September 13, 2024
Principle 9. Liberty. Week 3
When you harm others, you remain enchained, but if you do not harm anyone, you may freely do whatever you want.
Last time: Do No Harm!
This time: The Inner Judge!
This Week:
This week we’ll be continuing with our investigations of Principle Nine, the principle of liberty. Over the last two weeks we tried to understand the general structure, and scope of this principle, as well as how it might have applied in the past. This week we’ll look at how we might apply the same principle in the present moment, to the situations we are living right now.
Thinking those closest to me, my family, friends, neighbours, co-workers, etc perhaps one or two jump out because I feel entangled with them in a negative way. Have I harmed them in some way? Or does the cause of that enchainment lie elsewhere? For example, in pursuing an end.
Reversing that procedure, and starting from a harm I’m aware of inflicting, can I recognize the ensuing enchainment?
As another aid in our examination this principle we will also play the game of
Name It!
The Game of the Week.
With your understanding of the principle in mind, try to come up with a new version of the principle, or some aspect of the principle. Then give that new formulation a name that synthesizes it or, in some way captures its essence.
Last week we approached this principle as an example of a minimum, like the physician’s ancient oath that began “first do no harm”.
Another example of a complex system being summarized in a very simple way is related in the story of Hillel the elder. He was an important rabbi (teacher) who lived in Jerusalem a little before the time of Jesus. The story is a man came to Hillel demanding that he expound the whole teaching of the Jewish bible while standing on one foot. Hillel, it is said, stood up one one leg and said: “"What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour. That is the whole of the law; the rest is the commentary—go and study it!"
In the same spirit when Silo was asked to summarize his teaching, He said: “No jodes a los otros”. (“Don’t fuck people around”. Or in a gentler translation: Don’t Screw Others Over.” Or gentler still, “Don’t mess with people”).
So for me, this principle is often the Principle of “No Jodes a los Otros.”
What’s your version of the principle?
What will you name it?
General Considerations and Personal Reflections:
These are personal reflections. I offer them in the spirit of dialogue and exchange, and look forward to hearing your thoughts about, and experiences with, this principle.
I once had these dogs that by their nature or predisposition were very obedient. They were unusually quick to learn. You rarely had to raise your voice to them, and if you did, they would mope for hours. Once told they did not have to be reminded to stay off the beds the humans used. But they went much further than this and actually seemed to make rules for themselves. Without prompting they decided this restriction applied to all furniture. They even decided that they were only allowed on the main floor of the house, and unless accompanied would neither go upstairs or down.
It strikes me that they were not alone in inventing rules for themselves. Sometimes it seems that we fear the liberty implied by this principle of freedom, and for whatever reason quickly jump to adding unnecessary, and arbitrary restrictions.
As I mentioned previously, many of us seem to want to qualify the second part of this principle, perhaps changing it or adding conditions for example: “As long as you do not harm anyone and work for the betterment of everyone you may freely do whatever you want”. Or “As long as you do not harm anyone and help others, you may freely do whatever you want”. Or perhaps, “As as long as you do not upset anyone you may freely do whatever you want”.
My objection to such additions or modifications is not that they are wrong. After all unitive actions that meld thinking, feeling, and doing, and are meant to help others are the basis of valid action. And often upsetting people, especially those close to me, entangles me in conflicts I’d rather avoid. Rather, the issue is that these modifications often imply very different criteria than that proposed by the principles themselves.
The Internal Judge
At such moments I don’t think it is our own (no doubt somewhat confused) registers of unity and contradiction guiding us. Instead, we are listening to another voice; one that belongs to what has been called, “the inner judge”.
I don’t know if you’ve found the same, but in my experience at least, the impetus for expanding the criteria beyond not harming, all too often, has to do with that internal judge.
In the first chapter of the Inner Look we read: Here sacrifices, feelings of guilt, and threats from the beyond are rejected. But this is kind inner voice feels like it has more to do with guilt and threats from the beyond then it does with my intimate registers of unity or contradiction.
This pseudo-conscience can be understood as the internalization, and incorporation, of external morality, and the hollow rules of whatever faction, society, culture, or religion events have placed me. Not that one has to rebel against those values, perhaps they are very agreeable, perhaps my acquiescence to them is useful for me - or at least keeps me out of conflicts with which I don’t feel it worthwhile to become involved.
Following the admonishments of that internal judge is very different from me attending to my internal registers and based on those choosing to help others, or to work for the betterment of everyone, or as we will discuss next month, treat others as I wish to be treated.
These would be then, expressions of what Silo called in the public gatherings of 1981, “…our freely chosen moral act”. It seems to me that our actions only deserve to be described that way if they are free of fear, coercion, and necessity.
Remember:
- Reflect on how this principle might apply to your present situation.
-Play the game of Name It!
Worth Repeating:
Your life weights your memories weigh your previous actions impede the ascent.
Guide to the Inner Road
Chapter XIV, The Inner Look
Coming up:
Next week we will continue with principle 9 “The Principle of Liberty”. Our focus will be on considering how we might apply to situations I imagine might arise in the future.
Note:
Last week Marie-Claire hosted (guided) our meeting and conversation.
Flavio has volunteered to do that for our next meeting.
These notes have been posted on Facebook and sent to our email list, and, on my website www.dzuckerbrot.com
Don’t forget:
In some moment of the day or night inhale a breath of air and imagine that you carry this air to your heart. Then, ask with strength for yourself and for your loved ones. Ask with strength to move away from all that brings you contradiction; ask for your life to have unity. Don't take a lot of time with this brief prayer, this brief asking, because it is enough that you interrupt for one brief moment what is happening in your life for this contact with your interior to give clarity to your feelings and your ideas.
Silo_ La Reja, Buenos Aires, Argentina, 2005
