virus: Critical Mass of Enlightenment

Eric Boyd (6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca)
Wed, 7 Apr 1999 18:27:26 -0400

Hi virions,

A while back, you may remember, I made an off-hand reference to the
"Critical Mass of Enlightenment" as a potential eschatology, and I'd
like now to make a few points (and hopefully stimulate a discussion).

The web page for the article in question is: http://deoxy.org/critmass.htm

A quick summary (from the web page):
"The critical mass of enlightenment can be defined as the smallest
number of awakened human beings whose collective influence can initiate a significant shift in global consciousness. The process of creating enough enlightened ones to achieve this critical mass can be likened to the transformation of coal into diamonds. The pressure of surrounding human unconsciousness creates an urgency in the potential enlightened one to awaken from illusion. The total weight of so much unconscious 'carbon' exerts a tremendous pressure, through which a few coal stones reach the appropriate mass to become 'diamonds.' These awakened beings embody the crystal clarity of enlightened consciousness which can transform the level of consciousness of the entire planet. "

I've thought much more in depth about this since my reference a few weeks ago, and have come to the tentative conclusion that perhaps the entire eschatology is wrong -- that, in essence, the "total weight of unconscious carbon" has exactly the opposite effect than that proposed above. Those on lower levels pull down, not push up. This is certainly my own experience in life -- it's hard to become enlightened when nobody around you is, but much easier with the help of a "master" (with hemorrhoids :-) or two.

Is the core idea still sound? The mechanism for the emergence of
"buddhatomic Christs" (great term!) is missing, but, *given* that
emergence (via vectors like Virus?), can those buddhatomic Christs pull the mass of humanity up from the depths?
If so, is the age so ushered in utopian?

ERiC