I leave Adelynrood today to return home to Finland. As usual, I am both happy to be heading out and sad to be leaving. For some reason this predictable journey experience of "dualism" (as unitive) of being both backside and frontside has left me concretely, and otherwise, content in journey which while being neither here nor there, is at the same time, home. (Ah - to have the gifts of Wilber and Rohr right now - I feel the above is as clear as mud! - lol)
These weeks in the States I have been reflecting on the "Grace" of being the/an "Outsider". I have been having fun contemplating what CAN be outside and what does it mean to be outside? I had fun starting with the premise (realization) that "wholeness" absolutely eradicates in some ways the distinctions of inside and outside, since to have an inside there must be an outside. Take that away and inside ceases to exist :) Also fun, is playing with the notion that if one is outside an in grouping, then one becomes firmly established as a member of the out grouping and thus one is "inside" while at the same time being outside. Obvious!
Then I hopped over to the pragmatism of the outsider position.
Some Positive Aspects (characteristics of "open", "secure" Groups
These weeks in the States I have been reflecting on the "Grace" of being the/an "Outsider". I have been having fun contemplating what CAN be outside and what does it mean to be outside? I had fun starting with the premise (realization) that "wholeness" absolutely eradicates in some ways the distinctions of inside and outside, since to have an inside there must be an outside. Take that away and inside ceases to exist :) Also fun, is playing with the notion that if one is outside an in grouping, then one becomes firmly established as a member of the out grouping and thus one is "inside" while at the same time being outside. Obvious!
Then I hopped over to the pragmatism of the outsider position.
Some Positive Aspects (characteristics of "open", "secure" Groups
- People don't expect you to know the rules
- Which often means they cut you a lot of slack and are not offended when one makes a faux pas
- Folks see you because you are not familiar and often pay you more attention than the usual members of their group
- One is safer to confide in - more trust? that whatever confided won't (can't?) go any further.
Some Negative Aspects (characteristics of "closed", "insecure" Groups
- Suspicion and mistrust which leads to
- Discounting
- Judging
- Rejection
No surprises in any of this and a reminder to hold lightly the locus of interpretation. When I am on the "outside" of any group, how much of the positive and negative experiences come from me? and how much from the group? And can that kind of distinction be made anyway as we stimulate each other.
Here - another man who can say it much better than I can, Alan Watts:
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