tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post769797814825675843..comments2023-10-28T04:53:32.505-07:00Comments on View From The Northern Wall: Elevated Position, House Of Slaughterchristopherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04201537517464996231noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-78709008655008660902009-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:002009-02-17T18:42:00.000-08:00Even your prose is poetry.Even your prose is poetry.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-60445124593446202352009-02-17T15:42:00.000-08:002009-02-17T15:42:00.000-08:00It is indeed one day at a time and it is not that ...It is indeed one day at a time and it is not that natural. In Christian terms it is the act of turning the other cheek, okay if it is a kiss, not so okay if it is a blow. But as a recovering alcoholic opening to kiss or blow is the difference between staying in a healthy place or not.<BR/><BR/>We learn the hard way in AA and this is what we learn, when the world gets grim it is a matter of opening even more fully. That is because the other more usual defensive strategies lead to disaster for us. That is why I don't feel so much like I am a better person just because I behave better. It all happens under the threat and the lash of alcoholism.<BR/><BR/>But I do hunger for the spirit, and I have memories of being in the lap of God, where he once loaned me His eyes. This is the lodestone in my heart.christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201537517464996231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-49082131103132637562009-02-17T15:24:00.000-08:002009-02-17T15:24:00.000-08:00For me, at least, spiritual survival -- the maint...For me, at least, spiritual survival -- the maintenance of an open heart, as you name it -- is a daily act of the will, a conscious act of trying to be better than my human nature makes me, kinder than I naturally feel, and more appreciative of this world than I have been. Reminding myself that the worth of other beings, no matter where they fall in the "chain" is as much or more than my own helps me find the divine in the world. You're right -- may sound like BS, but it's how I feel.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-73794193934144088312009-02-16T22:33:00.000-08:002009-02-16T22:33:00.000-08:00I am very intrigued by your thoughts on sentience,...I am very intrigued by your thoughts on sentience, similar to things I've pondered. If I wasn't so exhausted right now I might have something intelligible to say on the matter. I echo Karen's recommendation of Sheri S. Tepper; she is fabulous.RachelWhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18225401230724459199noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-54602387632983786512009-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:002009-02-16T13:51:00.000-08:00Karen it is a question for me of getting along in ...Karen it is a question for me of getting along in the web of life, not so much an ethic, or at least for me if it is ethical then it doesn't lead to anything pious or any measure of goodness so much as it makes possible a maintenance of an open heart.<BR/><BR/>I have noticed that I will die of my heart closing off.<BR/><BR/>It is a matter of spiritual survival.<BR/><BR/>I take my direction in some sense from the variety of cultures that know this about the planet: I have to eat. Life feeds on life. This burdens my soul. I am then called to redress that imbalance by how I live. There is no release from this burden but a daily maintenance.<BR/><BR/>I am aware that this is complete bullshit from certain perspectives. I am sorry that I do not please everyone, have learned I cannot. I have to answer for myself before God as I understand God.christopherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04201537517464996231noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-22297737488064464592009-02-16T12:04:00.000-08:002009-02-16T12:04:00.000-08:00I hold similar beliefs about the sentience of ever...I hold similar beliefs about the sentience of everything and our place in the order of things.<BR/><BR/>If you're a sci-fi fan, Sherri S. Tepper has some good stories that reflect the same. Great ethical questions she asks.Karenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12003379181294550035noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2377252801421681569.post-57785748525925818822009-02-15T23:18:00.000-08:002009-02-15T23:18:00.000-08:00Thanks for the insights, Christopher.For me, knowl...Thanks for the insights, Christopher.<BR/>For me, knowledge will eventually reveal that everything is inherent in everything.jozienhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10212900310477832041noreply@blogger.com