(from Monday's reading)
ADOLESCENCE:
· Plotkins says that adolescence is a Newly evolved staged in human development.
· My thoughts- adolescence is just a newly thought up term to describe what has always been there. People like labels- the more the merrier. The more steps they can break things down into the better they feel they can understand something.
· The earth doesn’t imagine a future for itself. Why does he keep personifying the planet? It’s a planet. It’s not a person.
· Rites of Passage- I wonder what ll the author considers a rite of passage. It seems he only views things like sweatboxes and vision quests to be rites of passage. Personally I think 8th grade is one of our Modern Rites of Passage.
· New Species? Wow. That seems a bit out there to me. We may have changed a lot from the beginning of mankind- but I don’t thin I can go with becoming a New Species.
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Nature & The Human Soul (Ch2-entry2- KimberlyT)
more of my thoughts and notes on this book. Still in chapter 1. I need to just read and stop taking notes or I'll never get through this book.
THE GREAT TURNING-
- Author says we can’t predict the outcome. I say the Bible tells us the outcome (though we can’t predict the time)
- Cataclysm is a neat word.
- I don’t think the earth dreams. It is a not alive. It is a planet. The trees don’t have dreams of what they want to become and the rivers and rabbits don’t dream of all they can be. But God does have plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- In this section the author talks about taking care of the earth. God talked about that too, and made man the caretakers of what He created.
- Some terms. Ecozoic.
o ECO- from the Greek for Housekeeping or relationships of life.
o ZOIC from the Greek ‘zoo’- meaning animals or living beings.
o Paleozoic. Pale from Greek for Ancient. So this word means Ancient Life.
o Cenozoic/Cainozoic- Greek~ Kainos- new. This word means New Life.
Wheel of Life- no real comment here.
BECOMING FULLY HUMAN
- These things the author views as symptoms of arrested growth/lingering adolescence are things I view as deviations from God’s plan for us. Deviations from God’s order. Basically, they are symptoms of our sin nature.
- The author doesn’t view these as part of our natural human nature. They are not part of our natural human nature as God designed for us, but they are part of our sin nature.
- So, in conclusion, I agree to what things are wrong with society and I just disagree as to the underlying cause of these issues.
- Uh-Oh… they are starting to uses phrases like ‘politicians’. I don't do politics in any way shape or form.
- inscendence (noun) : the state of fully inhabiting each moment of life by consciously entering into each aspect of the lived experience, the physical, emotional and intellectual
- “The Great Turning must be overseen by true elders like Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy and others like them……[this venture] cannot be guided by … adolescent politicians… not even by mature initiated adults…but by genuine council of wise elders”
Ø Really? The word “exclusivism” comes to mind here. ONLY genuine followers of the elders Thomas and Joanna(and others like them, which I assume means think the same and have the same viewpoints) can carry out what is needed to change the world?
Ø I think this one quote really almost turned me off for the whole book. The concept of ‘We alone have/can interpret/underderstand the truth’. But I will get past it and continu to read the book and not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
THE GREAT TURNING-
- Author says we can’t predict the outcome. I say the Bible tells us the outcome (though we can’t predict the time)
- Cataclysm is a neat word.
- I don’t think the earth dreams. It is a not alive. It is a planet. The trees don’t have dreams of what they want to become and the rivers and rabbits don’t dream of all they can be. But God does have plans for us. Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
- In this section the author talks about taking care of the earth. God talked about that too, and made man the caretakers of what He created.
- Some terms. Ecozoic.
o ECO- from the Greek for Housekeeping or relationships of life.
o ZOIC from the Greek ‘zoo’- meaning animals or living beings.
o Paleozoic. Pale from Greek for Ancient. So this word means Ancient Life.
o Cenozoic/Cainozoic- Greek~ Kainos- new. This word means New Life.
Wheel of Life- no real comment here.
BECOMING FULLY HUMAN
- These things the author views as symptoms of arrested growth/lingering adolescence are things I view as deviations from God’s plan for us. Deviations from God’s order. Basically, they are symptoms of our sin nature.
- The author doesn’t view these as part of our natural human nature. They are not part of our natural human nature as God designed for us, but they are part of our sin nature.
- So, in conclusion, I agree to what things are wrong with society and I just disagree as to the underlying cause of these issues.
- Uh-Oh… they are starting to uses phrases like ‘politicians’. I don't do politics in any way shape or form.
- inscendence (noun) : the state of fully inhabiting each moment of life by consciously entering into each aspect of the lived experience, the physical, emotional and intellectual
- “The Great Turning must be overseen by true elders like Thomas Berry and Joanna Macy and others like them……[this venture] cannot be guided by … adolescent politicians… not even by mature initiated adults…but by genuine council of wise elders”
Ø Really? The word “exclusivism” comes to mind here. ONLY genuine followers of the elders Thomas and Joanna(and others like them, which I assume means think the same and have the same viewpoints) can carry out what is needed to change the world?
Ø I think this one quote really almost turned me off for the whole book. The concept of ‘We alone have/can interpret/underderstand the truth’. But I will get past it and continu to read the book and not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Nature & the Human Soul (ch:1 Entry1) by Kimberly T
This will hopefully be a blog with other writers; members of the book club. So I am putting my name in the title of the entries I write and also adding my name as a tag label. Hopefully this will help us keep straight who wrote what about the books.
BOOK: Nature & the Human Soul By Bill Plotkin
Chapter 1: Circle& Arc – Crisis & Opportunity
-- this is a book I am reading with a book club of friends. It was said by some that it is good to keep a book journal or write thoughts & notes about what I read. So here it is.
