Compassion

We tend think about compassion on the level of individual selves and minds: Bob feels compassionate toward Jim because Jim lost his wife, or his wallet, etc. Bob sympathizes with Jim because he can internally, to a certain extent, “feel what Jim feels.”

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Posted by CygnusX1  on  03/17  at  12:38 PM

Quote : "From the point of view of the cosmos, maximization of compassion would cause a huge burst of joy, as all the patterns inside various minds gained cross-mind unity.

But joy is about increase of patternment. The question is whether, after every mind wholly opened up to every other mind and experienced this burst of compassion, there would still be a situation where new patterns and new unities would get created."

Are you proposing a kind of "joyous big bang"?


Quote : "The tricky thing here is that individual minds want to retain their individuality and integrity:and if the patterns they contain grow too much unity with "outside" patterns, this isolated individuality may be threatened."

Quote : "Perhaps as transhumanist technology advances many of us will choose to give up our humanity, via various routes. Perhaps in doing so we will achieve greater levels of compassion and joy than any human can. But until that time, we have to play the dialectical game of allowing ourselves as much joy and compassion as we can while keeping our selves and our internal conscious theaters intact enough to allow us to function."

Spot on target! The dialectical game of individuality, of identity and of "Self" preservation is ultimately the preservation of the "ego". Yes here we go again, "Self enquiry", (yawns..), is the path to self-understanding and compassion and connectedness. And we must use the ego and "Self" determination, and rely upon our integrity to help us to the goal of self-understanding. Why was the Buddha not shaken and tempted from his meditation and final enlightenment? I would say that it was his "Self" determination, his freewill and his tenacity : his ego.

Some say this is wrong, that supporting or using the ego is like "using a thief to catch a thief", yet this apparition of "Self" and it's determination to freedom of will may be the only thing that "can" lead us to connectedness and final Moksha or Nirvana? Strangely enough this attribute, this notion of freewill inherent within the "Self" and its bonds of separation may be of no coincidence : maybe it is a true gift? - a rather spiritual point of view?

Those familiar with ACIM find themselves aligned to connectedness and the likes of final emancipation, yet do not view the ego can be a positive influence. It is true that the ego is at the root of our sufferings, yet is it the cause of our sufferings? ACIM has a remarkable tool to achieve "fast track compassion" - called forgiveness, (not a new idea). And total forgiveness leads to total compassion? Yet beware : one's mind, (and its ego), is strong enough to delude even itself, and lead us away from rationality and into chaos.

In the meantime, the pursuit of self-understanding leads us naturally to material connectedness, and pushes the envelope to compassion between humans, if we so choose it that is?

Posted by iPan Ba'al Typhon  on  03/17  at  02:58 PM

"Unity is plural, and at minimum two."
- Buckminster Fuller

Posted by veronica  on  03/17  at  03:10 PM

"And of course, transhuman minds will likely be capable of greater compassion than human minds. "

I would posit that transhuman minds will likely be capable of greater everything than human minds, including those qualities that go against compassion. So, will it be a wash? I hope not.

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