tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post8229865647936248327..comments2024-03-27T11:16:36.951-07:00Comments on One Cʘsmos: From Egocentric to CosmocentricGagdad Bobhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comBlogger44125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-40053239243997905132009-02-07T20:37:00.000-08:002009-02-07T20:37:00.000-08:00Julie, JWM, and other commenters:Yes, I am the sam...Julie, JWM, and other commenters:<BR/><BR/>Yes, I am the same troll that always trolls here for several years. But actually, I was converted by B'ob. No lie there. <BR/><BR/>I started out as a card carrying Moonbat and I ain't anymore. That's all I know. The blog was a life-changing influence for me.<BR/><BR/>I ask about practical matters, and I think the answers were good. Thank you.<BR/><BR/>Although I am not technically a real 'real' troll anymore, I remain a contentious and inflammatory poster whose familiar bad smell you shall continue to savor. <BR/><BR/>That means you, Julie, who never fails to detect me.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-8104042809081213712009-02-07T06:07:00.000-08:002009-02-07T06:07:00.000-08:00You're thinking of surrender + gross.You're thinking of surrender + gross.Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-72075779943870569302009-02-06T23:02:00.001-08:002009-02-06T23:02:00.001-08:00you say the secret is surrender + grace?How very I...you say the secret is surrender + grace?<BR/><BR/>How very Islamic of you.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-78684926908374425512009-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:002009-02-06T22:08:00.000-08:00JWM said"Given my reaction to the piece, you'd thi...JWM said<BR/><BR/>"Given my reaction to the piece, you'd think I'd be grabbing people off the street and begging them to go read it. I posted about it, but only briefly, and in the real world I mentioned it- mentioned, to two friends, and that's it."<BR/><BR/>Sounds similar to a discussion I had once, as to why I don't generally tell people to come here to OC. As much as I love this place and you guys, as much as I am <I>nourished</I> by it, I'm fairly certain that nobody I know, in meat space anyway, would "get" it. They just aren't in the head space, and if I were to insist, they'd probably just smile and nod while slowly backing away. It really would be like handing them stones and insisting it was bread.<BR/><BR/>I think we naturally have a desire to share that which is Good. One of the attributes of having 'coon-vision, though, is having a sense of who will appreciate it. And for the moment, unfortunately, that seems to be a decidedly small segment of the population.juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-33296646072986687732009-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:34:00.000-08:00Ben said "Has anyone else noticed a shrink is help...Ben said "Has anyone else noticed a shrink is helping us to shrink? :^)"<BR/><BR/>Lol! <BR/><BR/>Ooh! Look! A mug of grog is now bigger than a keg!Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-57228888375372647242009-02-06T21:29:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:29:00.000-08:00julie said... "(Mushroom, I'm just gonna note that...julie said... "(Mushroom, I'm just gonna note that I think Anon 4:18 is our usual anon, asking the usual questions in a slightly different variation."<BR/><BR/>Thought I smelled the same scent too....Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-73235716901620435322009-02-06T21:17:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:17:00.000-08:00Having suffered from bibliphobia specific to the '...Having suffered from bibliphobia specific to the 'Holy Bible', I am grateful for overcoming that afflection. It would appear that the composition of 'Adam and Eve' before 'the fall' and humankind after 'the fall' is the same, except that in 'Adam and Eve' before 'the fall' their material nature and their spirit of God were in harmony. It was their then 'innocent evil that enabled them to 'fall'.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-78295732665388574012009-02-06T21:16:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:16:00.000-08:00Nomo said "“…before Abraham was born, I Am”. Inter...Nomo said "“…before Abraham was born, I Am”. Interestingly, in the Greek it is “ego eimi”. None of us can say “I am”, but at best, “I am becoming”"<BR/><BR/>Now <I>that's</I> a mouth full of food for thought.Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-4639167828951726232009-02-06T21:13:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:13:00.000-08:00At some point we'll be getting to Eckhart's idea o...At some point we'll be getting to Eckhart's idea of "living without a why."Gagdad Bobhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14249005793605006679noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-46729613550473117762009-02-06T21:07:00.000-08:002009-02-06T21:07:00.000-08:00"I suppose one must begin with the question, "just..."I suppose one must begin with the question, "just what is the proper role of individuation in the psychic economy?" Of Soloviev, Balthasar writes that "for him it is precisely the personal that is truly and properly 'ideal,' while, conversely, that which is purely generic and anonymous is assigned to matter." Therefore, to deny the individual is to negate one of the highest expressions -- a miracle, really -- of the divine creativity. <B>What seems like an "ascent" into spirit can actually be a regression into matter, if it means tossing aside this divine gift of a unique self. </B>"<BR/><BR/>O, Bravo!Van Harveyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08470413719262297062noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-948104312496669612009-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:002009-02-06T20:57:00.000-08:00What I don't yet understand is how I take this int...<I>What I don't yet understand is how I take this into the trenches of daily life; the world of work, of commerce, of service. </I><BR/><BR/>I don't know how I passed that up, because it is a question that recurrs to me frequently. Several times I've thought-OK, I can see where my beliefs have grown, and changed, but what do I make of all that? How do I integrate this with the mundane business of real life in the real world? Huge changes have taken place in the way I see Life, The Universe, and Everything. What now? Where do I go from here, and what do I do? I came over from LGF as well. But I was discovering that the republican/democrat stuff was far less interesting to me than the theological turns that conversations over there occasionally took. When I got here I had a general belief in the 'higher power' God, but I didn't want anything to do with the Jesus stuff. Now it's different. And maybe in trying to address the question as I hear it from you, my own answer to it begins to emerge. I mean- I don't think grabbing a Bible, and doing street preaching at Huntington Beach Pier is it. And when I hear born-again converts talk- you know- every sentence peppered with 'praise the Lord', or 'and since now I've accepted Jesus as my Lord, and Savior", and similar stuff I don't get all willied out, but neither do I wish to engage them in conversation about matters of the spirit. I get a gut feeling that what has happened to them and what has happened to me are not the same. In truth, I find it almost impossible to talk about it, except on-line with the folks in this community. And it isn't because I'm embarrassed by my faith, or ashamed of it. It's just- I don't know, I really don't.<BR/>Like The War.(over at Ricky Raccoon's) Given my reaction to the piece, you'd think I'd be grabbing people off the street and begging them to go read it. I posted about it, but only briefly, and in the real world I mentioned it- mentioned, to two friends, and that's it. Finally, maybe there is no one specific THING TO DO. You grow. You change, and the things that you do grow and change with it. <BR/>Best I can come up with off the top of my head.<BR/><BR/>JWMJWMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05564732483476859555noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-58696010614075741152009-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:002009-02-06T20:27:00.000-08:00As far as teevee goes, if you watch what I watch y...As far as teevee goes, if you watch what I watch you'll be okay. <BR/>There are a few good shows out there, like:<BR/><BR/>The Unit-<BR/>The most accurate show about the military since Combat!<BR/>Although the family drama is a bit over the top, the military operations (special ops, specifically) are the best I have seen, and the Soldiers (Delta Force, shhh...don't tell anyone) are as the most realistic I have seen.<BR/><BR/>Also, the Soldiers aren't portrayed as the usual Hollywood style psychopathic disturbed mental cases that Leftists like to wish we were.<BR/><BR/>There's some more gems out there. Ironically, as idiotic as Ted Turner is, his TCM channel (Turner Classic Movies) is always a good bet. With classics from the 20's to the 50's (with some 60' and <BR/>70's sometimes) you can't go wrong. <BR/>This is one thing Turner did right.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-70302867128179981712009-02-06T20:14:00.000-08:002009-02-06T20:14:00.000-08:00JWM said-"If you're like me it may be more like a ...JWM said-<BR/><BR/>"If you're like me it may be more like a series of slow, but wild gyrations, coming close, passing it up, swinging back and forth and only gradually beginning to point in the right direction."<BR/><BR/>I hear ya Bro! I coonsider it a real blessing to gno all of you Raccoons...some who gnew God fast, some who took longer, but THE POINT IS...you gno! <BR/><BR/>And whether you gnew quickly or it took longer means diddlely to me.<BR/>I'm reminded of the workers Jesus talked about. They all got the same pay, and no Raccoon is gonna complain about who has been workin' the longest, or about how much the last guy onboard got paid.