Tuesday, June 30, 2009

what is nearest to us



“now i want to tell you this. as everything in the universe is one, so, consequently, everything has equal rights, therefore from this point of view knowledge can be acquired by a suitable and complete study, no matter what the starting point is. only one must know how to ‘learn.’ what is nearest to us is man; and you are the nearest of all men to yourself. begin with the study of yourself; remember the saying ‘know thyself.’ it is possible that now it will acquire a more intelligible meaning for you."

this excerpt is found in “glimpses of truth, views from the real world: early talks of gurdjieff as recollected by his pupils", new york: dutton, 1973.

8 comments:

  1. Great human,one of my biggest inspirations to go on in my study of myself. "Life is real only then when - I AM - "!

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  2. hi aleksa, thankyou for visiting! gurdjieff and jg bennett and robert fripp have been my strongest inspirations / motivations for work. when i consider all that they did / are doing, it astonishes me. steven

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  3. Hi Steven

    Sorry to leave a private note in your comments, but I couldn't find an email address. I came across your site via Luke Storm's blog. I've spent the last hour perusing your archives and I'm really moved. Such a fantastic array of thoughts and mood. Thank you. Would like to trade links with you, if you're game; check my site when you find a moment, and let me know.

    Cheers to you, and thanks again,

    Frederick
    www.astroinquiry.com

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  4. hi frederick, no sorrow. thanks for your generous comments. there's not much rhyme nor reason to "flow" but that's the way it was intended. to reflect the flow of my experiencing. i've linked you to this site as i've had a wander of your writing and there's lots of value! of course!! i'll spend more time there soon. see you. steven

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  5. This is a good contemplation for "In"dependence day.

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  6. hello dan, yes. it seems like a day that is ripe for revibration both in form and content. i wonder if america's future will lend itself to such a possibility? steven

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  7. "everything has equal rights"

    I don't get this. What would equal rights look like to a rock? If a person and a worm were both in danger, would you be at a loss as to which to save? I can think of many questions that arise from this statement, but no answers.

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  8. hi snowbrush. some of the answers to the questions you ask and possibly those you don't ask lie in your focussing on your understanding of the words "equal" and "rights". the excerpt isn't really asking you to stratify moral responsibility as much as it is pointing you in the direction of considering where you begin the work of knowing the how and why of all that is. it seems to suggest that you can start that work from any point as there is no one point of more consequence or merit than another. so why not start with the place you know best? yourself!!! thanks for visiting. steven

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