I believe Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens among other anthologies of his poems holds the title.
Ellul really is in my opinion the writer who goes directly to the heart of the situation because he is a French Christian coming from birth in 1912 and living to 1994. Ellul's most important work, The Technological Society (1964), was originally published in French as La Technique: L'enjeu du siècle (literally, "The Stake of the Century"). In it, Ellul set forth seven characteristics of modern technology that make efficiency a necessity: rationality, artificiality, automatism of technical choice, self-augmentation, monism, universalism, and autonomy. The rationality of technique enforces logical and mechanical organization through division of labor, the setting of production standards, etc. And it creates an artificial system which "eliminates or subordinates the natural world."
Regarding technology, instead of it being subservient to humanity, "human beings have to adapt to it, and accept total change." As an example, Ellul offered the diminished value of the humanities to a technological society. As people begin to question the value of learning ancient languages and history, they question those things which, on the surface, do little to advance their financial and technical state. According to Ellul, this misplaced emphasis is one of the problems with modern education, as it produces a situation in which immense stress is placed on information in our schools. The focus in those schools is to prepare young people to enter the world of information, to be able to work with computers but knowing only their reasoning, their language, their combinations, and the connections between them. This movement is invading the whole intellectual domain and also that of conscience.
Re the theme only a god can save us there has remained a thread of prophecy in all the great Spiritual traditions foretelling such a One yet to appear, One who must come in the darkest time of humanity, when the world is at its worst, and bring to completion all the revelations of the past. Christians await the second coming of Jesus; Muslims, the Madhi or the last prophet; Buddhists, Maitreya or the coming Buddha; and Hindus the Kalki Avatar or the final Avatar of Vishnu.
What if such a prophecy has already occurred which not only fulfills all of these ancient expectations but actually surpasses far beyond everything even imagined or anticipated by these longed for incarnations or appearances.
Bob Marley reminds us "Mighty God is a living man." Berdyaev calls it Godmanhood.
Berdyaev says that God’s self-revelation occurs within the inner person, through divine-human spiritual cooperation, bringing about a revolutionary transformation of the human consciousness.
Magnificient entry this---sometimes I feel like the only soul alive yearning for mystery, nature, and a stillness without traveling and mapping everything out and fretting about every detail. The technology "system" is rotten and brain-rotting but suggest that to anyone and I'm called a luddite or dinosaur. The poem almost has a rythym and melody to it, painting a tragic picture--- I will look for the book, thank you.
My mother had a Carnegie mindset, really believed in Industry and Technology. She told me to get a technical skill, because it would be useful. So I learned CAD (computer assisted drafting) with Autocad. It has been useful, but what I found was that the technologies, the various drawing programs, all have their own skillset. Once I learned Autocad, I simply did not want to learn another and then another program. So while her advice was useful, the constant need to upgrade my skills has been frustrating as has the cost of the various cad programs, which run into thousands. I am glad I learned hand drafting first, because if the power goes out I can still perhaps make a living. In the long run, though, modern technology seems like little but a money grab from what I have seen. It certainly has not resulted in more beautiful buildings or things, imo, compared to the days of hand drafting. Also, the quanity of work expected from each CAD 'worker' has increased on the order of 2x-4x per hour.
Momma wanted me in 1976 to be a 2nd. Lt. via ROTC and go to UC Berkeley to study corporate law or some law whatever and not be a Bohemian. Close, close, but not to be as I got married to local Sacramento girl who as I was 20 but unlike I loved and did not want to leave Sacramento. This lasted about 2 years. Ultimately I think we find an ability and with luck and time obtain placement. Except for a Jonah. Hard convincing purveyors of cash for time and skill hiring you won't sink the ship. They glance at the CV, glance at me, go back to CV perplexed, stare hard at me as if a hardened saboteur, smile thinly, wad the resume up, toss it, and simply without words point to the door. And you know I get it,
Well, this job I've got is just a little too hard. I'm running out of money, Lord, I need more pay. I'm gonna wake up in the morning, Lord, I'm gonna pack my bags. I'm gonna beat it on down the line"
With regard to “....only a god can save us ..” I have been listening to the 1 - 6 complete collections of the talks given by Ram Dass covering his jousts with his “guru” Neem Carolli Baba on his search for Enlightenment or escape from the madness and tedium of contemporary life. I thought they were fantastic, full of rich, relaxing belly laughs as he goes from one plane to another juggling hypocracy, shame, bliss, knowledge, transcendance, madness etc.. ., It was only after seeing the film “Windfall of Grace” that I really believed there could be a God on earth and one who could love and teach the poor and working classes!
