Circles Of Conflict
Is it not the case that similar problems, analogous issues present themselves over and over, such as is suggested by Ralph Waldo Emerson’s famous essay, Circles? Emerson wrote in his unforgettable way that life is composed of concentric circles, intersecting matters of concern, of compelling interest.
Fresh to my consciousness is an email exchange between friends, a discussion which we have engaged many times before. Our conversation was and is about how differences of purpose are resolved, or not, reaching an impasse, — as is the case presently in our country between those on “the left” and those on “the right.” Perhaps it is inevitable that the labeling which communication demands over simplifies, clouds the history and the nuances of any disagreement. Everything without exception has a history does it not? Past events happened, full stop. There’s no “do-over.” But our understanding, our opinion about our past is subject to change, to an update. When one finds oneself at impasse, off-the-road-and-in-a-ditch, it is high time, propitious that you or I re-examine our opinion about events effecting us, or even actions taken by our ancestors…
I like this song. It will suffice for a lifeline, to keep us tethered to a sane and humane view, so that we can keep moving, to create the future. Promises In The Dark composed by Pat Benatar, Neil Geraldo, performed by Pat Benatar. Yeah, the video is a bit long, but worth it.
Promises In The Dark
By Pat Benatar
Never again, isn’t that what you said
You’ve been through this before
You swore, this time, you’d think with your head
No one would ever have you again
And if takin’ was gonna get done, you’d decide where and when
Just when you think you got it down
Your heart securely tied and bound
They whisper promises in the dark
Armed and ready, you fought love battles in the night
But too many opponents made you weary of the fight
Blinded by passion, you foolishly let someone in
All the warnings went off in your head, still you had to give in
Just when you think you got it down
Resistance nowhere to be found
They whisper promises in the dark
But promises you know what they’re for
It sounds so convincing, but you heard it before
‘Cause talk is cheap and you gotta be sure
And so you put up your guard
And you try to be hard but your heart says try again
You desperately search for a way to conquer the fear
No line of attack has been planned to fight back the tears
Where brave and restless dreams are both won and lost
On the edge is where it seems it’s well worth the cost
Just when you think you got it down
Your heart in pieces on the ground
They whisper promises in the dark
Lyrics composed by Pat Benatar, Neil Geraldo
4 thoughts on “Circles Of Conflict”
My POV differs based on my belief that humans are limited by their own personal baggage, their upbringing, and their mental capacity for critical thought. These three factors, which we all have to varying degrees, create distorted lenses through which we humans view the world. Some lenses are so distorted that reality and truth are but a hazy jumble. When that is the case people create their own version of what they believe to be truth, and once they create that alternative reality, they remain both entrenched and fairly comfortable
My goal has always been to grind my own lenses towards better clarity, to try and view the world around me with as little interference from my own limitations as possible. No one can achieve perfect vision because, in the end, we are all subject to our own constraints and prejudices.
But we can continue to strive towards greater clarity and understanding. Ultimately this is about the survival of our species. The less insight we assess with regard to our own behaviors and limitations, the greater the potential for self destruction.
Yes, the lens grinding work ought to never be concluded.
“But our understanding, our opinion about our past is subject to change, to an update. When one finds oneself at impasse, off-the-road-and-in-a-ditch, it is high time, propitious that you or I re-examine our opinion about events effecting us.” Certainly there is wisdom in this; when one finds oneself repeating the same things over-and-over, with the same unfortunate result, one must examine one’s sanity. Tobin’s lofty metaphor of the lens grinder is a good one; if nothing else reminding us we can only change how we ourselves view things, not the view of anyone else.
One is concerned that such a Zen-like metaphor leads to everyone in isolation, contentedly floating in their own boat. With each hazy and jumbled separate reality how can anything be called Truth? Indeed for some there is no penalty to deny the existence of a lens, or that clarity of vision has any survival benefit.
Most of the modern conflicting views are identical with and have been argued since the ancients. That these haven’t been solved may not offer much encouragement. But each of us on our own, shouting out our personal distorted view of the Social Contract, with language invented ad hoc in our e-mails and repeated over-and-over , does not seem to be getting us anywhere. Though we inevitably come up against the view that getting somewhere shouldn’t be a goal. Why cannot we all blissfully sit bobbing on our boats?
“Zen-like metaphor”….. Could there be a practice more pragmatic than allowing the mental noise to subside, so that one can come to oneself? Just because some find it impossible to abide the tactic does not prove that there is only noise internally, as well as in the external world. The proof of the pudding is by the eating. If I am disabled emotionally, and ethically by the avalanche of advertising, the infinitude of streaming entertainment which I am trying to consume, so that my receptive powers of anything which you are trying to say are crippled, — where does the problem lie?
It seems to me that the only way to form a notion of what ideas are most important, of what practices are critical for our survival as a species is to converse with others. This is often difficult, and frustrating, but necessary in any case.
The assertion that humans have always played the role of predator, and thus we ought to prepare ourselves for such a future, is a non-starter with me. The assertion is untrue, as a universal claim. And even if true, does not mean that the plunder and carnage have to continue. As Heraclitus pointed out, change is the fundamental dimension of what is real. As far as I am concerned that is reason enough for hope.