A Moral Compass Devised from Poetry

Getting back to Dante, who poetically dramatized that reason, symbolized by the poet Virgil, can only take us so far, and that we must look to love, symbolized by Beatrice, to take us the entire distance. From the poetic genius of Dante we can devise a kind of moral compass to be used less didactically than poetically, that is, as a means to inspire. Providing a visual chart, on one side represents the exploration of the depths of our nature, in a downward spiral of pride, greed, wrath, envy, gluttony, and lust. At the bottom we find a misanthropic culture writhing in shame and shaming, a kind of hell on earth.

From here we go back up to explore the heights by harnessing the redemptive aspects of our nature that recognizes a hierarchy of collectives. We ascend through sexual love, to family love, to community love, to national love, to human love, to divine love, the latter to include our collective dependence on all creation. At the top we reach a kind of heaven on earth of individual freedom acting in harmony with others and nature, a culture of sympathetic love, where the arts and outdoors lend rhythm to action (to craft a line from the shards of Rimbaud’s shattered dream). As noted, these collectives are hierarchical and should be achieved within the context of the above; for example, to avoid the evils of nationalism, a national spirit should be achieved within the greater context, or within concert, of the human spirit.

But this compass is just a tool with limitations. If it’s misused toward shaming, it means its taking you off course in the wrong direction. It’s simply a means to confront the truth of our nature and provide focus on the redemptive aspects of our nature. For the modernist dismissive of the so called “dark ages”, by drawing on the middle ages for inspiration is an act of contrition. We shouldn’t devalue any time or culture on earth, but incorporate whatever lessons we may glean and move forward. Here we’re in step with the rallying cry of contemporary, integral philosophers, such as Steve McIntosh, as we strive to “transcend and include”, which also hearkens to Whitman’s “reject nothing”.

Devising a Moral Compass

As described by my “On the Trail of Dante” series (see blog entries of July 19-22) I've experienced both heaven and hell on earth with a continued oscillation between the two planes. From this experience, I’ve devised a kind of moral compass, forged by the fires of hell, so to speak. As we stay in the metaphor of blazing a trail to the Promised Land, the use of a compass is merely an instrument to help find our way. Looking at my life one way, comparing myself to an individualistic ideal, I may well seem the last person to be providing anything to do with moral guidance. But that just might be the divine point of it all. As it appears to me, it is not so much our shortcomings but our redemptive qualities that we must harness towards our salvation.

The way it points is not to wealth, or power, or status, or even happiness. The magnetic north of this compass is love. Because love is not necessarily rewarded, recognized, reciprocated, or appreciated, to follow this compass may also court a gauntlet marked by poverty, debt, humiliation, sorrow, longing, regret, and bitterness. A true test of faith, in the Christian context it's referred to as “bearing the cross.” Following this compass, one will be tempted to chuck it down into the nearest chasm that presents itself; and who can blame anyone for doing this. To take such a path individually, one may well look and feel like a complete idiot, something akin to Cervantes' Don Quixote, the knight of the sad countenance.

Collectively, however, such a path can be transformative. What is it about our human nature that's capable of overriding self-interest? What is it about our human nature we must call upon to overcome the entrenched narrow interests that threaten our democracy? This would be the prospect of true progress through actions inspired with meaning beyond our individual existence. I believe it to be inherent in all of us and it is that which we're trying to tap into here.

Response to McKibben Editorial: Addressing the Specter of an Environmental Crisis

In an August 4, 2010 Los Angeles Times editorial, Bill McKibben called for "bodies, spirit, passion" in addressing the climate crisis in our midst. As a long time Sierra Club member, I’m sympathetic to such a call. But one must ask whether such a call will be taken up beyond a significant minority contingent and can it be sustained over a longer period of time. Because environmental issues are essentially moral issues, there is a tendency for such calls to lapse into didacticism that not only fails to inspire beyond a significant contingent but conversely, lends itself to further demoralization.

