The Fifth World:Fourth Virtue
From The Fifth World
Contents |
[edit] Jeff Vail's Expansion
To start with, in order to explain the importance of these virtues, and to prevent the gradual reversion to hierarchy, it is necessary to maintain an ongoing discussion of the nature of the universe, politics, psychology, etc. That nature is one of connection. I go into this in much more detail in my book...
"Connect with space through silence". Meditation, contemplation, awareness, spirituality, call it what you want, but our evolutionary development has instilled in us a deep desire for connection with nature, a strongly spiritual side. If it is not dealt with in a sustainable, healthy way, then it manifests in hierarchal religions like Catholicism or Consumerism. This must be prevented... go jogging, take a walk in the woods by yourself, try classical meditation. There is no one right way.
"Connect with time through experience". There's two points here. First, our life is worth living because of the experiential, not the material. See my entry "Vernacular Zen" for a longer discussion. Second, we live a time-binded existence here on Earth. Meaning in time is necessary--tradition, family, seasons, festival, etc. Understanding and working with the experiential is critical to a healthy existence.
"Free yourself from ego through awareness." Back again to building a defense against hierarchy. I cover this in depth in my book, but the ego is the harness at which point the selfish-meme of society attaches to and controls humans. If we are to break free of that hierarchal pattern, and establish a sustainable pattern that fulfills our ontogeny, then we must break free of ego. Awareness of the nature of ego, combined with a connection to "silence" and "experience" is the key to this transformation.
Finally, "Protect transcendent beauty." We also have a genetically ingrained desire to connect with something greater than ourselves. Lest that become some manifestation of hierarchy, we must appreciate the importance of the nature in our back yard, our family, tradition, place. The extreme mobility, the itinerant nature of modern life breaks down the stability of place in the human past, paving the way to humanity becoming nothing more than massed cogs in the machine. Place is another break on hierarchy. More importantly, place--both physical and psychological--is what makes us truly wealthy.
[edit] In the Fifth World
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Structure
[edit] Superstructure
[edit] The Four Virtues
- The First Virtue: Own only that which you must presently use, for all else is deceit. Use little, as virtue is derived from experience, not consumption.
- The Second Virtue: Simplicity is virtue. The most beautiful form of simplicity is the elegant circle of self-sufficient consumption and creation. In all forms of accounting, do not consume more than you have already created.
- The Third Virtue: Virtue is found not in secrecy or in the constraint of freedom, but in acknowledgement, and accepting responsibility for all costs of one's actions.
- The Fourth Virtue: Understanding the universe of connection is virtue. Connect with space through silence. Connect with time through experience. Free yourself from ego through awareness. Protect transcendent beauty.
