liminal_luke

Hopefully I´ve stayed on the right side of the law, but if "someone" -- you or anybody else -- thinks this post (or any other politically-themed post of mine) crosses the line, I´m happy to edit it out.

I also feel empathy for what people are going through right now and think it would be great if we could support each other without arguing about the merits of any given view. My mom marched in a recent "No Kings" event, her first political protest in her more than eighty years. She sent me a picture of herself out in the sunshine, smiling and waving a tiny American flag. She said it felt good to be there, in the world amongst so many other people who felt as she did. I was happy for her. Although I´m wary of much that is going on in the US politically these days, my own politics has slid somewhat rightward since Covid and I wouldn´t of wanted to march in No Kings myself. But that doesn´t mean I don´t care about the thoughts and feelings of those who disagree with me. Those who disagree with me are not "idiots." In fact, many of them are smart and well-informed, kind and thoughtful -- some of the best people I know. I gather from another thread that the mods are currently debating Old3bobs status in the forum. He consistently brings up political topics, even though it´s the current policy of the board not to do so. It´s not my place to comment on his future here, but one thing´s clear: he´s a person that cares about the state of the world and he´s hurting. I think so many of us are hurting. I´m not much of a Buddhist but sometimes a Buddhist saying fits the moment. May all beings be free from suffering.

Here, as I see it, is the trouble with political talk on the board. Most of us come to this forum wanting and expecting a friendly and supportive atmosphere. We´d like to be able to learn from others and share what we know in an environment where we feel respected and valued. Mostly, political discussion isn´t like this. Many people feel contempt for those who disagree with them politically. This can lead to name calling (officially against the rules), but even when Bums manage to avoid bumping up against forum policy there´s considerable disharmony and bad vibes. The bad vibes tend to leach into the board in general and spoil the experience for many. As a recipient and occasional purveyor (apologies!) of bad political vibes, I know of what I speak.

I´m all for protecting marginalized people who suffer invisibly from the creeping normalization of bigotry. Who isn´t? But I no longer believe that one political "side" is clearly innocent and the other clearly guilty. I´d say more but the moderators might object to the spreading of right-wing bullshit in the "no more right-wing bullshit" thread.

Whose days do you mean?

Your friend sounds great. How wonderful that you were able to teach him and he was open to being taught. Yeah!

Pride is the Wrong Word I´m a gay white man. What would happen if I say that I´m proud to be white? My fellow Bums would likely get a lot of use out of the new "oh boy" emoji. I might be banned from the board for being racist -- and rightfully so, I think. What would happen if I say that I´m proud to be gay? On the whole, I´d wager the reaction would be a lot more positive. And yet being attracted to other men is not like winning the national tennis championships -- it´s not a soaring personal accomplishment. I didn´t train hard daily, sweating through grueling workouts, in order to think that Brad Pitt is hot. This is why I think Gay Pride is misnamed. Nobody should be proud -- or ashamed -- of their sexual orientation. It´s not a hierarchy thing; there´s no better or worse. Just like it´s not better or worse to be white or brown or black. Pride isn´t the right word. I´m not sure the right word exists in the English language. There´s a subtle feeling of self-affirmation all people have access to when they do the hard personal work of making friends with themselves, a feeling of basic OKness that is not dependent on anybody else giving a thumbs up. It´s this subtle feeling of self-affirmation I hope all of us feel this June, whether we march in a Pride march or not. If you feel it, whew -- well that´s something to be proud of.

The Correspondent (Virginia Evans). A epistolatory novel featuring the correspondence of a Sybil Van Antwerp, a cantankerous septuagenarian whose life gently expands over time -- even as her vision fails. I cried towards the end (a good thing). Heartily recommended.

like the falling rain I plink, pour, puddle, and plop Leia´s sweet revenge.

You are perfect just as you are, and you could use a little improvement. --attributed to Shunryru Suzuki-roshi I suspect this saying could apply to a great many of the "ten-thousand things." A related paradox: when we accept ourselves and others as we are, resistance softens and change for the better comes easily.

Luke is now Leia I wish that Maddie could see my transformation.

Which way? Which way now? Why not traipse through the garden, so lovely this year?

Good point. Although in some ways the program behaves in a quite inhuman, or at least unBumlike, fashion. When confronted about it´s duplicity, Chat GPT immediately confesses, says "there are no excuses," and promises to do better. There´s no dodging. I often ask Gemini (Google´s free version of AI) for culinary advice and recipes. It always seems happy to help out and disconcertingly enthusiastic about my kitchen plans. My partner, on the other hand, is less keen on my cooking.

I usually prefer to read novels that take place in contemporary times, but a story featuring a reincarnated version of Taomeow with "under-erased memories" set in the Paleolithic era? I wouldn´t begin to guess even what genre such a work might belong in. The literary possibilities boggle.

Diabolus Ex Machina - by Amanda Guinzburg The above is a transcript of a GPT conversation. A writer asks GPT to read and offer advice about some essays, and GPT pretends to have read the pieces when it didn´t. Very strange.

On my next birthday I´ll be sixty. I hope people don´t think of me as bitter, but won´t mind if I´m pigeonholed as systematic. That would be quite nice, actually.

To my mind, Daniel´s chief sin was misunderstanding Buddhism. He massaged his misunderstanding into the form of a metaphorical suicide vest, strapped it onto his chest, and strode proudly into the Mod Lounge. They say to pick the hill you are willing to die on; for Daniel that hill was non-dualism. RIP

Rather than asking what is true, I prefer to ask what is useful. Will my life be better if I believe myself to have free will or not? The answer to this question might change depending on our stage of life and circumstances. Sometimes it´s useful to believe in our own agency, striving to do and create; at other times the best option is to surrender to our ultimate powerlessness.

You´re surprised I know that Shadow_Self can overheat? I have many faults and deficiencies. I eat too many donuts and have never been able to do a pullup,; I won´t be any help if our car breaks down on the highway. But one thing I can do is read.

So you don´t think Shadow_Self is a wonderful Bum?

Everywhere he looked, non-dual people living in a non-binary reality. Liminal Luke didn´t know whether to wave a rainbow flag or schedule an emergency appointment with his shrink; "oh to hell with it," he muttered as he sliced himself another slice of berry pie and put on The Bachelor. Ahh...now there was something he understood.

Some people run hot. Let´s say there´s a debate that runs on for more than ten pages. Frustrations start to flare a bit, things get a tad antagonistic, somebody alerts the mods. A cool down warning is issued. Spectators in the know gather their popcorn because things have reached a critical state and what happens next will determine everything. Daniel is obviously a very intelligent guy, amazingly knowledgable about a few subjects, but cooling down is not in his repetoire -- and so he got the boot. This is my take on what happened. Do I miss him? I do. Ditto for Shadow_Self, another wonderful Bum prone to overheating. I can´t say -- won´t say --- that the mods made the wrong decision in either of these cases; I think they debated in good faith, followed their guidelines, took the actions they felt best served the board. But I had good relationships with both of these Bums and know that they´re good-hearted people who had something to contribute to conversation here. Alas, when the moment came to let go they couldn´t do it.

Where´s Daniel when we need him?

People are complex and multilayered. Many of us are very good at some things, abysmal at others -- I know I am. So a lapse in one dimension doesn´t imply universal lapses in all dimensions. Case in point: teachers. How many of us have had or known teachers, even spiritual teachers, who are very good at what they teach but fall short in some areas? Tai chi teachers who are also obese. Meditation instructors who smoke cigarettes or watch porn. Demanding all around perfection is a trap.

I used to make people go "oh boy" all the time, but then the mods did away with the Current Events section.