For several generations now, it has been no longer necessarily true to quip; "What goes up, must come down". We were raised, I think; to infer not only a billiard ball type physics in the matter, but a semi-political "necessity" as well. Balloons go up (and later down), and likewise with empires, kingdoms, trends and such stuff. Ya dig? Nowadays, we can (with the boost of twenty or fifty megabucks); loft objects which. . . never-ever come down!
The cliche of transformationalism, is yes, a truism; and also an alarmingly real-world datum. The changes occurring, and especially the rate of change; at least with a view to gadgetry of the digital variety; is outpacing us old analogue style computing-men. Not only finding myself unable (nor too interested either!) to "keep-up" with the innovations, so to understand what these devices "can do for us"; I am unable to stay abreast of a simple listing of doo-dads available, let's just forget about understanding what they do! Frankly, I've come to simply no longer care what this week's "new generation of devices". . . do. A bit like the old-guy syndrome of neither recognizing the names of the "hot new stars", nor being willing to give a damn about their sex-lives perhaps; eh gramps? At any rate, it nowadays appears to me that "up-going, change, progress, and growth" are more or less interchangeably the Modern Dream, which is bastard son of the American Dream. Up-ness, per se; is assumed here, as a kind of magical certainty, the only certainty being that things will not remain as they were, but (somehow) "must improve". I find it difficult to care. . .
See? Mankinds' old dream of comprehensive knowledge, of mastering the wisdom of things; and of people, and stuff like that-there, has been utterly shattered. There are not a hundred, and not ten thousand "important books" to read, in order to "know things", but (perhaps?) a hundred-fold of a myriad? "Specialty" is constantly being sheared-off from "discipline", such that each sub-field of these divisions, (of that section) of this narrow area of expertise, breeds "experts". We've got experts out the wazoo around here, and by the way, only experts are allowed to talk; I might add. We dinosaurs; stubbornly insisting upon some type of generalism, a unifying theme to knowing-itself, are being swamped-out! One person cannot "keep-up" with the multiplying fields, by name (as even a list), let's just forget about trying to master more than one or two of those sub-sub specialties there, Bub. In the Modern Dream then, we observe that what "goes up", is access!
Nowadays, one need no longer actually master any field, in order to simply live. At a touch, all fields are open, and readily downloaded. And somewhere (if you're lucky!), amid all that guck; one might even find an English translation (!) of what is being discussed? For instance, I recently observed a man. He; not speaking "on" the phone, but talking "to" it? He said aloud; "Why, on the third out (in baseball), must the catcher, catch the third strike?". Pretty arcane inquiry to put before a hand-full of electric sand, I'd guess. So the darned thing in about three seconds; "talked-back", having accessed some type of "expert sports rulings, of the peculiar variety" site, and replied to the man? And even though the explanation itself, required explaining, and I still have no idea why the rule stands; it was "there, and readily accessed". Multiply this man, by several billion, and you get a glimpse of our future!
As a herd, ever since Eden, we (as a race) have dreamt the dream of 'knowing-it-all" (even though nobody individually, likes know-it-alls?), and as such; our image of self is fundamentally skewed. Ordinarily, the dream of transformation (into a knower) was to be achieved via "technique", the favorite methods thereof; being teaching, reading, and remembering. Our bent self image formats then as a (potentially, at least) omni-competent, or even worse omni-scient individual, and is always oriented "up". Meanwhile, back over in reality-ville; our weird ignorance, persistent forgetting and suppression of what we've previously learned (and are obliged to apply); is the "down". In brief; our minds were wrecked in the fall.
In this johnny-come-lately, new era we live in, the true innovation has become to learn the trick of denial of "the down" itself, as some sort of evidence of "progress"? Nobody ever really forgets anything, if it were true that nobody could have possibly first learned everything! Huh? Is that logic, or is that advertising? See? One need not remember the capitol of South Dakota, when we can easier-yet Google it. Forgetting is not a "bad thing", as long as learning itself is on a need-to-know, and minute-by-minute option, and not a life lesson. Teaching then, in our day; is not so much a matter of passing on actual knowledge, as it is more so, how best to access data needed for this moments' query? A chap might be able to forget that he can't recall things very well, but the poor guy can't seem to shake the haunting feeling, that certain things were designed to be recalled readily! Such efforts at reducing, or minimizing the "down", merely generate a new, and unforeseen down!
Let's rephrase. Think with me of the human-potential movement, and the subset within it, which the Chinese refer to. They discuss something called "extraordinary human function". EHF would include what we mean by telepathy, seeing the future, bodily healing, and all that squishy new-age stuff you were warned about twenty years ago. In brief, such progress of this type would be a somatic "action at a distance", humanly considered. Hundreds of years ago, Isaac Newton was ridiculed for his "bizarre, and occult" beliefs in "action at a distance" (gravity), and that was just a big pile of rocks floating around in space that he was talking about. EHF, if true; would posit (potentially at minimum) an "actual keeping-up"! And to "succeed" in building that monstrosity, would be the same as to fail. . . utterly!
