Thomas

But we don’t always have access to a retreat center, a monastery, or a library, what we do have is this place, a base camp, a landmark for thinking beyond thought.

The metaphor of the base camp is particularly apt for this kind of contemplative scholarship. Like the mountaineer’s base camp—a place of preparation and return, of gathering resources... See more

This means it’s really easy to get stuck. Stuck in your current way of seeing and thinking about things. Frames are made out of the details that seem important to you. The important details you haven’t noticed are invisible to you, and the details you have noticed seem completely obvious and you see right through them. This all makes makes it... See more

What did Huxley believe would bring about this dystopia? Not a global world order or a charismatic despot: “The change will be brought about as a result of a felt need for increased efficiency.”

Schopenhauer once said that humanity is defined by our tendency to restlessly strive , but I think he was only partially right. Striving is in our nature, but it doesn’t mean that it’s restless.

Values aren't pre-built frameworks but prompts for curiosity and critical thinking.

Values aren't answers; they are questions.

Values aren't chains; they are wings.

While all layers are always present and all are vital to understand any situation, Inayatullah (2003b, p.6) places a “higher” value on the mythic/metaphor layer because it informs all the other layers. Meadows (2008) similarly believes the most effective leverage point in a system is one that “transcends the paradigm”. For Meadows the “highest”... See more