A Blank Slate
For many years I have attempted to be more aware of my many opinions and the dogmatic truths which have lodged themselves in my brain. Despite daily efforts to identify and question them, it continues to be an onerous process. More and more I have to admit privately and publicly that I know nothing despite the fact that I can wax on for long periods of time. While this ability may have made it easy to do well in such subjects as philosophy, psychology and theology it hasn’t made spiritual growth easy. In fact it often gets in the way. A little over a year ago, when I quit one of my part-time jobs, I decided that instead of writing a blog every couple of weeks I would write daily. I knew that this would require me to devote several hours daily to allowing new information or possibilities to challenge all those opinions and dogmatic truths.
For some time prior to this decision, whenever I was choosing books to read or attending workshops I would look for those which most increased my level of discomfort either because of the content, the speaker or the activity, i. e. dance. The discomfort could arise because I would have to face the fact that I did not really know much about many subjects I might talk about in conversations. The discomfort might arise because I was “sure” that the person whose work I was reading or listening to represented a group with whom I had nothing in common. It was much more comfortable listening to or reading someone or about something which aligned with what I already believed. Yet, that comfort was soon overlaid with boredom and a gnawing suspicion that part of the story was missing. It did not present, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”
Thus, with this in mind, I began to develop a routine. I got up, as usual, and spent an hour doing emails and texts, some of which might “tickle” my mind. Then I would leave for the gym. While there, first I would listen and watch the morning news while I was on the treadmill, and then I would listen to two or three Ted Talks on my smart phone. When I finished, if I did not have an early morning client, I would read the local newspaper, respond to some emails and then begin to write. By this time, many ideals or bits of information had challenged those opinions and truths stored in my brain. No matter what I found myself writing - sometimes just that the muse had nothing to say – I found that I had to “fact check” nearly everything I thought I knew. This is what make the process of writing the blog so time consuming. I can type pretty fast but by the time I type, cross out or delete, retype, look up, retract or cross out, delete or correct some more several hours have passed.
This morning I followed the same process although fresh on my mind was the joy I felt in the memory of listening to Mark and Barbara perform at her CD release event in Gainsville last evening. Individuals who perform as musicians, actors, or artists have played a significant role in my life since I was a small child listening to my father play the accordion or my cousins play the guitar and sing.
I choose Ted Talks very randomly by subjects which challenge me. Only occasionally do I choose one where the presenter is already familiar to me. The first one I chose this morning was a Ted Talk by Arthur Brooks, who I found out is a French Horn Player, an academic who initially dropped out of college to travel and play music, later got a PhD, was raised by very liberal parents in Seattle who, when he was home for a Christmas visit at age 27, had the following conversation with his mother:
“And -- There was, however, one awkward conversation about my lifestyle that I want to tell you about. I was 27, and I was home from Barcelona, and I was visiting my parents for Christmas, and I was cooking dinner with my mother, and we were alone in the kitchen. And she was quiet, too quiet. Something was wrong. And so I said, "Mom, what's on your mind?" And she said, "Your dad and I are really worried about you." And I said, "What?" I mean, what could it be, at this point? And she said, "I want you to be completely honest with me: have you been voting for Republicans?"
He is now head of a conservative think tank, has written several books and talks a lot about the virtues of the free enterprise system and “compassionate conservatism.”
At some level it is not surprising that the other Ted Talk I arbitrarily chose this morning was by “Tshering Tobgay (born 19 September 1965,. a Bhutanese politician who has been the Prime Minister of Bhutan since 2013. Tobgay is leader of the People's Democratic Party,[1] and was also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from March 2008 to April 2013.”(Wikipedia)
Prime Minister Tobgay talks about the commitment in his country to not only be negative carbon negative but, “So our economy is small, but here is where it gets interesting. Education is completely free. All citizens are guaranteed free school education, and those that work hard are given free college education. Healthcare is also completely free. Medical consultation, medical treatment, medicines: they are all provided by the state. We manage this because we use our limited resources very carefully, and because we stay faithful to the core mission of GNH, which is development with values. Our economy is small, and we must strengthen it. Economic growth is important, but that economic growth must not come from undermining our unique culture or our pristine environment.”
