Live Now Die Later: A Book for the Sensitive Mind and Rugged IndividualistThe sensitive mind and the rugged individualist are portrayed in the literature of antiquity by two brothers, the first-born and the second-born. The mind is the father of two sons. One side of us is conservative, cautious; the other side is radical and adventurous. A part of us is content with the status quo; another part of us seeks change and improvement. The mind perceives first with the outer five senses: sight, hearing, touch, taste, smell. Those perceptions are recorded and processed for future use, and thus the mind has five inner senses, the second-born son. In the Old and New Testaments this concept is expressed through several pairs of brothers. Cain and Abel, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, Joseph and Benjamin, Aaron and Moses, John and Jesus are all characters created to illustrate the mind's journey. The eastern Mediterranean became a marketplace for the exchange of ideas that had their provenance not just in Athens or Alexandria, but made their way westward from India and China well over 2,000 years ago. The lunar calendar and the appearance of the full moon was not just vital to agriculture in Mesopotamia; it spawned metaphors that illustrated the mind at its brightest. Abraham, for example, Hebrew for "father is high," was a moon god who symbolized the full moon, i. e., the moon straight up or high. "Father" is high because the mind is the father of two sons. Obviously, many concepts evolved independently, but migration and commerce exported and imported more than just figs and wine. Adam and Eve, the male and female of Genesis, are reflected in the yang and the yin of Taoism in ancient China. Elizabeth, Mary and Jesus are a variation of Demeter, Persephone and Dionysus. Thinkers over the ages have struggled to come to terms with the rough and tumble of daily life. Some have even suggested that life begins in some faraway place after death. Others have tried to find the way to live now and die later. |
From inside the book
Results 1-5 of 30
... sons become the twelve tribes of Israel , an inner strength that originated in his loins , a purchasing power that he had brought with him from the beginning . Jacob has more than earned the right to live with his bride . And Rachel and ...
... children of Israel to serve with rigour.137 Nothing stays the same . At no time in your life can you kick back and say : " I have arrived . " You can work out at the gym for ten years , be in top shape , but the day you stop exercising ...
... children of Israel , I AM hath sent me unto you.144 There is nothing mysterious or esoteric about the statement , " I AM . " It is not the voice of some supreme being or deity descending out of the ether , but very simply the voice ...
... children of the third generation " 167 and then he died to set the stage for Moses , 168 who represents the fourth generation or the execution of a completed thought process . Once Moses has led the children of Israel to the borders of ...
... children of Israel have a hard time with this . It is not easy to come to terms with yourself . You have to find your center of gravity and stay centered . You have to spend some time in the wilderness of your soul and find strength ...
Other editions - View all
Live Now Die Later: A Book for the Sensitive Mind and Rugged Individualist David Alan Kraul No preview available - 2004 |