Replying to LO24246 --
Dear Organlearners,
Winfried Dressler <winfried.dressler@voith.de> writes:
>Dear At,
>you've asked:
>
>> How do I express my experience?
(snip, powerful thinking resulting in)
>By the way I create my life. This is to give form to content.
Greetings Winfried,
Thank you very much for this, as you call it
>So far my stroke to the picture. And one of the many strokes
>of expressing my experiences.
It reminds me of s stroke made by Alfred North Whitehead, one of the great
thinkers (mathametics and phsilsophy) and university admistrators of the
20th century. He said that the task of education is to create the future
in a civilised manner. You have become a fitting example of his vision.
But you have also made the following important observation which is a most
expressive stroke in its own right.
>Regarding the boundaries of the system, I am quite sure,
>that I do not only express my own experiences.
Then you follow it up with the contemplation:
>So the 'I' and 'my' in question and answer is questionable.
>And I am again and again expressing experiences from
>whereever they come. One-to-many mapping. But who knows?
I myself think that it has very much to do with the freedom in "freedom of
expression" as a basic human right -- see LO24233.
Exploring the history of humankind's struglle for "freedom of expression"
has been most compelling for me. There is the carefully documented history
of Israel in the Old Testament of the Bible. For me it culminated in the
life and creativity of Jeremiah. There is little documented in the same
period for Egypy, Assiria and Babilonia in other sources.
I will now confine myself to the history of Europe. I wish somebody else
could tello the history in other continents too.
Soon after this struggle ended for the House of Israel (but not for the
House of Judah because here it ends 65 AC with the destruction of
Jerusalem), it pops up in the Greek states of Hellas,struggling against
the mighty nations from the east (Assiria, Babilonia). After a couple of
centuries this struggle emerged in their concept of a democracy, so
beautifully expounded by Plato and Aristotle. About the same time the
citizins of Rome finally freed themselves from the Etruscian kings. Their
struggle emerged into the concept of a republic. Although the Roman
"republic" and the Grecian "democracy" had some differences because they
had to serve different cultures, they had "freedom of expression" as
common to them. However, the murder of the Julius Caesar in 44BC signaled
the immergence (37BC) of this "freedom of expression" for many centuries
to come. The mighty Roman Empire, later called the Holy Roman Empire when
it even made the catholic church its vasal, put an end to it.
Thus the struggle began anew. The first noticeable events was the city
republics in Italy (Florence, Genua, Venesia) and the cantons in
Switzerland in the 12th century AC. But the most extraodinary one of them
all came in England 1215 as a direct result of the oppression which began
with the Norman king William the Conquerer in 1066. The event was the
creation at Runnymeade of a document known as the Magna Carta. It did not
recapture what has been lost by the concepts "democracy" and "republic",
but once again in it certain "rights and freedoms" were articulated. It
was soon followed by a similar event in 1230 at Utrecht in Holland. As a
result of the struggle of the "boeren" (peasants) of Twente and Drente
the bishop of Utrecht got the "freedom and right" from Fredrick II to
acknowledge some local "freedoms and rights" of these "boeren". These
"freedoms and rights" granted by the bishops of Utrecht finally got
articulated (1325) in a document called the "Sassen Handvest" (Saxon
Constitution).
These two documents (Magna Carta and Sassen Handvest) are worthy for
intense study because they heralded the coming future all over Europe for
many centuries -- a future in which the struggle for "freedom of
expression" was often the key issue triggered by "economic exploitation".
Along the road of the struggle of "freedom of expression" in every walk of
life we have such events as the "fredom of science" (Copernicus), the
"freedom of religion" (Luther, Calvin, Zwingly and Knox), the "freedom of
politics" and eventually "freedom of origin" (WWI&II). The culmination of
these two documents has found, for me personally, no better expression
than in the constitution of the first American Union of 13 states. It is
one of the most spirit touching documents I have ever looked at.
Winfried, this struggle is not yet finished. But I am also sure that it
has taken a deeper step into human consciousness which I want to make
fellow learners aware of. You are indeed tacitly aware of it in your
contemplation which I have quoted above. Perhaps you are also able to
articulate this tacit knowledge given enough time because you are think
far and wide as you illustrate with:
>I wouldn't call it symbiosis, the experience is that of
>synchronicity, which is the strongest sustainer of creative
>momentum I know of.
Something has to "synchronise" (harmonise?) with something else, but what
with what? Allow me a suggestion for it gave me astounding insights.
Assume the one "what" is "freedom". What will the other "what" be with
which "freedom" has to synchronise? It is nothing else than
"spontaneity". So what is spontaneity? I invited fellow learners to paint
a rich picture on it, but little became of it. I will now try to desribe
it and yet avoiding all technical terms of "deep creativity" which may
confuse fellow learners. I will also avoid the role of the seven
essentialities. This ought not be done because it brings the dimension of
destruction-construction, pain-joy or fear-happiness into the picture.
Spontaneity has three categories in it. Two categories are broad with
uncountably many values in each category:- spontaneous and
non-spontaneous. These two categories pivot on the third category as a
very narrow one having only one value:- "equipoise" (with this I avoid
the technical term).
Spontaneous changes:-
When anything happens spontaneously in any system, that
system can become a "source of work" through that "happening".
However, by doing a certain amount of work on the system (so
that it also become a "drain of work") equal to the maximum it
can deliver as a "source of work", that very system can be
forced into an "equipoise" so that the happening does not last
any more in the system. By now increasing the amount of work
done on the system even further, the system will become surely
non-spontaneous for that happening. It may change in many
other possible manners, but it will never change as it did
spontaneously.