GNH refers to Gross National Happiness. Later I found that:
In April 2008, Brooks published a survey and analysis of U.S. happiness research entitled Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It.[8] Drawing his title from the Bhutanese measurement of national well-being, Brooks argues that despite the fact that the United States is one of the few countries in the world to enshrine happiness in its credo, happiness tends to get discounted in public policy in favor of other priorities. Brooks reviews survey data to understand the contours of how happy individual Americans are and how individual happiness translates into nationwide satisfaction.” (Wikipedia)
I had no idea that these two individuals who initially seemed very different politically and economically were influencing each other and that both have the same basic goals.
Again I was reminded of a song by Malvina Reyolds and performed by Pete Seger and many others, I had not thought about for some time:
Little Boxes
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
Both Mr. Brooks and the people and policies of the tiny country of Bhutan challenge us to leave our little boxes or labels and begin to explore learning from each other and working together to solve the very real needs which confront us. As Mr. Brooks points out just since the time he was a boy the rate of starvation has been greatly decreased. He thinks, however, we can do better. He challenges us to consider the following possibility: “Capitalism is not just about accumulation. At its best, it's about aspiration, which is what so many people on this stage talk about, is the aspiration that comes from dreams that are embedded in the free enterprise system. And we've got to share it with more people.”
It is not my intention to extol or promote the works of Mr. Brooks or that of Prime Minister Togbay in this brief paper. It is my intention to not “throw out the baby with the bathwater” so to speak. Are there some aspects of capitalism and the free enterprise system which combined with some of what seems like the socialist policies of Bhutan which can more creatively solve of the issues all three of us want to solve.? I again know that I need to rethink what I thought I know about capitalism, a free enterprise system, becoming carbon negative and many other approaches to how we humans can live in community and take care of each other without destroying the spirit which often leads to creativity and GNH.
Written March 19, 2016
For many years I have attempted to be more aware of my many opinions and the dogmatic truths which have lodged themselves in my brain. Despite daily efforts to identify and question them, it continues to be an onerous process. More and more I have to admit privately and publicly that I know nothing despite the fact that I can wax on for long periods of time. While this ability may have made it easy to do well in such subjects as philosophy, psychology and theology it hasn’t made spiritual growth easy. In fact it often gets in the way. A little over a year ago, when I quit one of my part-time jobs, I decided that instead of writing a blog every couple of weeks I would write daily. I knew that this would require me to devote several hours daily to allowing new information or possibilities to challenge all those opinions and dogmatic truths.
For some time prior to this decision, whenever I was choosing books to read or attending workshops I would look for those which most increased my level of discomfort either because of the content, the speaker or the activity, i. e. dance. The discomfort could arise because I would have to face the fact that I did not really know much about many subjects I might talk about in conversations. The discomfort might arise because I was “sure” that the person whose work I was reading or listening to represented a group with whom I had nothing in common. It was much more comfortable listening to or reading someone or about something which aligned with what I already believed. Yet, that comfort was soon overlaid with boredom and a gnawing suspicion that part of the story was missing. It did not present, as Paul Harvey used to say, “the rest of the story.”
Thus, with this in mind, I began to develop a routine. I got up, as usual, and spent an hour doing emails and texts, some of which might “tickle” my mind. Then I would leave for the gym. While there, first I would listen and watch the morning news while I was on the treadmill, and then I would listen to two or three Ted Talks on my smart phone. When I finished, if I did not have an early morning client, I would read the local newspaper, respond to some emails and then begin to write. By this time, many ideals or bits of information had challenged those opinions and truths stored in my brain. No matter what I found myself writing - sometimes just that the muse had nothing to say – I found that I had to “fact check” nearly everything I thought I knew. This is what make the process of writing the blog so time consuming. I can type pretty fast but by the time I type, cross out or delete, retype, look up, retract or cross out, delete or correct some more several hours have passed.
This morning I followed the same process although fresh on my mind was the joy I felt in the memory of listening to Mark and Barbara perform at her CD release event in Gainsville last evening. Individuals who perform as musicians, actors, or artists have played a significant role in my life since I was a small child listening to my father play the accordion or my cousins play the guitar and sing.
