tag > Ideas
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What does a 21st century version of Animism look like?
Animism is the world's oldest religion, starting in the Paleolithic age. Its view is that all phenomena have agency, that there exists no distinction between the spiritual & material, and that sentience exists not only in humans, but also in animals, plants, rocks, rivers, etc.
Beyond the naive & outdated interpretations of Animism as "primitive" superstition, one can think of it as one of humanities oldest still active cultural lineages. Beyond the spiritual domain, Animism has highly relevant views on socio-political, ecological & technological issues
In a sense, one can think of Animism as a *holistic framework* which elegantly encompasses ecology, culture, art, politics, technology, science & spirit. It is age old & battle proven yet still alive & in flux. Animism is not a belief system, but a world view and a value system.
Among the many positive and highly practical affordances that Animism offers us today, here are a few: It addresses the "people-in-nature" (opposite the current "people-VS-nature") question heads-on, which is critical in times of climate change & mass species extinction.
Animism is fundamentally *process-oriented* & *relations-oriented* (VS our current cult-like obsession with consumption & dead artefacts). Looking at human-environment interactions as processes and relationships is indeed the way to get out of the "people.VS.nature" trap.
And finally, by re-enchanting our worldview, Animism invites us to feel deeply at home in our own skin & reality - and not live in an constant state of alienation and fear of the "other", which results in our current pathological need to control, model & predict everything.
To conclude, i like to invite you to earnestly meditate on this: Fairies, Ents, Elfs, Gnoms, Jinns and Water Spirits are real! As real as the spirit in plants, animals & humans. Animism has much to offer for the 21st century. Let's embrace it & re-enchant our world.
Related: Animism: a belief among indigenous people, young children, or all religious people!
#Culture #Religion #Philosophy #Regenerative #Magic #Comment #History #Ideas
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"The obvious is the hardest thing of all to point out to anyone who has genuinely lost sight of it." - Owen Barfield
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That moment when one is forced to acknowledge, that one's child can see unusual creatures (commonly called gnomes, elves, fairies, goblins, yōkai
, etc.) and interacts with them regularly.
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If you are quiet and pay attention - you'll notice something rather peculiar. This thing is far more strange than anything created by humans: The wildest conspiracy stories are tame in comparison. This thing is the reverberation of the song performed behind the veil of maya. This thing is truly nothing - and yet everything.
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Nature's Marketing Agency Sucks
I find it peculiar how the topic of "nature" is poorly communicated in contemporary culture: The most stunningly beautiful natural places are commonly promoted (and perceived) as just "a place to do sports", "a place for old people", "a place to stop at for 30min during a car trip", "a place to take selfies for social media" or "a place to kill animals, grill & eat them". And the communication style is poor across the board: Think of climate activists describing nature mainly in terms of crisis & doom - or corporate "green-washing/laundering".
The "value of unspoiled natural beauty, wildlife, solitude and spiritual renewal" is hardly ever emphasized. Nature as a powerful source of experience, meaning, health and community. One thing is clear: Nature's Marketing Agency Sucks. And this has profound implication for how people perceive topics such as bio-diversity or well-being, and how people act.
Examples of great "marketing for nature" do exist: In Japan natural experiences are more frequently communicated with an appropriate sense of grace, dignity, care, maturity and playfulness - making nature relatable, desirable and relevant for ordinary people at scale. How can we learn from such successes and what new stories about nature do we tell?
#Nature #Ideas #Japan #Media #Narrative #Comment #Ideas #Regenerative
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Thoughts on the fundamentals of inquiry and shortcomings of western science
When i have the opportunity of deep-diving into a research rabbit hole in the context of western science (e.g for work), i frequently return to the realization that while such ideas are very complex and fascinating, they ignore and utterly confuse the all important fundamentals of inquiry - where things like Qigong, Yoga, Meditation, etc. effortlessly excel. It's peculiar.
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"Fortune-Telling" is a category error.
"Fortune-Making" is more precise & useful. -
"Beauty in things exists merely in the mind which contemplates them." - David Hume
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“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.” ― George Carlin
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Move to your attention away from Artifacts ("things"), away from Process ("making things"), to Being ("I am - here and now"). Real respect, learning, relaxation, meaning, love and peace requires a unwavering focus on being. Just be, and everything will flow from there.
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Taking infinity to heart has profound implications: Everything exists - including nothing.
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"Little lies don't need to be protected. But the big lies are protected by public incredulity." - Marshall Mcluhan
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"Some would say that we have some sort of telepathy or symbiotic relationship. Others would say we just have one idea" - Wachowski Brothers