Years ago I studied Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, still read Ramana Maharshi. I have read and listened to Ram Dass as well. Spirit is true and spirit may be the sweetness that turns stone cold hearts into human beings.
Swami Vivekananda was of course the most inspiring speaker at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He came to America in a futile attempt to introduce the profound Spiritual heritage of India to the Spiritually illiterate Western every-person which were already trapped in the death-saturated materialism of the times, especially in America. He carried the entire Spiritual heritage of India within his deep psyche. He was also familiar with the limitations of the Western mind (and psyche) via his Oxford education.
He spent several years traversing the Western world, mostly in Britain and especially America in an essentially futile attempting to convince essentially Godless Westerners re the darkness of the times.
But with rare exception Westerners were incapable of responding to what he attempted to communicate especially as he was a brown-skinned Indian and a Hindu - how could a brown-skinned man possibly tell the arrogant white-man anything of significance.
Some notable exceptions were his principal female devotees Sister Nivideta, and Sister Christine, and the Bull family sisters/cousins and others too, who provided the necessary finance for his extensive travels.
He wore himself out in attempting so to do and retired to India to re-invigorate his Spiritual wellsprings. Having thus exhausted himself he died at the early age of 33.
He also knew that he would have to re-incarnate in the West to accomplish his failed mission. In order to do this he had "carnal" relations with at least one female devotee. As a result of this "carnal" association he was instrumental in the appearance of the God-Man that I referred to in my previous comment.
I believe Collected Poems of Wallace Stevens among other anthologies of his poems holds the title.
Ellul really is in my opinion the writer who goes directly to the heart of the situation because he is a French Christian coming from birth in 1912 and living to 1994. Ellul's most important work, The Technological Society (1964), was originally published in French as La Technique: L'enjeu du siècle (literally, "The Stake of the Century"). In it, Ellul set forth seven characteristics of modern technology that make efficiency a necessity: rationality, artificiality, automatism of technical choice, self-augmentation, monism, universalism, and autonomy. The rationality of technique enforces logical and mechanical organization through division of labor, the setting of production standards, etc. And it creates an artificial system which "eliminates or subordinates the natural world."
Regarding technology, instead of it being subservient to humanity, "human beings have to adapt to it, and accept total change." As an example, Ellul offered the diminished value of the humanities to a technological society. As people begin to question the value of learning ancient languages and history, they question those things which, on the surface, do little to advance their financial and technical state. According to Ellul, this misplaced emphasis is one of the problems with modern education, as it produces a situation in which immense stress is placed on information in our schools. The focus in those schools is to prepare young people to enter the world of information, to be able to work with computers but knowing only their reasoning, their language, their combinations, and the connections between them. This movement is invading the whole intellectual domain and also that of conscience.
Re the theme only a god can save us there has remained a thread of prophecy in all the great Spiritual traditions foretelling such a One yet to appear, One who must come in the darkest time of humanity, when the world is at its worst, and bring to completion all the revelations of the past. Christians await the second coming of Jesus; Muslims, the Madhi or the last prophet; Buddhists, Maitreya or the coming Buddha; and Hindus the Kalki Avatar or the final Avatar of Vishnu.
What if such a prophecy has already occurred which not only fulfills all of these ancient expectations but actually surpasses far beyond everything even imagined or anticipated by these longed for incarnations or appearances.
Bob Marley reminds us "Mighty God is a living man." Berdyaev calls it Godmanhood.
Berdyaev says that God’s self-revelation occurs within the inner person, through divine-human spiritual cooperation, bringing about a revolutionary transformation of the human consciousness.
