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Heythere, i am wanting to possibly get others' thoughts on this! Anything you'd care to share is very welcome!
i've been listening to various dissent from a seeming label ("New Agers") given to we hippie-folk-types, and wanted to share some of my thoughts, and seek others' input.
Some background
i've been getting into discussions in other places about some of the challenges and problems with the label (?) of "New Age" given to so much of "what hippies are" and what we're about and such, and thought i'd offer a thinking-through here in the midst of one of our hives, so to speak. Heh heh.
So one thing i've been thinking about this "New Age" thing, which actually "gets my goat", is that there is so much attention and single-minded focus given to the idea of *detachment* (i.e. from "ego") without a seeming awareness about *when* such things were/are likely valuable.
To give an example of when such can be valuable, i thought of the war movie "The Thin Blue (?) Line" in the scene where the "americans" were rushing into an 'enemy' camp and one guy (an 'enemy'), there in the chaos of it all, was sitting in a Buddhist-type pose!
my line of thought
So here's my line of thought on this, and i'm wondering if others think this is in the right tune of things. So i'm thinking that this Buddha dude came along into the world with his visions in the context of his original people being over-run and under conquering attack by much-too-heavy invaders from elsewhere. And Buddha's vision-way *greatly aided* people in pain, and thus he was seen as a kind of saint. And his methods made sense for use in heavy situations of all kinds.
On the other hand, in the context in which we find ourselves, we "americans", we (settlers and indigneous peoples) are not over-run completely, and we can *still* make a difference, so we need not always orient ourselves to this way of passivity. You see what i'm saying?
But those who influence so much of our movements, have experience and reason not to feel this, and they seem to accept defeat (and assimilation), when they can't run, without *crucially challenging* in every POSSIBLE way. (Indeed, even their otherwise deep consciousness--in a certain area of 'enlightenment'--reveals that they, like anyone, have blindspots. And so they pursue ideas like *detachment* and their focus and their influence comes to somewhat dominate other ways of possibly seeing --and those deemed non-elders ---or "capable" of seeing deeply--- those with seemingly "not useful" gifts to add-to the banquet of joy in this world, are to basically go along with the program.
Because for one, "the elders of the hippie movement" (at least in my limited experience) have had planted in their heads similar pollutions or strategically-challenged alienations like everyone else; and are thus *products* like the rest of us, of colonization.
Am i digressing?
So, stuck in such a tradition, we end up not even *trying out* resurgence in ways that we're not "used to." (See the broader ramifications of this blindspot, anyone else?)
a curious thing
So i see this curious thing; and i see it amongst settlers who also are learning the ways of the indigenous directly. It's like there's no awareness of ourselves as *part and parcel* of this alternative system; we're, like, just following something like orders. We're so "in the flow" that we don't seem to *give ourselves permission* in even **this area** of our lives!
Now, at the risk of going perhaps off-topic "too far"(?), i just wanna say that this is how we settlers (and perhaps as well, growing numbers of indigenous people) are being hoodwinked by this entirely "normalized" state of affairs...because in this scenario, *all these people* are not allowed (in their minds, anyway) to complement or add-to what is being shared. And in the old days --i really feel this-- the old ways *ABSOLUTELY NEEDED* EVERYONE's heart-felt input! (But the re-writing of history has come along and polluted our ability to see this reality) Without such input from all (and without being able to see such value), they were rendered much weaker (why do you *think* that the invaders liked talking only to chiefs, whether an indigenous group had one or not!).
"It's not the right time, yet."
And then there's the subordination-oriented value/belief of just when "the right time" never is. And when i speaque up, in my own spiritual way, un-aligned with *any* noted/reputable interest group (and yes, of the *informal* kind!), i'm automatically deemed DISRESPECTFUL or "rattling beyond my parameters" and "preventing others' tranquility, prayers, quiet"!
And seeing the context i've brough here, isn't that way of seeing a curious thing?
Ancient traditional ways, not yet fully polluted by colonization, saw that all can *intuitively* see that "speaking up" (in myriad ways, including the "crazy") was where the strength of survival was; the strength of thriving! And quite likely, the strength of the excellence of having this human experience! Intelligence was in full gear in myriad ways. People prioritized thinking things through in ways whose reflections brought them the kind of great spirit they wanted in life. It wasn't perfect (whatever that is!), and it made for a way of life which many many refugees from europe sought to integrate with!
Well, once again my ancestors with the Long Wind have spoken through me, heh heh!
