by km artlu » Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:07 am
This thread has caused me to reflect upon an observed tendency in myself and in those I've known. There appears to be a deep desire for an infallible guide, or source of knowledge.<br><br>When it comes to the subjects pursued here at RI, I very much doubt such a person exists. Liminal fields of inquiry, by their very nature, involve speculation. These areas also overlap with the big questions which have traditionaly involved faith.<br><br>The trickster phenomenon lurks there as well. Faith, yearning, fear, hope....the charlatan's niche.<br><br>Just as handy examples -- L. Ron Hubbard and Carlos Castaneda have each packaged ideas in a manner which, scattered here and there in those systems, are unequaled in conveying to me certain insights and clarity.<br><br>Both men were, in my opinion, and most certainly towards the end of their lives, batshit crazy sociopaths. Yet, to this day, I'll find myself assisted from time to time by one of either man's axioms or descriptions of how things really work.<br><br>Usually, as they gain traction and as a following grows, such people begin to invoke their own infallibility and a hierarchy among the true believers. The hierarchy then enforces an all or nothing approach as the price of admission to the teachings.<br><br>Ultimately, the quest for knowledge has to be about one's own discrimination. The source can become a nuetral value through self-reliance. Why, it was the old bejeweled lizard queen herself, QE II, who said following 9/11, "The price of love is grief." Righto, Liz. <p></p><i></i>