Whether such human function is real or even desirable; as an "up", the truly interesting section of the discussion, remains the quiet part. As always, I listen for . . . what is NOT said, especially from salesmen! And what is being sold here, in this inevitably, and evolutionarily (necessarily too!) up-ness; is the pure subjectivism. In each of the fields, it is "me-against", culture, the odds, or injustice. Or would that be; "me-for" tradition, decency, or fairness? And frankly, it just doesn't matter, because each of the trend-lines are all about me, me, and me. . . (have I mentioned myself lately, can't quite recall?). With such assertion, we observe an "unintended suppression". That roaring silence, that clanging quiet around here is; "What of His rising; or of Him against tradition, or Him for culture?". Isn't it more than a tad odd to you, that the only ever actual ascent of a Human body, unassisted by devices of any type (sorry Elijah), in all this "knowing", is unknown, and forgotten? Here, just here; at the only real "up-going" of Man (ever!) (Lord Christ on His victory lap!); and at that one and only place; graveyard dead silence prevails? How very peculiar. . .Where, amid all of our go-go, cyber-jazz "app-crap", is the working model bringing a remembrance of, The Name; (and a song in light of It), The Glory; (or one single tired-out cheer?), because-of, and in-light-of His Glad Victory? Cyber land goes dark, in a dead, friggin' silence, just exactly here!
I am afraid here, that we have become altogether too chipper and optimistic concerning power, or more accurately, concerning His Power! Obviously, our me-centered-isms of every ilk, are busy assuming that He only, He uniformly, "must" always add, build, and aid. What then, friend; of Him as Destroyer, Him as Threat? Yes, He indeed does build, and yes also; pulls-down and demolishes. Yes, He aids, and He too also shatters. He establishes. . . and wrecks! By golly, did we "forget again"? See? We have been assuming power itself, to be "abstract and impersonal, and to be on auto-pilot. And so, I'm afraid that we keep opting for a numb, passive waiting for "things to improve" (rather than personally making them better!); as a supposed spiritually superior (our crummy "up", yet again!) stance. This predicts the ultimate power, being a. . .snooze?. . . a vacation?. . . retirement maybe? What a bunch of knuckleheads!
I think its a little bit like those get-rich schemes, "Learn the Secret of Millionaires! Never lift a finger, and just sit back and watch the $$ come rolling in!", is our "method". A lazy blockhead will never have fear falling far, for he is unable and unwilling to get up on the high-wire in the first place! A forgetful lout (like me!) will not "feel bad" for never rising high, if he only and ever "forgets" that the Aerialist Himself going highest (The Captain of Hosts!), works with no net! No net at all, and way, way up there He "trends"! Nowadays thus, hardly anybody ever really, or actually "up-goes", but just about everybody talks about a thing which does "that-for" us all! And so, we build the anti-man.
That "creature", that conglomeration of "us-all", as an "evolving improvement", with its' gargantuan battery assisted memory, instant access (plus perpetual blindness!), always, always directs responsibility. . . away (!) from me-personally, and back upon "trends". How very damned convenient is that?
And yet, and yet, the True Building continues! We are busy down here constructing a monster, and meanwhile He remains busy building the New-Man! It is both/and, not either/or, might as well deal with it. And the bedrock foundation of that "structure" is a Conversation, never a harangue, a Dialogue, surely no mere download! And (get this!) we are privileged to listen-in on that glad talk! The Father loves (indeed!) the Son, and the Son (gladly!) does all the Father desires. So, the Spirit testifies.
Our modern construction of reality as "relational" (yuck!), must always miss (and "forget") that relating is first and foremost He-to-Him, and then, as a distant second He-to-us, and third, us-to-us. As usual, we are seeing things upside-down and "progress", cannot ever "get this"! See? For Love to be the bedrock of Is, then He differing from Him, and so too the friendly "re-Union thereof", preaches that love-first, love-best, love-true, is betwixt Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Start there!
Any "up-going" of us runts down here better include, the standing-up-again (at His call), and the rising-with-Him, so to join that mighty and glad throng above, or we are seriously quacking our brains out! Such as it is (and Yes-Sir-ee, It Is!) we thereby assume and imply a new kind of welcome, a Hand extended downward to lift (!) us fools, dredging us up into that Mighty-Good to come (and already is!) that great-big bear-hug, extended by our fierce Trail-Blazer, Champ! And That Hand, ever, and alway, drawing-up, way-way up yonder there!
Amen, and so it does, So It Does. . .
No comments:
Post a Comment