Principle 8. Comprehended Action. Week 2.
Last time: A pause in which to consider more deeply
This time: Where’s the Root?
This week:
Last week we looked at the basic structure of this principle, its general meaning, and broad implications. We also considered some observations about, and illustrations of, the Principle of Comprehended Action in general. This week we turn to the past and try to understand the principle in the light of what has happened (or could have happened) in previous situations.
The weekly and daily reflections proposed here are meant to help us turn the principles into a dynamic and permanent meditation, and aid us in shaping a new style, or way, of engaging with life.
I don’t find it hard to remember occasional, usually mild, but sometimes serious conflicts of all kinds in my past. I consider myself a pretty peaceful and obliging person but I can recall conflicts with others in my personal life, at school, at work, and even some in the most casual encounters. I also recognize no lack of internal conflicts in what I desire, between what I wish and what is the case, between what I think, feel and do, and even between simultaneously held beliefs which really don’t agree with each other.
I find it easy to believe that wanting to resolve those conflicts won’t be enough but is it really the case that understanding their “ultimate root” will make them disappear? How and why would that work? I can easily find examples in my past where wanting didn’t do the trick. Can I find examples where understanding did? When it didn’t was the problem that I didn’t go deep enough?
Here’s an easier way to start. Take a past conflict into which you think you now have better insight. Imagine yourself back then but with the insight you’ve gained over time. Could it resolve the problem? Does the comprehension make a solution possible or is the comprehension itself the solution?
We are trying to change or strengthen our mental direction.
We want to move from a situation of internal conflict to one of internal unity, i.e. agreement between what we think, what we feel, and what we do.
Next week we’ll consider Principle 8 (Comprehended Action) in the light of our present situations.
Note:
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There are currently 2 Parks of Study and Reflection in North America. These are Red Bluff (www.redbluffpark.org) in California and Hudson Valley (www.hudsonvalleypark.org) in New York. The Parks of Study and Reflection are projects built and paid for by individuals inspired by Silo’s teachings. More information is available on their respective websites.