<BR/><BR/>We rejoice! Rejoice, I say! Because we have so much to rejoice about; the glory bein' that what was lost is found is so profound! :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-9494504299925493582009-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:002009-02-06T20:00:00.000-08:00NoMo said-While we obviously evolve from interacti...NoMo said-<BR/><BR/>While we obviously evolve from interaction and exchange of ideas, those words that most closely coincide with God’s will encourage the greatest growth.<BR/><BR/>Ho! Amen to that, Bro! :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-20206854580910866072009-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:55:00.000-08:00Bob ain't jest any shrink. He's the biggest shrink...Bob ain't jest any shrink. He's the biggest shrink!<BR/><BR/>And WV is alert: pundb...aye, that he is. :^)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-27808701518139862132009-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:52:00.000-08:00Magnus-Therefore the irony, that we must shrink to...Magnus-<BR/><BR/>Therefore the irony, that we must shrink to grow.<BR/><BR/>Excellent comment, Magnus!<BR/><BR/>Gagdad Bob said... <BR/>I remember this novel called "Little Big," in which reality was described as a series of concentric circles around a central point, except that as you move toward the center, the worlds are successively larger, until you reach the central point, which is infinite. But you have to be very small to fit into a point.<BR/><BR/>That's where humblebillity comes in handy. Or would that be humblebenitty? Humblebobitty boo?!<BR/><BR/>Has anyone else noticed a shrink is helping us to shrink? :^)<BR/><BR/>The incr-edible journey.USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-90609237097049056272009-02-06T19:42:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:42:00.000-08:00Julie said-And when you notice it, it's like sudde...Julie said-<BR/><BR/>And when you notice it, it's like suddenly seeing the elephant in the room that was there all along - apparently materializing out of nothing, when in reality you just never paid much attention.<BR/><BR/>Aye. When I notice the elephant I realize how much of a dumbo I have been. But hey, that's oughter under the bridge now. :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-46141874562078836992009-02-06T19:41:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:41:00.000-08:00"...except that as you move toward the center, the..."...except that as you move toward the center, the worlds are successively larger, until you reach the central point, which is infinite. But you have to be very small to fit into a point." Bob<BR/><BR/>"Yes, metaphorically speaking the multiverse becomes more and more "fine-grained" the higher up you come, with each tiny grain up there still containing as much reality as a whole brick further down. This is why the higher worlds are so painfully hard and unyielding. The only way to begin to conform to a higher world is to shrink. Without such a contraction or concentration we can not chew, much less digest, the food of a higher world, rather it will seem to us that we receive stones for bread. It is entirely too dense or too hard, and we gain nothing from it. Therefore the irony, that we must shrink to grow.<BR/>And no matter how much we eat down there, we leave more hungry than we arrived, as if we have lost more than we gained. Only if we are anchored above can we resist dissipation below." Magnus<BR/><BR/>"When we become open to the Divine, what is the result? Let's see, "lightness" of being, innocence, transparency, spontaneity, and simplicity, to which I might add presence, "flow," gratitude, humility, and a lot of why me?!, i.e., ongoing repentance and metanoia.<BR/>Also, I've noticed that figure and ground tend to be reversed, so that one lives from the inside out and top down, which results in a sense that time is leisurely flowing out from a center of eternity, instead of just "rushing by" and hurtling us toward our doom. In short, one becomes a "mode of the infinite," " Bob<BR/><BR/>"So we live in a kind of spiritual whirlpool or dynamic process-structure created by the vertical energies of (↑↓), which in turn have a "purifying" effect, somewhat like the rinse cycle in your washing machine, which baptizes the garments in clean water and spins out the entropic impurities." <BR/><A HREF="http://onecosmos.blogspot.com/2009/02/evolution-and-divinization-of-man.html" REL="nofollow">SS Bobservation</A><BR/><BR/>It strike me these fit together somehow, along lines of: <BR/>in a "vertically open" state (↑↓),<BR/>we get cycles of rinses, <BR/>which help us get smaller, <BR/>which allow us to approach/enter the point which is infinite, <BR/>so we may partake of concentrated, truly satisfying food,<BR/>resulting in "lightness" of being, innocence, transparency, spontaneity, and simplicity, presence, "flow," gratitude, humility, and a lot of why me?!, i.e., ongoing repentance and metanoia,<BR/>and become a "mode of the infinite"<BR/><BR/>Awesome<BR/><BR/>Umm, is there a queue forming somewhere so I can sign up, or do I just follow that trail of luminous paw-prints I can see from this very spot?