So, I've been posting about a week about peace, and so far, it's still not settled what I mean by that. Today, I'm going to start explaining how I go about my personal practice of continuous learning so that you can understand what I am proposing.
I previously studied in a Ph.D. program in technology, and during that program I read widely and tried to define principles that could explain the different situations that might arise. In other words, I wanted a master philosophy. The trouble was the established scholarship on technology didn't answer the bigger questions I was asking. I was still seeking and I ultimately decided not to complete the program.
When I started studying philosophy in earnest, I realized part of the reason why I was having trouble answering my questions, It's because I believed in one simple fact: everything that we believe we know is insufficient to describe reality itself. There always remains what Deleuze would call, an excess.
Of course, this makes sense to us whenever we try to master some difficult, multi-faceted skill that takes significant practice to become proficient. I practice songwriting and it's pretty amazing the unlimited combinations that can be imagined and explored on an instrument of seemingly finite options. If you just analyze the subtle differences in a vocal melody and vocal performance and how that impacts the finished song or the difference between a song each instance it is performed, it's really quite incredible the potential for difference that exists.
And so that's why a model -- a representation of some aspect of reality -- is a double-edged sword. In one way, it's super useful and in a sense, is the method by which we even begin to think. We look at complex, multi-faceted phenomena and try to capture them in some sort of representation that we take as an understanding of that object of thought. The trouble is when we take the map for the territory. When we fail to remember that the intricate detail, complexity, and constant change of reality makes it impossible to accurately represent in a fashion that consistently works over time. In fact, whether or not something works, is the best we can acquire. Truth is something altogether different.
So, I encourage you to accept this fact about the world, and use it in your apprenticeship to whatever problem you hope to solve. I can use the example of trying to understand what makes creativity possible, so that I can get to the bottom of how people can loosen their belief structures and make daily discoveries about the excess -- what else, what new, exists to be discovered and incorporated into their daily living.
Just yesterday, I discovered a portion of Deleuze's writing that forces me to examine and question my previous assumptions. There is something about my model that doesn't make sense in that context. So, I have to study, look at a variety of sources, even talk to people who I know have more knowledge of this particular facet of his philosophy than I have. Hopefully, I can ultimately stabilize my understanding, but as a continuous learner, I must be always on the lookout for other questions that challenge my assumptions. In fact, I must welcome them and seek them out. I should never get comfortable that I know the answers, because reality, as discussed, is far greater in magnitude, subtlety, and complexity than any model can ever capture. If we create structures that preclude us from being able to notice and consider the excess, then we are lost in a dogmatic prison.
Of course, initiating a peace movement is an entirely different animal. Suddenly, the concepts I have learned from books, take on an entirely different challenge. The breath and complexity that you get from inviting honest input from people totally changes everything. They say things that you never anticipated, that make you say, "Huh, maybe my model needs another look." Or in some cases, maybe the model needs a complete overhaul.
That's scary when you've been dedicating a tremendous amount of time, work, and money into an advanced degree and you want to believe that you're getting the most for your investment. But what other, better way is there to challenge that learning, than to jump in the deep end test it with real people. People from diverse perspectives and experience. Those multitude of experiences represent the excess. That's why nobody can create a model of how it works or the best way, without keeping their map open to continuous improvement. To hold the map tightly as truth is to create a situation that I think is too often the case in our society. There is social benefit in being right, in being esteemed, in being good, and the result is a bunch of people arguing about what those things are or should be.
I'm not going to solve it today, but I wanted to explain some of my background thinking and process, so that I can continue to describe my daily practice as I undertake this challenge.
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