Four Principles, One Law -- Some More Comments

Artur Silva arturfsilva at yahoo.com
Sun May 23 06:14:08 PDT 2004


Hi:

I will have a lot of work to do the rest of this sunny
Sunday and, unfortunately, also during all the week.
Probably I will only be able to see your answers next
Saturday. But, before leaving, let me add some more
comments about the principles and how they apply IMO
to an OST meeting and to life itself. I will change
the order of the principles

--- Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net> wrote:


> Whenever it starts is the right time.
> When it is over, it is over - but it ain't over yet

In a meeting this principles about time state the
obvious - what always happens. The reason to clarify
them is to make people more comfortable with what
would happen anyhow.

More generally, they state that everything has a
beginning and an end. This applies to everything under
the Sun (and above), including life. To repeat this is
a truism - but it doesn't bothers me.

> Whoever comes is the right people
> Whatever happens is the only thing that could have

In the context of an OST meeting these are NOT
"principles", IMHO. They are "results". If a good
theme is selected, if a correct invitation is written
(if it is really an invitation and not an obligation
to attend, covered by the word "invitation"), if
enough diversity is obtained, and if the law of two
feet is applied THEN this "principles" seem to apply.
If one or some of those conditions don't apply the the
"principle" will not normally show up.

(The point about learning something new, the point
about conversions, metanoias, shifts of mind,
scientific or methodological revolutions, is that what
one previously believes disallow us to see the new
concept. One must make an effort to UNLEARN what was a
good explanation before. One must be able to do a very
difficult thing indeed: to make an "What if" reasoning
- let's admit, for a minute, that this crazy idea is
correct. If it is, what are the consequences? How many
of you are able to do that?
How many will prefer NOT to think about the
possibility and cover it with silence or with some
questions "just for fun"? After doing that, one may
conclude: yes, this may be a possibility of a
different way of looking to the same reality - or, NO,
this is silly! After making the attempt, one may
conclude - not before. Let's continue...)

If my argument has some credibility, then one must ask
if those two principles (that even in an OST meeting
are only true IF a lot of preconditions are satisfied)
do apply to life and society in general or not? And,
if yes, in what conditions do they apply?

I could give you my (provisional) answers to those
questions, but I think it is more interesting to give
you all one week to think about the questions...

Best regards, from sunny Lisbon (Lisboa, indeed), in
the extreme West of "old Europe"

Artur







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