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-85547999122264051162009-02-06T19:38:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:38:00.000-08:00Walt said...About half way through, I was struck b...Walt said...<BR/><BR/>About half way through, I was struck by a "Holy Carp!" moment: I realized I must be "closer" to the subject matter (O) than I generally sense, by virtue of being able to understand the material I was reading.<BR/><BR/>Gagdad Bob said... <BR/>Walt: <BR/><BR/>Yes, at a certain point, as you begin to "understand," you suddenly realize that the "object of understanding" truly exists.<BR/><BR/>You gno, it is exhilarating to be able to actually Omderstand stuff that used to literally blow my mind!<BR/>And the really deep stuff I only fathom on a shallow level...I can still see where it's pointing. <BR/><BR/>I mean, wow! If I can get a fraction of this great stuff, anyone can!<BR/><BR/>Bein' pessimystic is a joyful experience, in a sense, 'cause the greater the challenge (and make gno mis-take, this is, seariously! the mudda of all challenges), the grader the victOry! <BR/><BR/>Note: Since Will only has one good aye, does that mean he's Omnimystic? :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-68957545852985384802009-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:27:00.000-08:00Richard-Its started!Hell, no! We won't go! :^)Richard-<BR/>Its started!<BR/><BR/>Hell, no! We won't go! :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-20484614329001122452009-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:002009-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:00A few more thoughts on Soloviev before returning t...A few more thoughts on Soloviev before returning to where we were a few days ago, back in volume one. (And you folks should be grateful that I'm making my way through these dense volumes on your bewhole; it's quite a slog!) <BR/><BR/><BR/>Thanks Bob! You da dude, man!<BR/>I'm grateful that your writing is so greatful. :^)USS Ben USN (Ret)https://www.blogger.com/profile/07492369604790651538noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-61894284463720486262009-02-06T18:44:00.000-08:002009-02-06T18:44:00.000-08:00Let's see, "lightness" of being, innocence, transp...<I>Let's see, "lightness" of being, innocence, transparency, spontaneity, and simplicity, to which I might add presence, "flow," gratitude, humility, and a lot of why me?!, i.e., ongoing repentance and metanoia.<BR/><BR/>Also, I've noticed that figure and ground tend to be reversed, so that one lives from the inside out and top down, which results in a sense that time is leisurely flowing out from a center of eternity...</I><BR/><BR/>B-but ... should I watch television?walthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388218390016612051noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-76927315200908682732009-02-06T18:19:00.000-08:002009-02-06T18:19:00.000-08:00(Mushroom, I'm just gonna note that I think Anon 4...(Mushroom, I'm just gonna note that I think Anon 4:18 is our usual anon, asking the usual questions in a slightly different variation. <BR/><BR/>F'rinstance,<BR/><BR/>"As far as now moving towards Raccoonhood, I understand surrender, sincerity, humility, and transparency.<BR/><BR/>But, How do I do my part for the spiritual economy?"<BR/><BR/>To even ask the question pretty much demonstrates that no matter how much he'd like to <I>think</I> he gets what we're saying, he still (after all this time - months now? or is it over a year?) doesn't really have the first clue. So all I can say to him, in all sincerity, is <I>pray</I> and <I>listen</I>, and actually try to embody those qualities. But he probably still won't get it - he's too wrapped up in worries about sex.)juliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15975754287030568726noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-36496739959170792082009-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:45:00.000-08:00Yaknow, where one can hide in plain sight, there's...<I>Yaknow, where one can hide in plain sight, there's probably a whole lot more that your senses just don't know how to recognize yet.</I><BR/><BR/>Absolutely.mushroomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651027035577798096noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8580258.post-69161812482236717462009-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:002009-02-06T17:42:00.000-08:00Welcome to the family, Anon 4:18. Rule 1: Listen ...Welcome to the family, Anon 4:18. <BR/><BR/>Rule 1: Listen to Julie, and Magnus, and JWM.<BR/> <BR/>I guess the bit I'd throw in is we are disciples. Jesus said, "Come, learn of Me." <BR/><BR/>Don't panic if you occasionally slip into negative thoughts or behavior. Always remember the words of the great theologian, Jessica Rabbit: "I not bad, Mr. Valiant. I'm just drawn that way."<BR/><BR/>She's not the only one. The good news is that God is now drawing you "good".mushroomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07651027035577798096noreply@blogger.com