PARTS and WHOLES

“PARTS and WHOLES evolve in consequence of their relationship, and the relationship itself evolves. These are the properties of things that we call dialectical: that one thing cannot exist without the other, that one acquires its properties from its relation to the other, that the properties of both evolve as a consequence of their interpenetration” (Levins and Lewontin 1985:3).

It is the eloquence with which such bias is expressed that makes it so compelling ... that is, corroborates my belief ... that is, the belief that enables my mind, in its relentless inquiry into self, other, and their boundaries (if any) to enjoy repose and the unique satisfaction of binding together diverse ideas in a unified package. Well, unified? Or at least cinched up with the "thread that runs so true" so that in at least some little corner of the growing global thermodynamic chaos, my personal "maelstrom of perpetual disintegration and renewal" has a thought. That is, my brief seeming local negation of entropy enjoys a unique state for a few seconds (and that's all it takes) that I am one with the truth I seek. That is, I experience a hypergnostic surge of confidence that I am or were or will be. All vanity.

Keenan’s quest, O’Carolan’s companionship

Brain Keenan, a teacher from Belfast working at the American University in Beirut, was abducted by Muslim terrorists in 1986 and released in 1990. As a hostage, Keenan later reported, he felt he was being stripped “of every sense and fibre of body and mind and spirit that [makes one] who we are” (quoted by Richard Hutch in SOUNDINGS, 2001). During the isolation of his incarceration, Keenan imagined he was visited by several people, most particularly Turlough O’Carolan, the legendary, 17th century father of Irish music. He later wrote that “If [O’carolan] hadn’t been in the cell, I might still be locked up. It’s somebody to talk to, it’s somebody to focus your mind on, it’s something to keep yourself sane or insane …” (p122). These seemingly pathological experiences helped Keenan sustain his identity. BUT isn't pathology supposed to compromise or erode one’s competence, not sustain it? While we play with words, Keenan sought to survive, to maintain creative control while enduring brutal incarceration. This spontaneous experiment with the boundaries of reality might resonate with those who undertake a spiritual quest.