On Sat, 10 Apr 1999, Eric Boyd <6ceb3@qlink.queensu.ca>:
> 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?
Greetings!
For what it's worth, I've had similar ponderings, along the same lines of thought before I joined this list. The conclusion I came to, was that there are essentially two options.
One can either behave like a pig, or one can behave like a man. Indeed, any man can behave like a pig, but no pig can behave like a man. In the end, however, there are only those who behave like pigs and those who behave like civilized men. There is a way up, and a way down.
How high can one go?
I want to know.
++ J