For the reasons cited above, to be successful, I argue, the environmental movement should be part of a broader spiritual movement. What we’re up against is the limitations of education, science and reason to induce change. In Plato’s Republic, Socrates cites an “ancient argument”, or difference between poetry and philosophy (i.e., mythos and logos) that I submit continues to this day. By taking a poetic approach to human progress we can appeal to the totality of our human nature to induce change. At a time when top down incremental change may not be enough to address the challenges before us, a poetic approach provides the opportunity for bottom up culturally transformative change.

Moral cultures have been revitalized throughout human history to shape the individual’s relationship to the greater collective, to include the environment. By drawing on the mythos and framing it poetically yet truthfully, to tell the human story, an appeal can be made that goes deeper than the level of reason to induce the spirit, or inspiration. Through the promotion of a poetic approach and the use of symbol, metaphor, and narrative, we can frame it as spirit (the individual acting in harmony with others and nature) versus pride (the individual acting in discord with others and nature.

Use the “promised land” to symbolize a collective vision capable of overriding and incorporating one’s individual vision. Use the metaphor of moving from the land of the dead to the land of the living to illustrate our move towards sustainablity. Use the narrative of the prodigal son and interject the arts to cast light as to the individuals role in the outcome. Such an appeal can provide an invitation difficult to refuse, or difficult to disengage from.

Because we’re addressing issues rooted in deep historical and cultural circumstances (such as the agricultural and industrial revolutions, for example) and how we're socialized into the present in relation to how we evolved in the primal past, a poetic approach enables it more engaging. Furthermore, by staying in the metaphor can provide some alleviation to the bitter divisions and provide focus on the truth of our plight. Most important, by framing it as spirit versus pride, it can provide a glimpse of how this story ends: inidvidual freedom ultimately must be sustained by love for the collective, or collective spirit; and whether that’s Christlike love or the triumph of the human spirit is open for interpretation and can be both.

New York Times Editorial about Food Supply

Here's an editorial that challenges my inclination toward relocalization. Having been in the food supply business for many years it is of personal interest.

Turning Vision into Action

Inevitably, the question arises, how does one initiate a spiritual movement? Or, put another way, how does one go about turning vision into action? Having given much thought on the subject, I arrived at some pluasibilities that can be articulated in time. Currently, given my limited credibility and resources, to date I've had to focus on publication. But here I'll provide a glimpse of how we can literally take to the streets.

Once some organization begins to come together, we act local while dreaming global: promoting community spirit within the greater context of the human spirit. First you start with a general heading followed by a general purpose, for example: The Promised Land Project. Purpose: promoting the human spirit through poetry and the arts. Such a definition is fairly innocuous but if one should begin to feel, and believe they can sustain, a sense of urgency, in time such a purpose can evolve as follows: addressing a spiritual crisis in the modern democratic society.

Then you attach a subject for a specific action, for example: canning blemished fruit into preserves. Obviously, this is a very specific action to make greater use of resources. So you bill a meeting as follows:

The Promised Land Project: canning blemished fruit into preserves.

When the notion of a full-fledged spiritual movement may seem far-fetched -- and one should expect to encounter such moments -- one can break it down to the more manageable pursuit of “keeping up the spirits”, so to speak. Toward this end, one can bill another meeting as follows:

The Promised Land Project: dancing in the streets.

The above can serve as a new kind of public demonstration to keep up one's own spirits while attracting others to the cause. Such a demonstration also has certain advantages over the warmed-over, 1960's version. For those who put forth meetings or demonstrations, it is expected to be a mutually beneficial relationship, promoting others as we promote ourselves. The key to success is developing mutually beneficial relationships and enabling individuals and groups to make it their own in some form or other.

L.A. Times Editorial: A Conservative Perspective

Refreshing to read David Klinghoffers articulation of the conservative position, for now I believe calmer heads will prevail and the seeds of a synthesis are beginning to take root in the culture wars. Where conservatives erred, I believe, is revealed in his lament that liberalism reduced humans to “mere animals.” The truth is, we are animals, but we're social animals capable of reflecting that dynamic of our collective nature called love. Had we been able to better appreciate that prophet of our modern democratic society, Walt Whitman, we might have saved ourselves a lot of strife. We can more clearly recognize the divine in ourselves by embracing and celebrating the animal within, not by consciously setting ourselves apart from them.