Thumotic living is creative and productive. Living beings create in a variety of ways. We create more living beings. We create safe places to bring forth more living beings, nurture them, and add to the rich tapestry of living beings. We help nurture the offspring of others.
We produce abundantly. Look at how many seeds one dandelion produces, how many acorns one oak tree produces, and how many mice one mouse produces. Look at how much honey one hive of honey bees produces. Look at how many eggs a human female produces and how many sperm the human male produces. Abundance is natural.
Spirited beings cannot not produce and create. It's what spirited beings do. We do not have to try to produce. It's natural. Rose bushes do not try to produce blooms. They just do it. It's what they do.
We humans also work in cooperation with other living beings to produce language, tools, food, clothing, shelter, jewelry, paintings, flower gardens, statues, musical instruments, music, dances, imaginative stories and songs, countless machines, and so much more.
We do not create and produce just to survive. We do it to thrive and enjoy living. We often strive to create beauty, that which gives pleasure and delights ourselves and others.
Only those who, for whatever reason, do not value life produce life-denying creations. They suppress, hinder, and destroy their own lives and those of others. They rob life and the world of its value.
Until they can make life-affirming contributions, they forfeit the privilege of having significant influence in the world.
We all need them to do better.
It seems to me that your writing this blog is part of your personal affirmation to thrive and enjoy living. What strikes me most about this installment is its emphasis on the cooperative and synergistic nature of human existence.
ReplyDeleteIt certainly seems to me that we certainly started out this way. Yet somewhere, somehow we've lost sight of the concept that the abundant and prolific life of each benefits all. So very often its about getting ahead so someone else is behind. Competition is the current way. I believe that cooperation is very much needed if we are to survive; not only survive, but also continue to thrive.
Your analogy of the rose bush bringing forth its blossoms puts me in mind of an image that has been circulating lately--that of a flower, and words to the effect that the flower doesn't compete with other flowers, it just brings forth its most beautiful blooms into the world. That's how I like to think of each of us--bringing forth our beautiful blooms to share with everyone else.
This post is certainly a meditation.
Sara, thank you so much for your thoughful comment. I agree. Somewhere along the way many of us Westerners chose life-denying competition over life-affirming competition or cooperation. Part of what I'm about in re-visioning spirit in terms of thumos, is revisioning Western civ on the basis of a revision of spirit.
ReplyDeleteYour reply suggests a couple of thoughts to me. It sounds as if you can see forms of competition that are life-affirming, and therefore positive. Can you share an example?
ReplyDeleteI may already know the answer to this, though I'll ask anyway. Do you see this re visioning of spirit as new, a return to more of our natural selves, or a combination of both?
I think any kind of competition that supports and helps us develop our bodies, minds, spirits and relationships is life-affirming. Our attitude plays a big role.
ReplyDeleteThe first example that came to my mind was the Boston Marathon. Thousands compete. It's good for the bodies, minds, and spirits of all who paticipate. It is also a vibrant social experience. There is only one winner, the one who runs the marathon in the least amount of time. The winner is celebrated. However, all of the other runners "win" too just by participating in the event. They do not feel devalued for not being the first to cross the finish line. They do not take it personally.
My answer to your second question is both.
I just had another thought on competition. In life-affirming competitions, competitors come together to seek the same thing. They come together to seek knowledge- knoweldge of who can do something faster, longer, further, closer to a set standard, the most times, etc. The only way they can gain the knowledge they both seek is to join together in a competition. At they end of the competition they all know something that they did not know before they competed with each other.
ReplyDeleteYour example of the Boston Marathon is a good one. The local news actually covers the stories of those who finish the race with slow times. Everyone has a wonderful story about why they run. Also check out the father/son team, the Hoyt's.
ReplyDeleteI do see your second point. Competition can be a valuable teacher for us--about ourselves and others.
Your key point for me is attitude. What about this competition is life-affirming and what has it shown me about myself.