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Post by nobodyishome on Jan 29, 2012 23:46:54 GMT -5
Certainly not the name that comes up when you think about non duality teachers. But this guy is something else. I have to say he's brilliant, very likeable, and someone where anyone can learn something.
Enjoy Maybe Logic The life and ideas of Robert Anton Wilson
NBisHyoutu.be/LOj5ANianCc
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Post by Peter on Jan 30, 2012 4:00:20 GMT -5
I read his Cosmic Trigger when I was 21 and it really opened to doors for me. As you say NBish, a very likeable guy. His books just wander all over what was happening in his life at the time, wading through the stream, not holding on to anything. Great jumping off points for further (perhaps more serious) reading. I read an article where he was talking about how - for a long time - he was trying to 'awaken' america - shock people into really "seeing". And then he read the results of a survey where (among other questions) people where asked: Q. Do you think Nuclear power stations should be phased out of production 90% of respondants said yes. Q. In order to reduce the demand for electricity in this country, would you be willing to cut back on your electrical consumption (lighting, air conditioning, heating, etc) 85% of respondants said no. So apparently he got very angry/depressed about that and stopped trying to wake up the general population. |
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Post by dogribb on Jan 30, 2012 10:35:06 GMT -5
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Jasun
New Member
Posts: 46
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Post by Jasun on Jan 30, 2012 20:32:18 GMT -5
Reiterating what I just posted at the Jed McK thread and then adding to it:
RAW was a great writer and a great thinker, for sure. I no longer make the mistake of confusing those qualities with great-soul-ness, however, or even authenticity.
The allure of enlightenment, and the promise, is that it is a state of consciousness that turns reality inside out, and thereby reveals to us, in the words of RAW - that "everything we know is wrong."
RAW's real gift, IMO, was to invite us to doubt our own thought processes while entertaining us so much that we didn't object to having the rug pulled out from under us. As a writer myself, he's an inspiration. As a guy, I reserve judgment, but he seems just OK to me.
He did loads of drugs, smoked pot all the time, worked fairly closely with possible CIA asset Tim Leary, froze his daughter's brain when she was murdered in the hope she would be technologically resurrected, and other odd quirks of behavior that created the impression, to me, that he wasn't as free and loose as his writing would suggest.
That raises a question for me, as to whether the value of writing relates to the intelligence and skill, depth, insight and imagination of the writing, only, or also to the place it's coming from. Brilliant writers and thinkers can be very stuck individuals in terms of genuine spiritual development. I sort of speak from personal experience here. Not to be a negative voice, that's not my intention, but maybe to open up the discussion a little in terms of what we value as "spiritual seekers"...?
The value or words may be measured by the degree to which they lead to positive action or real change. Maybe that's why RAW got depressed? Because words, even brilliant ones, are still fairly cheap?
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Post by stardustpilgrim on Feb 3, 2012 8:07:58 GMT -5
..............odd quirks of behavior that created the impression, to me, that he wasn't as free and loose as his writing would suggest.
That raises a question for me, as to whether the value of writing relates to the intelligence and skill, depth, insight and imagination of the writing, only, or also to the place it's coming from. Brilliant writers and thinkers can be very stuck individuals in terms of genuine spiritual development. I sort of speak from personal experience here. Not to be a negative voice, that's not my intention, but maybe to open up the discussion a little in terms of what we value as "spiritual seekers"...?
The value or words may be measured by the degree to which they lead to positive action or real change. Maybe that's why RAW got depressed? Because words, even brilliant ones, are still fairly cheap? There is work on knowledge and there is work on being, the former does not guarantee the latter. |
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Post by thenewdawn on Apr 10, 2012 17:58:30 GMT -5
Robert Anton Wilson opened up many doors for me too, I am grateful to have come across his work. : )
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