Anyone wanna get into this more? (or maybe i've confused ya, and maybe i can un-confuse ya?)
i've been listening to various dissent from a seeming label ("New Agers") given to we hippie-folk-types, and wanted to share some of my thoughts, and seek others' input.
Some background
i've been getting into discussions in other places about some of the challenges and problems with the label (?) of "New Age" given to so much of "what hippies are" and what we're about and such, and thought i'd offer a thinking-through here in the midst of one of our hives, so to speak. Heh heh.
So one thing i've been thinking about this "New Age" thing, which actually "gets my goat", is that there is so much attention and single-minded focus given to the idea of *detachment* (i.e. from "ego") without a seeming awareness about *when* such things were/are likely valuable.
To give an example of when such can be valuable, i thought of the war movie "The Thin Blue (?) Line" in the scene where the "americans" were rushing into an 'enemy' camp and one guy (an 'enemy'), there in the chaos of it all, was sitting in a Buddhist-type pose!
my line of thought
So here's my line of thought on this, and i'm wondering if others think this is in the right tune of things. So i'm thinking that this Buddha dude came along into the world with his visions in the context of his original people being over-run and under conquering attack by much-too-heavy invaders from elsewhere. And Buddha's vision-way *greatly aided* people in pain, and thus he was seen as a kind of saint. And his methods made sense for use in heavy situations of all kinds.
On the other hand, in the context in which we find ourselves, we "americans", we (settlers and indigneous peoples) are not over-run completely, and we can *still* make a difference, so we need not always orient ourselves to this way of passivity. You see what i'm saying?
But those who influence so much of our movements, have experience and reason not to feel this, and they seem to accept defeat (and assimilation), when they can't run, without *crucially challenging* in every POSSIBLE way. (Indeed, even their otherwise deep consciousness--in a certain area of 'enlightenment'--reveals that they, like anyone, have blindspots. And so they pursue ideas like *detachment* and their focus and their influence comes to somewhat dominate other ways of possibly seeing --and those deemed non-elders ---or "capable" of seeing deeply--- those with seemingly "not useful" gifts to add-to the banquet of joy in this world, are to basically go along with the program.
Because for one, "the elders of the hippie movement" (at least in my limited experience) have had planted in their heads similar pollutions or strategically-challenged alienations like everyone else; and are thus *products* like the rest of us, of colonization.
Am i digressing?
So, stuck in such a tradition, we end up not even *trying out* resurgence in ways that we're not "used to." (See the broader ramifications of this blindspot, anyone else?)
a curious thing
So i see this curious thing; and i see it amongst settlers who also are learning the ways of the indigenous directly. It's like there's no awareness of ourselves as *part and parcel* of this alternative system; we're, like, just following something like orders. We're so "in the flow" that we don't seem to *give ourselves permission* in even **this area** of our lives!
Now, at the risk of going perhaps off-topic "too far"(?), i just wanna say that this is how we settlers (and perhaps as well, growing numbers of indigenous people) are being hoodwinked by this entirely "normalized" state of affairs...because in this scenario, *all these people* are not allowed (in their minds, anyway) to complement or add-to what is being shared. And in the old days --i really feel this-- the old ways *ABSOLUTELY NEEDED* EVERYONE's heart-felt input! (But the re-writing of history has come along and polluted our ability to see this reality) Without such input from all (and without being able to see such value), they were rendered much weaker (why do you *think* that the invaders liked talking only to chiefs, whether an indigenous group had one or not!).
"It's not the right time, yet."
And then there's the subordination-oriented value/belief of just when "the right time" never is. And when i speaque up, in my own spiritual way, un-aligned with *any* noted/reputable interest group (and yes, of the *informal* kind!), i'm automatically deemed DISRESPECTFUL or "rattling beyond my parameters" and "preventing others' tranquility, prayers, quiet"!
And seeing the context i've brough here, isn't that way of seeing a curious thing?
Ancient traditional ways, not yet fully polluted by colonization, saw that all can *intuitively* see that "speaking up" (in myriad ways, including the "crazy") was where the strength of survival was; the strength of thriving! And quite likely, the strength of the excellence of having this human experience! Intelligence was in full gear in myriad ways. People prioritized thinking things through in ways whose reflections brought them the kind of great spirit they wanted in life. It wasn't perfect (whatever that is!), and it made for a way of life which many many refugees from europe sought to integrate with!
Well, once again my ancestors with the Long Wind have spoken through me, heh heh!
Anyone wanna get into this more? (or maybe i've confused ya, and maybe i can un-confuse ya?)
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