Mind acts upon itself…

Mind acts not so much upon representations of the outside world as upon itself. The work of the brain is to work on the brain. The work of the mind uses mind as the raw material and as product, so it is constantly changing itself. So also: conversation’s raw material and product is conversation; meeting’s is meeting; persons are persons. We are self-organizing systems all, it seems.

So we are not describing worlds as they exist, but creating them as we look. The paths in a college campus are best laid out not by the architects but by the students and professors by using them. So too, the village grows by people putting up buildings, opening marketplaces, inviting people, and the people coming and putting up buildings, opening marketplaces, inviting people, ad infinitum.

Can we then see our task in this?

Can we then see the things we are already doing—insights, glimpses and inklings—less as descriptions and more as invitations?

Could this also apply to all the other things we are doing—taking a shower, getting the mail from the mailbox, chatting about the latest bizarre news?

What are you doing? We are creating new worlds. We are creating new people. How so? The world and its people are less immovable objects and more irresistible forces, and we are all setting those forces into motion each moment. How so? Conversation is the action, the raw material, and the product of this conversation and all the others. When we see what is possible and that we are responsible for what is possible, then we can. Then, hopefully, we do.

:- Doug.

Published in: Conversations | on July 12th, 2009 | No Comments »

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