Magnificient entry this---sometimes I feel like the only soul alive yearning for mystery, nature, and a stillness without traveling and mapping everything out and fretting about every detail. The technology "system" is rotten and brain-rotting but suggest that to anyone and I'm called a luddite or dinosaur. The poem almost has a rythym and melody to it, painting a tragic picture--- I will look for the book, thank you.
My mother had a Carnegie mindset, really believed in Industry and Technology. She told me to get a technical skill, because it would be useful. So I learned CAD (computer assisted drafting) with Autocad. It has been useful, but what I found was that the technologies, the various drawing programs, all have their own skillset. Once I learned Autocad, I simply did not want to learn another and then another program. So while her advice was useful, the constant need to upgrade my skills has been frustrating as has the cost of the various cad programs, which run into thousands. I am glad I learned hand drafting first, because if the power goes out I can still perhaps make a living. In the long run, though, modern technology seems like little but a money grab from what I have seen. It certainly has not resulted in more beautiful buildings or things, imo, compared to the days of hand drafting. Also, the quanity of work expected from each CAD 'worker' has increased on the order of 2x-4x per hour.
Momma wanted me in 1976 to be a 2nd. Lt. via ROTC and go to UC Berkeley to study corporate law or some law whatever and not be a Bohemian. Close, close, but not to be as I got married to local Sacramento girl who as I was 20 but unlike I loved and did not want to leave Sacramento. This lasted about 2 years. Ultimately I think we find an ability and with luck and time obtain placement. Except for a Jonah. Hard convincing purveyors of cash for time and skill hiring you won't sink the ship. They glance at the CV, glance at me, go back to CV perplexed, stare hard at me as if a hardened saboteur, smile thinly, wad the resume up, toss it, and simply without words point to the door. And you know I get it,
Well, this job I've got is just a little too hard. I'm running out of money, Lord, I need more pay. I'm gonna wake up in the morning, Lord, I'm gonna pack my bags. I'm gonna beat it on down the line"
With regard to “....only a god can save us ..” I have been listening to the 1 - 6 complete collections of the talks given by Ram Dass covering his jousts with his “guru” Neem Carolli Baba on his search for Enlightenment or escape from the madness and tedium of contemporary life. I thought they were fantastic, full of rich, relaxing belly laughs as he goes from one plane to another juggling hypocracy, shame, bliss, knowledge, transcendance, madness etc.. ., It was only after seeing the film “Windfall of Grace” that I really believed there could be a God on earth and one who could love and teach the poor and working classes!
Years ago I studied Ramakrishna, Vivekananda, still read Ramana Maharshi. I have read and listened to Ram Dass as well. Spirit is true and spirit may be the sweetness that turns stone cold hearts into human beings.
Great stuff! What an amazing discussion, Stegiel, your writings are superb, an amazing pleasure to follow you.
Thank you.
Swami Vivekananda was of course the most inspiring speaker at the World Parliament of Religions in Chicago. He came to America in a futile attempt to introduce the profound Spiritual heritage of India to the Spiritually illiterate Western every-person which were already trapped in the death-saturated materialism of the times, especially in America. He carried the entire Spiritual heritage of India within his deep psyche. He was also familiar with the limitations of the Western mind (and psyche) via his Oxford education.
He spent several years traversing the Western world, mostly in Britain and especially America in an essentially futile attempting to convince essentially Godless Westerners re the darkness of the times.
But with rare exception Westerners were incapable of responding to what he attempted to communicate especially as he was a brown-skinned Indian and a Hindu - how could a brown-skinned man possibly tell the arrogant white-man anything of significance.
Some notable exceptions were his principal female devotees Sister Nivideta, and Sister Christine, and the Bull family sisters/cousins and others too, who provided the necessary finance for his extensive travels.
He wore himself out in attempting so to do and retired to India to re-invigorate his Spiritual wellsprings. Having thus exhausted himself he died at the early age of 33.
He also knew that he would have to re-incarnate in the West to accomplish his failed mission. In order to do this he had "carnal" relations with at least one female devotee. As a result of this "carnal" association he was instrumental in the appearance of the God-Man that I referred to in my previous comment.