Information Overload

I’m suffering from it today, pretty intensely. So let me just refer you to another blog (Body and Soul) I ran across today through the good offices of AlterNet.org.

Jeanne’s latest blog entry has all the self-examination, insight, and depth I wish I could see in mainstream journalism. She and her readers are still examining the new pope too — and in the ensuing dialogue, she’s discovered something timeless and true about humanity: Our ability to communicate with one another doesn’t guarantee success, despite our best efforts.

I admire her writing. I admire her insight. But as I mentioned in a comment I made on the article, those walls that hinder communication are sometimes caused by the rather wide variance in human development (or evolution) that exists in our race today.

I’m no expert in the field, but the crux of it seems to be that evolution (or development, if you will) progresses in a more or less predictable pattern. It meanders some, but the overall direction is forward, toward higher reasoning, wider tolerance, deeper understanding. And though it looks suspiciously “hierarchical,” under examination one sees that the hierarchy isn’t oppressive or repressive, but rather merely descriptive of what has been, and what is.

The idea here is that those who are still operating at a less-developed do not possess the intellectual ability to grasp thoughts and words which address concepts from a “higher” level of development. In one sense, those concepts simply don’t compute — and so the side of lesser development will usually try to “flatten” or otherwise manipulate the information until they get something out of it which they can understand. Usually, that “something” bears little to no resemblance to the original point. Shortly after that, the flames start.

(Those interested in researching this are directed to Ken Wilber’s works, particularly “A Brief History of Everything” and another book by Dr. Don Beck entitled “Spiral Dynamics: Mastering Values, Leadership, and Change.”)

It’s appropriate to note that there have been no flames so far in the discourse over Jeanne’s “The German Shepherd and the Salvadoran Pastor” post. Just folks asking good questions, and raising good points. Those who misunderstood Jeanne’s stance were, I do believe, perhaps unable to perceive her real point. No fault of theirs, or hers. Just inevitable, when so many have access to such wide-reaching technologies. The good news part of this is, it does help us all grow.

And that, I do hold, is the point of wearing a skin suit this time around.

Quote of the Day: Spiritual experiences do not allow you to simply bypass the growth and development upon which enduring spiritual realization itself depends. — Ken Wilber

Metaphors For Life’s website