Replies

Thanks for this exchange. In my Christian tradition, I have often felt that we accelerate our efforts to talking about God more than about our longing for God. Our longing for God or the way we aspire to respond to the live around us seems a more authentic place from which to imagine and speak. Thanks for a stream that allowed me to share this about my experience.

Thanks Dennis. Do you have an example when language (spoken or written) failed to communicate and something more important took over? I’m thinking of the power of eye contact for people who have vision in their toolkit. I agree it was a rich and dense chapter.

Bhavana – this is a lovely intersection with the reading. Thank you for the poetry and the provocation. What came up for me was Smith’s sentence on page 109 of my book. Regarding the Buddha and right effort, “The Buddha had more confidence in the steady pull than in the quick spurt.” See you this evening.

Thanks for resourcing us George. I’ve saved this article to review.

Yingying – Thank you for this post. Good catch! Within the quote, from my perspective, the use of the word “only” seems an unfortunate choice. While the unique role of the human species suggests our agency and opportunity. “only” the human has choice and free agency seems to miss the point of the interdependence and relationality of all creation.
I think you are exactly right as you hone in with your questions.

Thanks MarySue for drawing in Ilia Delio. As I was reading, I was thinking about my own religious evolution. It was not/is not always a forward motion for me. Sometimes my evolution could be described as regressive. I am remembering times, when I discovered inconsistencies in scripture (I evolved in my awareness) and when I sought to share the awareness, I was, ironically, pedantic in my approach or method with others. I was at once taking a proverbial step forward and and a step back. Similiarly when I was coming into awareness on social justice causes that value greater liberation and equity, I could deliver those new truthes with such autocracy in my tone and posture that the effort seemed to have little forward movement in it.
Of course time and experience has been my friend in helping me refine how I fold in what is evolving. Still that vulnerability was coming up for me as I was reading.
Thanks for lettting me share and for investing so deeply in these discussion forums. Enriching for us all.

I can’t help but smile as I read this exchange. I think Whitehead, the great mathematician would be very honored by the breadth at work here.

In CHristian Formation settings, I always strive that we might engage a more rabbinic method. 🙂

Roni – thanks! I keep Arton’s diagrams on my office wall. I will now add flow to my regard when looking at them. The term flow caused to me to think of the model by Dr. Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi’s model of flow. Here is a simple you tube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8HFOWSO3OM that might translate to the role of religious leadership for flow that honors Cxikszentmihalyi and Process thought.

Fascinating. Thank you both for resourcing each other and us. Dennis thanks for the initial post that created such nice intersections between science, environment and religion.

Douglas, I feel intensity in this post. Thank you for the carefully conditioned statement “…inappropriate Zionist accusations of anti-semitism against Gaza protesters…” I think the word “It…” of the very next sentence needs an equally careful definition. Your post here is evidence of the real-world impacts of religious principles and strife. Thank you for your effort to articulate such deep feeling.

Thanks George. Perhaps it could be both a benefit and a problem. If am coming to the texts during a time of high stress and instability, I might be looking for more concensus or anchoring answers. If I am coming during a time of confidence and adventure, I might be thrilled by the varied landscape that is mine to explore. What do we need from our traditions and why? Is it okay that our needs might change and thus our valuation change also?

So interesting to follow this thread. Thank you both. AI may generate answers but your responsiveness to each other is provoking my thinking.

Love the software update image. Just technical question are there examples of softward that keep building on the old….or do software updates tend to eventually extinguish “old programming”. I just don’t know how software updates work. IPhone updates to software are particularly hard on their hardware.

MarySue – Thank you for bringing us so carefully into your world and your considerations. I admire your boundaries and your openness. Our process community will be the stronger for your assessments and queries.