First, what line of text most potently conveyed Wilber's main idea in this chapter?
Second, what human contructed boundary line do you see as most destructive in our day to day lives, OR, when you have transcended a boundary line, and what were the effects?
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“Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create.” (20).
ReplyDeleteI think that this is the most effective line because it nicely summarizes the point of his Adam and eve story. That drawing boundary lines to merely name things is okay however when one steps too far in those boundary lines or defines what is good and what is evil problems arise.
I think that any boundary line that we construct that causes us to act irrationally is destructive in our daily lives. A boundary line that causes us to fear something or someone without any previous interactions with them is destructive to our relations with others. Another problem is the boundaries that cause fear or prejudice tend to be the longest lasting boundaries and thus are the most destructive in the long term as well.
"The point is that we always tend to treat the boundary as real and then manipulate the opposites created by the boundary. We never seem to question the existence of the boundary itself" (20).
ReplyDeleteI think this conveyed Wilber's main idea because every boundary we make in our lives has the ability to manifest into something that seems "real" to us.
All the boundaries that we create and construct are destructive in our day to day lives. In Buddhism if we only have the two extreme cases how are you supposed to take the middle way? "Boundaries, on the other hand, are pure illusions--they pretend to separate what is not in fact separable" (26). As long as we live with this separations suffering in our lives will continue and we will consistently desire the better of the two extremes.
"The point is that all of the lines we find in nature, or even construct ourselves, do not merely distinguish different opposites, but also bind the two together in an inseparable unity."
ReplyDeleteI chose this quotation because it not only sums up the concept of boundary lines creating opposites, but it also provides insight as to how one might overcome viewing two things as opposites. Wilbur "diagnoses" the problem, and then provides a "treatment" as well.
While I don't believe any boundary line is particularly helpful to daily life, I believe that the boundary line that is drawn between nature and...well, I guess the opposite would be "man-made." I believe that these two things are absolutely inseparable; we couldn't have the Chrysler building without the the humans that constructed it, who were formed of nature. The building is made from materials that are at least partially natural. When we forget about the connection between synthetic and natural things, it is all too easy to ruin the place in which we live. We have seen this ever since the Industrial Revolution. The reason this is the most detrimental boundary line to form is because without our natural habitat, we might not be around to form these boundary lines a few millennia or even centuries down the road.
"But notice that the opposites of inside vs. outside didn't exist in themselves until we drew the boundary of the circle. It is the boundary line itself, in other words, which creates a pair of opposites. In short, to draw boundaries is to manufacture opposites. Thus we can start to see that the reason we live in a world of opposites is precisely because life as we know it is a process of drawing boundaries."
ReplyDeleteI thought this quote basically encompasses Wilber's idea because he analyzes the origin of our problem as humans: our attachment to what he describes as boundaries and how they rule our lives while nature, animals, etc. have no problem or even conceptual understanding of "opposites" or "boundaries."
Personally I think one of the most destructive boundaries or labels that we have created throughout society is that of the "other." Labeling something as "different" or "strange" or "other" usually causes a negative association with that object, individual, or idea. "Othering" has been part of our development as people within a society and has been clearly shown in many, if not all, areas of the world and has almost always created some kind of problem or conflict. If we, as humans or people, didn't place such importance on how we observe something or someone as familiar or other, I think we would find connecting and understanding each other mush easier.
Okay, it just deleted my comment, so I'm really mad right now, and I'm just going to paraphrase everything.
ReplyDelete"In short, to draw boundaries is to manufacture opposites." (19)
Usually anything starting with "in short" is guaranteed to be an efficient summary. All of his further points come out of this fundamental assertion.
The boundary line I feel most destructive is the one between life and death. If we did not distinguish the two, then we would not have to toil so long and hard for survival or for society. We would not be concerned about hunger or thirst. Our lives might not last more than a few days, but those few days would be perfectly concern free, and would probably be true bliss.
I would say that the line that most portrays Wilbur's ideas in this chapter is on pg 20, and says, "Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create." I think that this is true, because, like Wilbur mentioned, humans spend the majority of their lives trying to escape from dissatisfaction, but it is only because we label that bad and happiness good that we try so hard to get rid of it. But if we could transcend the boundaries of labeling and instead realize that both dissatisfaction and satisfaction are temporary until one reaches enlightenment, then we would not place so much importance on escaping the "bad" emotion and desiring the "good" one, which is what causes us suffering. Thus this suffering is all due to our conceptual overlay and our drawing of a boundary line where there isn't one.
