[GJM] An Open Letter to the World (marguerite hampton)

[Norman Kurland]

I think Marguerite would have enjoyed the privilege I had in carrying on 
a dialogue with Father Ferree.  I knew that we shared a basic approach 
to "healing the world" when, in response to a question I posed about our 
different religious backgrounds, he said "Religion is a permanent 
pluralism."  That reflects my own perception about the metaphysical 
realities, and I instantly knew we were committed to the same revolution 
of thought and action.

For many years before meeting Father Ferree in 1984, two years before 
his death, I was very active in organized efforts to address issues of 
global poverty, racism and human conflict generally.  When I met him and 
began reading his writings, I came to realize that I never really 
understood the meaning of "justice" and "social justice", except as a 
term used to describe the many injustices that were so obvious to any 
open-minded human being in modern society.  (I was already nearly 20 
years in my discovery and commitment to the vision and principled 
applications of "economic justice" articulated by Louis Kelso and the 
noted American philosopheer Mortimer J. Adler.) While Ferree's analysis 
is from the perspective of a Catholic theologian and moral philosopher, 
I am impressed with the universality of his thoughts.  For the benefit 
of Marguerite and others working for Global Peace through Global 
Justice, here are two of his writings that I believe will help all of us 
working together for a more harmonious world:

    Introduction to Social Justice
    http://www.cesj.org/thirdway/socialjustice/introtosocialjustice.pdf
    Social Charity http://www.cesj.org/ferree/socialcharity.pdf

marguerite hampton wrote:

>Norm Kurland wrote in part:  
>
>
>
>The late Father Ferree
>
>would have added a more moderate tone by suggesting that revolutionary
>
>ideas are best implemented in an evolutionary way, to minimize violence
>
>and allow the social order to be transformed as quickly as people can
>
>clear the mental cobwebs out of their minds.  There's still time to
>
>follow Ferree's wise advice.
>
>
>
>eco:  I agree with Fr. Ferree.  What is necessary is to understand 
>
>how human consciousness takes place in the body of each individual
>
>and how this evolution has occurred.  We need to learn what causes 
>
>"imbalances" in the "mind-field" and learn how to adjust them in such 
>
>a way as to regain balance quickly.  A healthy mind-field assures a 
>
>healthy body, and thus a personality that is loving and compassionate.  
>
>
>
>Through new research by cellular biologists, neurologists,
>neurocardiologists, 
>
>psychologists, and others, we are currently learning how the mind-field
>works,
>
>and thus learning how we may make adjustments to ensure a smooth and 
>
>peaceful human operating system as opposed to one that is angry and
>
>prone to violence.  .     
>
>
>
>While we are working with a "collective consciousness" that has largely 
>
>been "enculturated" into what is our "sense of being", we are able to 
>
>facilitate transformation through understanding the complexity of our 
>
>biological system and how it works to produce consciousness which
>
>involves such things as body movement, thoughts, emotions and speech.   
>
>
>
>Until very recently we have not had instruments sensitive 
>
>enough to measure the subtle energy fields and other 
>
>components of the human or  bioelectromagnetic system (field) 
>
>so as to pinpoint the incoherencies which occur in the individualized 
>
>fields of the body due to personal experiences beginning in utero.  
>
>Thanks  to NASA, knowledge of how to design these instruments 
>
>is now available     
>
>
>
>However, for centuries, the human family has been able to "intuit" 
>
>these energies and make adjustments using the "power of the mind" 
>
>to do so. Shamanic healing was prevalent in many tribes until scientists 
>
>got in the way and said "we need proof".  Now we finally have the 
>
>instruments which provide the proof, and, which, in many instances, 
>
>may enhance the power of the mind to heal.  
>
>
>
>Dr. Valerie Hunt, a physiobiolgist and psychologist, having studied 
>
>the body electromagnetic for many years, has recently been awarded 
>
>$4 million grant to design a meter which doctors may use in their offices 
>
>to read an individual's "aura" (flow of the bioelectromagnetic  energy 
>
>system) to determine if any incoherencies exist in the mind-field prior
>
>to tissue invasion.  Due to this advance in medicine, invasive surgical 
>
>procedures may soon be a thing of the past.  
>
>
>
>We are also aware that as more than one person congregates in a group,
>
>or relationship, the group tends to o take on a "collective consciousness" 
>
>or form of "being of togetherness" in which they "adopt certain customs" 
>
>and thus become "enculturated".  Enculturation is a divisive factor in 
>
>society as people begin to act differently in the manner in which they 
>
>speak, dress, build homes, raise food, and express themselves 
>
>artistically and spiritually.  The environment in which people live exerts a
>
>great deal of difference as to how societies may enculturate themselves.
>
>
>
>This has resulted in both religious and cultural differences which provoke
>
>war as people begin to "judge" cultures against one another.  Enculturation 
>
>may also evoke "aberrancies" in societies if enough members of any given 
>
>society suffer from deep incoherencies within their system such as to 
>
>influence how the group becomes enculturated and acts out its emotions.
>
>
>
>Prayer or belief in "monotheism" does not provide for a healing or 
>
>rebalancing of the system in order to bring about coherence. One must
>
>search much deeper to find the core issue in the problem.    
>
>*****************
>
>
>
>Feedback welcome 
>
>
>
>A great read in this area is Ken Wilber's book: "No Boundaries" as 
>
>he encourages one to  look at real or natural boundaries as opposed 
>
>to those we create in our minds which are not "natural" and manifest 
>
>themselves in a form Vern Woolf in Dance of Life refers to as being 
>
>nes. These energy systems, which embed themselves in our 
>
>psyche, take on "characteristics" of their own and exhibit "
>
>the power to cause" when triggered by an outside event.  We often
>
>refer to this as "getting our buttons pushed".  In essence, we become
>
>a reaction to something rather than being a well thought out action.
>
>
>
>Healing takes place when we "phase space" or step back from the 
>
>situation and re-evaluate it, incorporating new in-form-ation into the
>
>process thus seeking to find the "full potential" as a solution. 
>
>
>
>Phase-spacing may also mean doing a general systems analysis 
>
>and determing where the break down point or points have occurred.
>
>and then determining what is the best way to "in-form" the system
>
>so that it flows freely.  Remember that "in-form-ation" tells the 
>
>system what form or stucture it must take to perform its mission 
>
>most effectively.  
>
>  
>
>Of consideration here is whether we are taking a fundamental 
>
>approach to the situation or whether we are "maturing it up" to
>
>its full potential.  
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>   
>
>_______________________________________________
>Discussion mailing list
>Discussion at globaljusticemovement.net
>http://globaljusticemovement.net/mailman/listinfo/discussion_globaljusticemovement.net
>
>  
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: /pipermail/discussion_globaljusticemovement.net/attachments/20060721/4861082e/attachment.html