Hmmm. I think I know what happened.
This happens to me a lot. I toss a bunch of energy at something, then I go do something else, and a new insight pops up while I am pouring juice or something.
I sent a copy of my little Integral novel to my friend about 3 weeks ago. So I am thinking - he or she or they perceived my sharing of this Integral novel as a form of "proselytizing" and he or more likely she decided to respond with some real classical truth, which is that Integral is a religion and let us remind you of what is true and that is JC and the Good Book.
I am kicking myself. I knew that this guy and his wife would not be able to 1. look at the novel as a piece of creative work that I labored on and 2. look at the ideas of Integral that are embedded in the novel and take them at face value and examine them. It always comes back to "do I con you or do you con me?" And so we all agree to not talk about 1. politics and 2. religion, for the simple fact that we are incapable of doing this without trying to con each other.
So I get JC back in an email. Take that mojo you heathen!
Ah, but there is something else going on. Remember, many Christians feel it is their duty to "punch back" with the Bible when presented with anything that seems to "preach" another vision. Why do they do this? Doesn't Christian tradition demand that believers defend it? That can't simply look at something, let alone try it, but instead they have to always treat it as an attempt to con them, so their instinct is to flash the old amulet back at you.
These old stupid games, they go on and on. I wish people were a little more "open-minded" and able to tolerate and even try new dishes. There is this little, small, dumb, hicky, nasty, selfish, fraidy cat, aggressive, con artist, meme that just pervades us. Always on the make, we see other con artists as doing what we are doing, which is bullshitting our way through life.
What makes someone Integral? What is a precondition? For one, there is a level of education you have to get to. Your world cannot be the sum total of everything you have heard from your sister Sue and her husband and the morons on TV. We have to read things. And listen to fairly focused discussions on serious topics, like art, and spirit, and history, etc.
So, right now I am feeling like humanity is being victimized by a group of people who like to present themselves as innocent - all those dumb dumb lazy ass ignorant localized morons who think they know all they need to know and when the moment comes and the universe demand intelligent action they are only capable of being stupid and afraid and ethnic and full of b.s. We need people who try harder. People who even slightly are curious enough to try and find something out. These arrogant self-satisfied local yokels are killing us.
Quite often the ones who are apparently innocent and quiet and humble are the ones doing the most insidious work. Is it the case that we each have an affirmative duty to learn and at least try to grow?