This is the excitement of FW. This is one of the few places where a Ray, a Brad, a Thomas, a Brian can interact with a Keith, a Harry, a Arthur who have been and are emeshed in our society with a different but valid perspective, are talking to each other politely. A most Canadian quality I might add.
One of the joys for me of the List is the constant series of quotes from both perspectives that widen my ability to be tolerant. Post away Brian.
Respectfully,
Thomas Lunde
on 2/24/02 7:12 AM, Brian McAndrews at [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
I am going to be sending to this list, over the next couple of weeks, some quotes from and commentary about Matthew Fox's book 'The Reinvention of Work' . Rather than looking to science, technology and economists for solutions, Fox looks to poets and other thoughtful people from the past of many cultures to consider possibilities.
"For one human being to love another: that is perhaps the most difficult of our tasks; the ultimate, the last test and proof, the work for which all other work is but preparation." -Rainer Maria Rilke
The work that Rilke sees as most important stands in sharp contrast to the work that Keith and many others deems critical:
On Sunday Feb. 24/02 Keith Hudson wrote:
"Meanwhile, America and Europe will have to start thinking seriously about
reforming their school systems because their governments, industries and
universities will no longer be able to attract the thousands of
highly-qualified scientists, engineers and medical people every year from
Asia as they do now. The financial and career opportunities in Asia will be
just as great, if not greater."
What is critically important for life should also be found in what we do for our livelihood. Actually our life and our livelihood should not be seen as separate subjects. Living with joy, purpose, and a sense of contributing to the greater community should be the meaning of our lives and our livelihoods. When looking to the past we should try to find examples of this being the case and learn from these examples. We should also learn from what was not life giving. The industrial revolution grew out of a radically different view of the universe. We were lead to believe that we lived in a clockwork universe. We were part of a machine. Our bodies were machine like and made up of parts (Mary Shelly's Frankenstein). Humans could be made to be part of assembly lines and schools were created in that image. Physics and biology tell us even lonelier stories now. There is no creator (designer) there is only probability and random chance.
Which takes us back to Rilke's quote and this thing called love.
More to follow,
Brian McAndrews
