Once again I am grateful to Alistair for his blog post which argues that blogs can offer us a window for awareness of inner wisdom. That’s a brief paraphrase of Alistair’s argument, avoiding his use of “exoteric” and “esoteric” (“for the many”, “for the few”): it will become apparent why.
He compares blogging with traditional media which conspire to drain out that inner wisdom and replace it with dependence on what those media provide. Perhaps it is a conspiracy, but not in the sense of some master-fiend secretly controlling us. It’s as transparent, in my view, as the mutual exploitation of bee and flower:
(1) Like everyone else the ladies and gentlemen of the media do it to earn their living.
(2) The world is organised in a certain way: earning a living, with honourable exceptions usually at the bottom of the heap, requires “compromise”; but we conspire to ignore this to “earn our honest crust”. So we work to produce goods and services which give little true benefit to the purchaser, other people or the planet itself: often some harm. Our earnings are proportionate to the level of suppressed moral discomfort.
(3) Inner wisdom is a delicate plant which does not thrive in the soil of compromise.
I would not single out the media: every human endeavour is affected. “Primitivists” consider that civilisation is past redemption, and that we should revert to the state of hunter-gatherers, before catastrophe forces us to it in more adverse circumstances. As I see it, the compromises of civilisation are unlikely to be swept away, whether by violent revolution or concerted human intent.
Let’s look at food. My packet of basmati rice, the label says, has 9.6 grams of protein per 100 grams, whereas my bottle of Heinz Tomato Ketchup has 0.9 grams of the same. Compulsory food labelling may seem innocent. Perhaps it’s to help me plan my diet! The British Government is telling “its” children how many portions of fruit and vegetables to eat per day, so that they in turn can tell their parents; who may be sent to compulsory parenting classes for various offences. Clearly you have to be an expert to know anything.
How did the traditional knowledge of good simple food and “parenting” disappear? Knowing what to eat is part of inner wisdom: we would not be here otherwise. I prefer to speak of “inner wisdom” rather than “spirituality”, to pre-empt a spurious opposition of matter and spirit, which causes no end of trouble.
A bird knows how to build its nest and migrate when the seasons change. We too have innate or inherited knowledge of how to live, including our relationship with the environment, each another and our own souls. If this knowledge is esoteric—“of or relating to that which is known by a restricted number of people”—then the world must be run by priesthoods.
We have had enough of priesthoods. With due thanks to Google etc, stalwarts of the compromising Babylon, we have this angel-sent medium for a blogging democracy of the spirit, in which we are equal artists of life.
a wayfarer’s notes 
the most wonderful part of blogging is that it has reduced to the world to a small village. where everybody knows everybody and interacts as one of their clan. isn't the blog world a small society itself where we coax and coerce each other as well as shower love and affection. it has made you and me and all others part of a huge family. no caste creed religion or skin colour is of bar. i guess it's the first step towards universal democracy when people will be forced to consolidate the borders for their own defence.
LikeLike
“…when people will be forced to consolidate the borders for their own defence.”
You mean we are only safe if we realise we are a single family? I'd agree with that and go further still! The universe seen and unseen is One.
It needs only the opportunity and excuse for all its component parts to love one another. This can be the only true definition of spirituality.
LikeLike
blogging does bring us closer. coaxing and coercing. much like rocking and rolling, a part of the innate game of life.
Vincent, there is a priesthood behind all of this and i think that the higher up the chain you go the closer you get to a small group of people……like popes and kings and tyrants……who are actually trying to pull large strings.
history is full of those who pull the big strings, mostly unsuccessfully, and so the cycle goes.
i would never suggest that there is any focus in this manipulation other than it is in our dna to try and also to stop others who would try.
it
s all a game. <br />esoteric is for the few, but it doesnt make them special in any other way than to be able to see the pattern.i grew up a talented athlete and never thought of myself as better than those who couldn
t kick a football like i did.<br />i can play the guitar too but it doesnt make me an elite.there are some who gain pleasure from suggesting such abilities are somehow given, or granted by god, and that
s where the resentment comes in.<br />the question then becomes; "why did god give him that talent and not me?"<br />my answer is that it wasnt a talent granted, it was worked on and came about via effort. my misfortune as a footballer with promise was injury at an early age which deprived me of a chance to play at the highest level.i now apply my focus as an athlete to other endeavours.
LikeLike
We have different talents but we have our humanity in equal measure and can gather strength now in people-power through this world-wide communication.
LikeLike
I remember my 1st experience with the potential of the internet in terms of interaction with others without regard to geographical boundaries.
I was an early adopter of compuserve. I met others with similar interests and I was surprised to find out later that I was speaking to people in Europe, as well as all parts of the US.
At one point I was routinely exchanging messages with a NASA scientist.
As you might guess, this was all very exciting to me.
Today the web remains an open frontier. I fear the day that the priesthood deems it appropriate to regulate and place tolls on what we do freely today.
I hope I do not live to see it. But I fear that we may see censorship and monthly fees attached to much of what we do with blogging today.
Let's make the best of it while we can.
LikeLike
Vincent wrote: 'Inner wisdom is a delicate plant which does not thrive in the soil of compromise.'
This deserves inclusion in a 'Book of Universal Truths'. Beautifully stated!
LikeLike
one reminder to those who think the internet is free of cost and thereby free of limits.
1 computer. $xxx.
1 internet cable connection. $xx/month.
add to that the cost of your time and the maintenance of your equipment you start to realise the difficulty some might have accessing this method of communication.
LikeLike
Your point about the exclusivity of internet use is true, Alistair. However, it is significant that in many poor countries, people have forsworn the use of tobacco or other luxuries to acquire a cellphone, or use internet cafés. the facilities are inherently shareable and people soon learn their advantages—for example in a region with poor communications and infrastructure, the internet could help you sell your flowers or herbs or fossils. And perhaps share your wisdom.
LikeLike