.com

Photography Monographs (Select a book. Click on in it to turn pages)

 

Silence

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Fence Shadows On Snow

Precious silence often accompanies a fresh and heavy snowfall. The contrast between it and the sounds we normally tune out, calls our attention to it. We go outside to watch and listen closely. We even seem to breathe easier as the snowflakes make a barely perceptible sound. Before the shovels and snowblowers come out, before the sounds of laughing kids and car engines turning over, there’s that moment when we stand still and relish the quiet.

I made this photograph in one such moment. I remember it well because it was one of those instances where, after I made several exposures, I lingered a while to listen to the stillness and watch as the evening light gradually diminished. For me, the sensibility of silence in this image is reinforced by the iron “guards” standing at attention with their spears, oblivious to the cold, wind and coming darkness. The regularity of the spear-shadows contrasts with the chaotic shadows of the trees, suggesting an integration of humanity (orderly lines) living in harmony and nature (disorderly shadows). Further, I notice that although the shadows take different forms, their brightness values are the same—a visual demonstration of unity in diversity.

In my experience silence seems to encourage more silence. Might the memory of past quiet moments, having been so refreshing and enriching—sometimes eliciting awe—prompt us to thirst for more? I think the centering that comes from being in nature at any time of year can be attributed as much to sound as to sight. The song of a bird, snow falling or leaves crunching underfoot, dripping or falling water or wind blowing through the trees are just a few of the sounds that connect us to the deepest roots of our physical being.

I find it curious, the role that the fence plays in contributing to the sensibility of this image. It seems the evocation would not be as potent without it. Wrought iron, being metal, dark and black somehow looks colder than the snow itself. Its spears, literally frozen in place, enhance the qualities of cold and silence. Workers and travelers often see snow as a nuisance. Kids see it as an opportunity for fun and a day off school. Practical considerations aside, stopping to take in its beauty and listen to the sounds of silence can be very enriching.

When words become unclear, I shall focus with photographs. When images become inadequate, I shall be content with silence.

Ansel Adams