Re: CHAT illuminati (was: Back again)

On Wednesday, September 10, 2003, at 06:23 , John Cowan wrote:

> Ray Brown scripsit:
>
>> But while I've heard of the Seven Sages of the ancient Greeks, I know not
>> the 'Bamboo Grove'.  I seek illumination.  Who are the sages and which
>> one
>> am I?
>
> From bamboogrove.com:
>
> # The Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove were a group of Chinese scholars
> # and poets of the mid-3rd century AD who banded together to escape from
> # the hypocrisy and danger of the official world to a life of drinking
> # wine and writing verse in the country. Their retreat was typical of the
> # Taoist-oriented ch'ing-t'an ("pure conversation") movement that
> advocated
> # freedom of individual expression and hedonistic escape from extremely
> # corrupt politics. Their ideal consisted in following their impulses and
> # acting spontaneously. Their outstanding collective characteristic was
> # their sensitivity to the beauties of nature.
Thanks - I knew one of the illuminati would enlighten me   :)

While I support freedom of expression, as long as that freedom is
responsibly exercised (i.e. not to the harm or detriment of the innocent
among one's fellow members of the human race), I have no truck with either
hedonism or escapism.

If politics is extremely corrupt, this is bad for society and, especially,
the weaker members of society and it's bad for freedom.  My response is
that
if politics is corrupt one has a duty do what one can to make it less
corrupt.

Following impulse, it seems to me, is precisely what leads to the ever
escalating spiral of revenge killing followed by revenge killing we witness
all too often. Following impulses and acting spontaneously are all very
well
for lesser forms of life who have not been endowed with reason.

My own view is that it behoves us to use the reason which we have been
given. I
abhor blind, unthinking bigotry with with the uttermost abhorrence. Indeed,
  IMO
there is so much misery, violence and oppression in the world precisely
because
too little reason is used.

Reason does not produce the horrendous genocides that marked the 20th
century
nor the obscenity & evil of 9/11.

Count me out as one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, please!
I'll stick with the 7 wise men of the ancient Greeks.

Ray
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