More on the Task of Knowing Thyself

As I posted on Feb.20, Patanjali stated that the resulting confident knowledge-of-self can motivate an individual to be that ethical step needed for the solution to Golding's warning about man's potential for brutality to his fellow man.

Coincidentally, there were a number of Greek philosophies talking the same rap. which were very important during New Testament times. Perhaps the greatest philosopher in the world's history was Socrates with his motto, "know thyself". Socrates tried to help people look inside themselves and search out the basic questions about life. But his searching questions, with no easy answers, made a lot of people irritated with him. They felt that he was corrupting the youth. He ought to stick with teaching the right ideas, and leave all those questions alone.

I say no, do not stop the questioning! What do you think?

What William Golding Meant

If you remember the terrific movie Lord of the Flies you'll also remember shaking your head to hopefully sort it all out .

Golding says it best in a quote I recently came across:

"The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system, however apparently logical or respectable."

The story serves as a warning of man's potential for brutality to his fellow man.

The great Indian sage Patanjali, over 1500 years ago, composed a series of aphorisms, or Sutras, to explain Yoga to his contemporaries. They become, however, a practical aid to the spiritual life: an aid that can be used by the devotees of any religion or as an enhancement to the evolving of theories in psychology. The results of absorbing these "threads" of life, can shape a person's conduct profoundly. The resulting confident knowledge-of-self can motivate an individual to be that ethical step needed for the solution to Golding's warning.

...more to follow

What Does it Mean to Live in the Desert?

Why would anybody do that?
Perhaps these are reasons to do it; to know exactly who you are, where you are going, and what is your purpose in life?
But can we go from total unawareness to full consciousness this way. Is it possible?
Okay, I think you can. But first you must create your own desert. The desert of the mind, isolated from the sprawl of other minds. This requires to live differently. To be your purpose, to be your message...to proclaim your message!
Of course what I'm getting at is the "vegan message". Having it heard is a constant struggle against the current tide of the times, culture and society we live in today. Let's face it, you won't see vegan Boca burgers being advertised during the Super Bowl!
What does it mean to live in this desert? Like it or not, it isn't always comfortable having to remind people to respect animal life. You have to be counter cultural, standing up against society
risking peace for a bout of arguing.
Tell me, why in the world must eating a plant be soooo much in need of defense over eating some chicken's knuckle, or pigs tongue?
All we ask is a life based on good conduct and reason. Yes, reason. C'mon...reasonable living already. Healthy living.
How far into the desert must we go to get away from the atrocities?
As Tolstoy says in his 1885 treatise called, My Religion:
"This life you can use by living in conformity to reason, or you can waste it by living in opposition to reason..."
I think it still holds true today.
I want more people to think about going vegan. It's not that hard. Really. I mean, ice skating is harder you know.
Join me. Join the many.
You are NOT incapable of reason!