Non-spontaneous changes:-
The system manifest all the signs predicting a certain change,
yet that change never happens despite all expectations. Hence
the system cannot become a "source of work" through that
happening. However, by doing a certain amount of work on the
system, that very system can now be forced into an "equipoise".
The telling sign of this "equipoise" is that even a slight increase
in that certain amount of work done on the system forces the
expected change to happen. So long as this extended work on
the system is maintained, the expected change happens. But
when the work on the systems drop below the minimum value
or even stops all together, the expected change will definitely
not happen anymore.
Now let us connect "spontaneity" to "freedom", using as
"happening" the "expressing of experiences". Let us see
what these the two broad categories of "spontaneity" have
to say for "freedom of expression".
~~~~~~
Category "spontaneous".
I have certain experiences which I want to express and I
will be capable of doing a lot of work by "expressing my
experiences". (Have you fellow learners not witness this
on the LO-list? ;-). The spontaneous "expressing of these
experiences" may hinder many people and even affront
some of them, even though I tell them they are free not to
take notice of it. To force me in the category of "equipoise",
they have to do a certain amount of work (perhaps a lot more
than expected) on me. To push me beyond into the category
of "non-spontaneous" so that I cannot express these
experiences anymore, they will have to do even more work
on me.
As soon as I become aware that I am driven towards
"equipoise or even beyond" it, I articulate this awareness that
they violate may "freedom of expression". I become more and
more aware of this violation as I become older.
Category "non-spontaneous".
I have certain experiences which I want to express, but I am
not capable of doing it and thus performing work by
"expressing my experiences". Many of these experiences
may have emerged into my tacit knowledge, but for some
or other reason it reamins tacit knowledge. Somebody else
like a parent or teacher may know about such experiences
for having provided me with them. This person may then wan
me to express them and so begin to work on me until I have
reached the category of "equipoise". It means that I am ready
to "express my experiences", but nothing lasting happens.
When that person forces me with slightly more work, suddenly
I begin to "express my experiences". Thus I become very
dependent on that person to work excessively on me so that
I remain able to "express my experiences".
As a kid, when as soon as I become aware that I am driven
towards "equipoise or even beyond" it, I articulated myself
against it as "I will do it self". I was too immature to express
it as that they violate my "freedom of expression". But as I
grew older, I became aware that my passion for this "I will do
it self" articulation diminished. I became aware of this
diminishment through the very passion generated by the things
which I could do spontaneously!!!
This happened in my early teens. As a result I began to explore
"freedom", especially in reading any novel or historical account
on "freedom" like in biographies. It made me cry often and
because of growing into manhood, I had to hide those tears.
Some movies on freedom like the classic Hunchback of Notre
Dame of the fifties would make me cry silently for many days.
A modern movie like Braveheart would have done the same,
but not any more. Why? Did my emotions reclined? No. I
have learnt how to use these very emotions in my personal
struggle for freedom -- a freedom in which spontaneity plays
a key role. Thus as a father, I was overcome with joy when
my oldest child said "I will do it self". I was by then wise
enough to perceive the hidden sigh -- "Do not force me".
~~~~~
Winfried, my own understanding of "freedom of expression" is never to
force externally any living system by work done on that system, even
inadvertedly, so as to change its spontaneity from one to any of the other
two categories. This SPONTANEOUS "expressing system experiences",
including systems such as all humans with their spirituality, is for me
the very essence of evolution. This is what "freedom" is about for me. I
have searched far and wide in the literature for somebody else having the
same crazy understanding of freedom, but have found none. Thus I may be
indeed crazy. But the other possibility is that I have managed to
articulate something which many of us are tacitly aware of, but have not
yet been able to articulate self. In this case you will be able to
recognise your own tacit knowledge in my articulation. Only you can be the
judge of it.
It is this SPONTANEOUS "expressing system experiences" which I try to
image with my spontaneous "painting rich pictures". Perhaps this "verb
quality noun" construct which is so alien to English, German and Afrikaans
grammer might begin to intrigue you. Perhaps the qualification
"spontaneous" of this construct will begin to intrigue fellow learners. I
know from previous replies by you that "spontaneity" definitely has become
a very important concept for you.
Dear Winfried, I have to end with something which took me longer to paint
than I have expected. But allow me the last thoughts which may bring some
new understanding to our economic crises.
Is this not the reason why you queried the the 'I' and 'my' to the
question and your answer to it? You, as an individual may be able to do
certain things and fail to do other things. However, the sparks begin to
fly when other humans try to suppress some of your spontaneous acts and
rectify your incapacity to other spontaneous acts. They have to do a lot
of work which costs them very much. It makes human living very expensive.
If lovely people do it because they care for you, then they do not know
enough about caring. If some horrible people do it because they want to
enslave you, then they fool the caring people who have to pay for their
expenses. Relatively fewer people get incomprehensible rich and more
people get incomprehensible poor. This difference is creating havoc in
South Africa as in many other parts of the world. Eventually no country
will be spared from such havoc. All the technology of the world will be
useless. Sooner or later we will have to face the spontaneous becoming of
beings.
With care and best wishes
--At de Lange <amdelange@gold.up.ac.za> Snailmail: A M de Lange Gold Fields Computer Centre Faculty of Science - University of Pretoria Pretoria 0001 - Rep of South Africa
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