Tread on my jokes

The “Ask the Horse” story arrived this morning while I was thinking that my latest writings contain  elements of capricious whimsy and jokes.

The basic subject matter is the structure and function of the mind and its brain; this is understood from the perspectives of neurology, evolutionary psychology and meditation. The associated world view is that human beings are stardust manifest such that we are increasingly conscious of consciousness. There is thus the theoretical possibility that we will not self destruct anytime soon - although our number will be up when the sun goes out.

So it is heavy stuff. But I treat it whimsically and with capricious inputs from the unconscious.

My tongue is often in my cheek and there is a penchant for (a) short sentences and paragraphs, (b) lists of three, and (c) for alliteration. 

There goes a list of three but it is not amazingly and artistically alliterated.

Here goes a seemingly capricious leap.

Malcolm Muggeridge

Thomas Malcolm Muggeridge (1903 – 1990) was an English journalist, author, media personality, and satirist. During World War II, he was a soldier and a spy. He is credited with popularising Mother Teresa and in his later years became a Catholic and moral campaigner. I remember him as being (a) an ‘interesting’ talking head on the telly in my youth and (b) the author of a book with the tantalising title, "Tread Softly for you Tread on my Jokes"

‘Reality’ is a joke. People try to capture it in words but this is futile. Language evolved to deal with pragmatic matters and it is not suited to ‘spiritual’ and metaphysical notions. Thus is it said that “those who speak do not know”.  Oratory is a joke. Rhetoric is a joke. Debate pits joke against joke. “Those who know do not speak.” Tread softly

I have no qualms about mentioning public figures like Muggeridge in my writings. He put himself and his thoughts and feelings in the public domain and earned a living from the comment that followed. 

I do, however, have qualms about mentioning real, private people in my stories. This is particularly true of Sangha members and of things said during the sessions of ‘sharing from the heart and mindful listening’. There is a tacit assumption that things said in the sanctuary will remain there. If attributable stories were to be written and plastered over the internet the sheltered atmosphere of sharing would be in serious jeopardy. And the Sangha itself might melt away. Tread softly.

BUT – spiritual pussy footing may not be the best way.  Practitioners have to work out their salvation with diligence. Renunciation of world views is hard. Tough measures may be required. Sometimes there is need to ride roughshod rather than tread softly. But, in either case, it helps to see the joke.