[jamesn.]

Pilgrim1; thank you for such a thoughtful reply to my post request.

I hear you about age; and yes at 71 I’m no spring chicken either; and concerning the Dali Lama I think we are talking about a difference in psychological position; not necessarily engagement with the world; and yes I agree if I’m understanding you correctly. But there is of course the difference between happiness and meaning as well as engagement with what is happening at the moment; (that being); you know you are engaged with time; and time is dual; and no matter what you do it’s not going to necessarily line up to someone else’s benefit or point of view. Joseph mentions this when he talks about duality where one side loses and the other side wins; but we are talking about more than just playing a tennis match; we are looking at devastation of the human race concerning this virus. Yes I agree you can be at peace with whatever happens but you can participate in a part of the play that can help determine the outcome for everyone; not just the tennis match; (if that makes sense). Yes; this is a great point you raise and I really like the way you are approaching it for this is exactly the kind of discussion I was hoping for because we are “pushing” boundaries.

Joseph many times says the same thing in different ways; and I think he is “not” saying something is set in stone here because you innovate. Life is not a “scripted” adventure; and the maverick innovates from the: “thou shalt systems”; that’s why he is a maverick; and from that position because life is constantly changing I don’t think in this case we are necessarily addressing a parameter the article is “usually” up against.

If I consider my responsibilities to others I love; (much less my fellow human beings); this is not something set because we are addressing something we can affect; (that is if we can get everyone on board); and yes; Joseph talked about being comfortable with whatever happens including a nuclear war. But we as individuals can make a difference in this case where the rules happen to be slightly altered. And like a pebble dropped into a pool of water the ripples of our influence flow outward. (That’s what I’m talking about.) Not trying to stop a freight train; you’ll get run over if you do that. And something I think that’s often missed that he said about reality is: “if you see a snake about to bite someone you kill it”. This I think is closer to the approach I was getting at.

Yes; I think the Dali Lama piece is excellent and I have no problem with it what-so-ever; and I think most of the time this fits. But these are extraordinary times; and if I see a snake in the form of a virus about to take me and everyone I love out I think it’s important to do something if one is able. (And just so you know I don’t think you weren’t saying otherwise either; at least as far as I could tell.) But this is not a normal situation and each one of us can do something if we choose to engage. And I think “engage” is one of the concepts the Dali Lama was addressing; and under normal circumstances I would agree; but this is not a normal set of parameters. In this case one size does not fit everyone; your born, grow up, become an adult, raise a family or find a career or both, retire, pass on. “Myth goes past that to what informs it”; but as you may be suggesting the choice is up to each individual as to what they do; and yes I most definitely agree here. If you are suggesting something different; then my apologies for any misassumptions on my part.  (I think this is a great contribution you have made to this subject.)