ReplyDeleteThe boundary line that I think is most destructive to our daily lives is the boundary of labeling good or bad that we apply to things. When we place judgment on things, we cease to see them for what they really are, and instead label them good or bad and then direct our actions towards or away from them accordingly. My favorite quote that shows this idea is from the Third Zen Patriarch, who said "Do not seek for truth, merely cease to cherish your own ideas and opinions." If we all followed this a little more, perhaps we would have a greater understanding of each other and stop constantly labeling things as good or bad, which enters us into conflict with others when they do not place the same judgments on things as we do.
The line that most conveys Wilbur's ideas in this chapter is "these illusory boundaries, with the opposites they create, have become our impassioned battles" on page 27. This quote explains that the boundaries are illusions in the first place because nothing is separable; in that you cannot have one without the other. Also, this line expresses Wilmur's belief that it is as a result of these boundaries that we have so many conflicts. The nature of human to label and define 'this and that' immediately creates a barrier of what something can and cannot be. He continually reinforces the concept that opposites are not separate and when people act under the misconception that they are separate conflict will surely arise. He wants the reader to understand "that ultimate reality id a unity of opposites" (25) and there is no such thing as black without white.
ReplyDeleteI believe that all boundary lines that have been drawn that affect our daily life and perceptions of reality are very harmful. I believe that one of the most destructive boundary lines in human culture is the line between reality and illusion. This boundary line is a very dangerous one to define because, in my opinion, everyone's reality is different. What is real for me, may not be real for you.. People who see reality differently are often completely outcast and misunderstood. This is insane because it is impossible that any of us on the planet experienc reality in the same way. People who see things or hear voices are immediately deemed as having mental problems, but really their reality is just different from what is generally accepted as the 'norm'. I believe that seeing things or hearing things does not make you removed from reality, but may mean that you have a hyper awareness of your surroundings. I, personally, have not transcended this boundary, but I think it should be viewed as being fluid and less rigid.
I think the the line that establishes Wilbur's ideas most is "As Alan Watts pointed out so often, those so-called "dividing lines" equally represent precisely those places where the land and water touch each other. That is, those lines join and unite just as much as they divide and distinguish. These lines, in other words, aren't boundaries! There is a vast difference between a line and a boundary, as we shall presently see" (25). This struck me because I think Wilbur is pointing out that the boundaries we draw are just as connected as they are different from us. His example of buying and selling was a clear point to me as well. At first glance we might say that selling is the opposite of buying. But in fact, they are very connected because when in order to buy something there has to be someone selling it to you.
ReplyDeleteI think the boundary line that we draw that is most harmful to our daily lives is believing that opposites are separated, when in fact they are connected (as mentioned above). When we live under this illusion, we spend too much time looking at differences and not enough time examining how things are actually interrelated. And when we see how things are interrelated we are then looking at the bigger picture of things, rather than trying to understand smaller parts.
“All the lines we find in nature, or even construct ourselves, do not merely distinguish different opposites, but also bind the two together in an inseparable unity. A line… is not a boundary. For a line… doesn’t just divide and separate, it also joins and unites.” (26)
ReplyDeleteI think this quote nicely summarizes Wilber’s main idea in the chapter. People tend to look for the boundaries between things. These boundaries, however, create a deep connection between the things they are meant to separate. This idea relates to the theme that we can find unity by retraining our minds to look for the connections. This chapter was about looking at boundaries as a unifier rather than separator.
I think the most destructive boundary lines that people face in their day to day lives are the boundaries that separate other people. These boundaries lead to fear and hatred that is based on nothing more than small, insignificant differences. All boundaries lead to fear because the boundaries point out the unknown. This fear can then stem into hate. When someone notices the difference instead of similarities between people, then hatred and destruction (external or internal) is sure to follow,
“Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create.” (20)
ReplyDeleteThis quote is the cliff notes version of the the chapter because it continually shows how problems are a creation of human nature to create boundaries dividing life into different sections. This action also has created the opposites which we now take as basic in nature but do not actually exist.
The most problematic boundary that is made is the one between an individuals organism versus the environment. This is the worst because it allows us to other everything else and thus take account of it or our actions on it. This mentality is what has allowed for more or less all of the terrible things that mankind has done.
"Most of our problems, in other words, are problems of boundaries and the opposites they create."
ReplyDeleteThis gets directly to the point the entire chapter is trying to make. It simply puts how boundaries and separation is what causes us problems in day to day life. These boundaries are self-created, and only exist because we distinguish differences and opposites. With everything in unity, there would be no difference, and in turn, much less problems to deal with.
The most destructive boundary we make is between ourselves and the outside world. My distinguishing ourselves as separate from the rest of the world, we put a higher importance on our own actions, and think less about the consequences they have on things outside the boundary.