A few quotes and my thoughts or ponderings in relationship to them
First, I want to mention that the title of this chapter makes me think of geometry.
Quote; “This book is my contribution to the global effort to create a viable human-Earth partnership.”
Thinking on the author’s purpose reminds me of what my Anatomy & Physiology teacher uses to say.
“Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”
I say this because though I don’t fully agree with the author’s purpose, I do agree that God made us responsible to take care of His creation and to use good stewardship with what He gave us (the earth and its resources) as well as to have good relationships with people. I guess that’s somewhat similar to what the author is saying.
Quote; “...how we might raise children, support teenagers, and ripen ourselves…”
1st- “ripen ourselves" sounds funny. Like we are all tomatoes hanging on a vine or something.
2nd- he says something here that is in sync with how I view parenting. Notice he says RAISE children and SUPPORT teenagers. We raise our children, but when they become teenagers (young adults) we move from the realm of raising them to supporting and guiding them through their transformation into adults. Honestly, I don’t think one can really ‘raise’ a teenager. The raising is done before they reach that age and once they get t that age, their mind is pretty set in some regards and trying to ‘raise them’ (like we do a child) is just not going to work. They will fight being raised like a child. It is time to support and guide. This doesn’t mean there is no discipline, there still is (even adults are disciplined for wrong doings). Maybe it’s just a mindset.
The author says his 2nd premise I for us to embrace nature and soul as our wisest and most trustworthy guides. God is my wisest and most trust worthy guide. God did, however, create nature and our souls and He created us in His image and all He made is good. He says we need to not be egocentric but we need to be soul centric. I prefer God-centric. The author describes soul centric as “imaginative, ecocentric, cooperative based, just, compassionate, and sustainable”. I think all of those pretty much line up with being God Centric, except maybe the ecocentric part- but God does want us to take care of the earth He created.
The author’s 3rd premise for the book is that "every human being has a unique and mystical relationship to the world, and that the conscious discovery and cultivation of that relationship is at the core of true adulthood”
Again, though I agree we all do have our individual purposes (as well as the purpose for all of us) and we are made to have a relationship with the creator of this world, we are to be caretakers of the world He created, and knowing and cultivating God's purposes for us & our relationships are what makes us more complete, I’m not going with ‘mystical’ jazz. It is not mystical. It is laid out in God’s word that we were created for a purpose and we have our own uniqueness in purposes and talents and that we are to be cultivating a relationship with God and with others.
I guess I can go with ‘transpersonal’- because it does take us beyond just ourselves. It is not just about US.
Well, that was basically the first 2 pages. I’ll go lighter in the rest of the book. I won’t do page of notes for each section from here on out.
BOOK: Nature & the Human Soul By Bill Plotkin
Chapter 1: Circle& Arc – Crisis & Opportunity
-- this is a book I am reading with a book club of friends. It was said by some that it is good to keep a book journal or write thoughts & notes about what I read. So here it is.
A few quotes and my thoughts or ponderings in relationship to them
First, I want to mention that the title of this chapter makes me think of geometry.
Quote; “This book is my contribution to the global effort to create a viable human-Earth partnership.”
Thinking on the author’s purpose reminds me of what my Anatomy & Physiology teacher uses to say.
“Don’t throw out the baby with the bath water.”
I say this because though I don’t fully agree with the author’s purpose, I do agree that God made us responsible to take care of His creation and to use good stewardship with what He gave us (the earth and its resources) as well as to have good relationships with people. I guess that’s somewhat similar to what the author is saying.
Quote; “...how we might raise children, support teenagers, and ripen ourselves…”
1st- “ripen ourselves" sounds funny. Like we are all tomatoes hanging on a vine or something.
2nd- he says something here that is in sync with how I view parenting. Notice he says RAISE children and SUPPORT teenagers. We raise our children, but when they become teenagers (young adults) we move from the realm of raising them to supporting and guiding them through their transformation into adults. Honestly, I don’t think one can really ‘raise’ a teenager. The raising is done before they reach that age and once they get t that age, their mind is pretty set in some regards and trying to ‘raise them’ (like we do a child) is just not going to work. They will fight being raised like a child. It is time to support and guide. This doesn’t mean there is no discipline, there still is (even adults are disciplined for wrong doings). Maybe it’s just a mindset.
The author says his 2nd premise I for us to embrace nature and soul as our wisest and most trustworthy guides. God is my wisest and most trust worthy guide. God did, however, create nature and our souls and He created us in His image and all He made is good. He says we need to not be egocentric but we need to be soul centric. I prefer God-centric. The author describes soul centric as “imaginative, ecocentric, cooperative based, just, compassionate, and sustainable”. I think all of those pretty much line up with being God Centric, except maybe the ecocentric part- but God does want us to take care of the earth He created.
The author’s 3rd premise for the book is that "every human being has a unique and mystical relationship to the world, and that the conscious discovery and cultivation of that relationship is at the core of true adulthood”
Again, though I agree we all do have our individual purposes (as well as the purpose for all of us) and we are made to have a relationship with the creator of this world, we are to be caretakers of the world He created, and knowing and cultivating God's purposes for us & our relationships are what makes us more complete, I’m not going with ‘mystical’ jazz. It is not mystical. It is laid out in God’s word that we were created for a purpose and we have our own uniqueness in purposes and talents and that we are to be cultivating a relationship with God and with others.
I guess I can go with ‘transpersonal’- because it does take us beyond just ourselves. It is not just about US.
Well, that was basically the first 2 pages. I’ll go lighter in the rest of the book. I won’t do page of notes for each section from here on out.
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