I choose Ted Talks very randomly by subjects which challenge me. Only occasionally do I choose one where the presenter is already familiar to me. The first one I chose this morning was a Ted Talk by Arthur Brooks, who I found out is a French Horn Player, an academic who initially dropped out of college to travel and play music, later got a PhD, was raised by very liberal parents in Seattle who, when he was home for a Christmas visit at age 27, had the following conversation with his mother:
“And -- There was, however, one awkward conversation about my lifestyle that I want to tell you about. I was 27, and I was home from Barcelona, and I was visiting my parents for Christmas, and I was cooking dinner with my mother, and we were alone in the kitchen. And she was quiet, too quiet. Something was wrong. And so I said, "Mom, what's on your mind?" And she said, "Your dad and I are really worried about you." And I said, "What?" I mean, what could it be, at this point? And she said, "I want you to be completely honest with me: have you been voting for Republicans?"
He is now head of a conservative think tank, has written several books and talks a lot about the virtues of the free enterprise system and “compassionate conservatism.”
At some level it is not surprising that the other Ted Talk I arbitrarily chose this morning was by “Tshering Tobgay (born 19 September 1965,. a Bhutanese politician who has been the Prime Minister of Bhutan since 2013. Tobgay is leader of the People's Democratic Party,[1] and was also the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly from March 2008 to April 2013.”(Wikipedia)
Prime Minister Tobgay talks about the commitment in his country to not only be negative carbon negative but, “So our economy is small, but here is where it gets interesting. Education is completely free. All citizens are guaranteed free school education, and those that work hard are given free college education. Healthcare is also completely free. Medical consultation, medical treatment, medicines: they are all provided by the state. We manage this because we use our limited resources very carefully, and because we stay faithful to the core mission of GNH, which is development with values. Our economy is small, and we must strengthen it. Economic growth is important, but that economic growth must not come from undermining our unique culture or our pristine environment.”
GNH refers to Gross National Happiness. Later I found that:
In April 2008, Brooks published a survey and analysis of U.S. happiness research entitled Gross National Happiness: Why Happiness Matters for America—and How We Can Get More of It.[8] Drawing his title from the Bhutanese measurement of national well-being, Brooks argues that despite the fact that the United States is one of the few countries in the world to enshrine happiness in its credo, happiness tends to get discounted in public policy in favor of other priorities. Brooks reviews survey data to understand the contours of how happy individual Americans are and how individual happiness translates into nationwide satisfaction.” (Wikipedia)
I had no idea that these two individuals who initially seemed very different politically and economically were influencing each other and that both have the same basic goals.
Again I was reminded of a song by Malvina Reyolds and performed by Pete Seger and many others, I had not thought about for some time:
Little Boxes
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky,1
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And the people in the houses
All went to the university,
Where they were put in boxes
And they came out all the same,
And there's doctors and lawyers,
And business executives,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
And they all play on the golf course
And drink their martinis dry,
And they all have pretty children
And the children go to school,
And the children go to summer camp
And then to the university,
Where they are put in boxes
And they come out all the same.
And the boys go into business
And marry and raise a family
In boxes made of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
There's a green one and a pink one
And a blue one and a yellow one,
And they're all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
Both Mr. Brooks and the people and policies of the tiny country of Bhutan challenge us to leave our little boxes or labels and begin to explore learning from each other and working together to solve the very real needs which confront us. As Mr. Brooks points out just since the time he was a boy the rate of starvation has been greatly decreased. He thinks, however, we can do better. He challenges us to consider the following possibility: “Capitalism is not just about accumulation. At its best, it's about aspiration, which is what so many people on this stage talk about, is the aspiration that comes from dreams that are embedded in the free enterprise system. And we've got to share it with more people.”
It is not my intention to extol or promote the works of Mr. Brooks or that of Prime Minister Togbay in this brief paper. It is my intention to not “throw out the baby with the bathwater” so to speak. Are there some aspects of capitalism and the free enterprise system which combined with some of what seems like the socialist policies of Bhutan which can more creatively solve of the issues all three of us want to solve.? I again know that I need to rethink what I thought I know about capitalism, a free enterprise system, becoming carbon negative and many other approaches to how we humans can live in community and take care of each other without destroying the spirit which often leads to creativity and GNH.
Written March 19, 2016
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