Isle Talk Story » life

Water Water Everywhere….

Ken Fields — Sat, 08 May 2010 20:49:01 +0000

…

Its easy to forget our dependence upon water….and yet, it is all around us, in the air, in the soil, in our bodies…..as the saying goes, ‘by water, all things have life.’

Developmental Tasks

Ken Fields — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 07:24:41 +0000

Each developmental stage has an over-arching task which can take the form of a crisis, or significant challenge. Nobody says life is easy, and one reason it can be hard is because of our developmental tasks. These developmental tasks, like our developmental needs, are both heirarchical and interwoven. What had been a dominant need or task in the earlier years is no longer…and, yet, does still exert influence, as do the higher needs and tasks which, even though they may be sub dominant at the time, do pull us up…

….
…

Stage	Age	Stages of Psyche-Socio Development	Spheres of Influence	Developmental Needs	Developmental Tasks
7	76-90+	Late Adulthood	World	Beauty	Integrity
6	41-75	Middle Adulthood	Nation	Knowledge	Generativity
5	21-40	Early Adulthood	State	Belonging	Intimacy
4	13-20	Adolescence	City	Esteem	Identity
3	8-12	Later Childhood	Community	Control	Competence
2	3-7	Early Childhood	Neighborhood	Safety	Autonomy
1	0-2	Infant	Home	Sustenance	Trust

…

The Ethos Of America

Ken Fields — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 08:43:41 +0000

In a previous post, it was suggested that the word Logos is defined as “the word by which the inward thought is expressed; the inward thought itself.” We might say that Logos gives rise to Ethos. Ethos, the basis of the word ethics, is Greek in origin and defined as “an accustomed place or habitation; hence, habit, custom, character.” (Websters). The American ethos is its character, it’s habitual set of customs and beliefs, values and goals, which is derived from its inward thought, its inward ideas, and ideals.

The American logo is, of course, the flag. But, the Logos, the inward thought, is more along the lines of The Declaration of Independence and, more specifically, the seminal sentence within that declaration: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

There are some problems with this. First, the idea of independence is an illusion. The reality is actually interdependence. Nothing in the world is really independent. Everything in the world is really interdependent. Independence is a rather adolescent concept. Interdependence is a more mature point of view. This is validated by modern quantum physics, and the science of ecology; and with a little observation, interdependence can be validated by direct experience.

The second problem is the idea “pursuit of happiness,” more specifically, the word “pursuit.” Pursuing happiness will yield about as much success as chasing a rainbow. If the guiding principle, the programming, the ethos, is pursuit, then the actual achievement or attainment of happiness is in contradiction. We have not been “programmed” to achieve or attain happiness, only to pursue it. The ethos of the American psyche, the habit and custom of the American mind, is not geared to have happiness, but to endlessly pursue it. The idea of radiating happiness, sharing happiness, being happiness, is even more foreign.

The third issue about the American ethos is that there are additional unalienable rights beyond life, liberty and the “pursuit” of happiness. The Declaration states “….certain unalienable rights, that among them are…..”

What are those other unalienable rights?