A [Quick] Note & Excerpt About History and Dreams August 28, 2024
Posted by ajoyfulpractice in Changing Perspectives, Hope, One Hoop, Pain, Suffering, Tragedy.Tags: 988, Democratic National Convention, Emmett Till, Florida, Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, history, Mahalia Jackson, March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, Martin Luther King Jr, samskāras, Second Battle of Bull Run, Second Battle of Manassas, Strom Thurmond, Texas, vasanas
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Many blessings to everyone and especially to anyone celebrating the Dormition of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and/or cultivating friendship, peace, freedom, understanding, and wisdom — especially when it gets hot (inside and outside).
Stay safe! Hydrate and nourish your heart, body, and mind.
“It may be allowed that examples of virtue elevate the soul, and are applicable in the moral instruction of children for impressing excellence upon their minds. But the destinies of peoples and states, their interests, relations, and the complicated tissue of their affairs, present quite another field. Rulers, Statesmen, Nations, are wont to be emphatically commended to the teaching which experience offers in history. But what experience and history teach is this,— that peoples and governments never have learned anything from history, or acted on principles deduced from it. Each period is involved in such peculiar circumstances, exhibits a condition of things so strictly idiosyncratic, that its conduct must be regulated by considerations connected with itself, and itself alone. Amid the pressure of great events, a general principle gives no help. It is useless to revert to similar circumstances in the Past. The pallid shades of memory struggle in vain with the life and freedom of the Present.”
— quoted from the “II. REFLECTIVE HISTORY. (3) Critical History – the German method of modern times.” section of “INTRODUCTION. Various methods of treating History: Original, Reflective and Philosophical.” in Lectures on the Philosophy of History by G. W. F. Hegel, translated by J. Sibree, M. A.
Yes, we are back to Hegel.
We are back to Hegel, in part, because of my theory about individuals learning from history (versus the aforementioned “peoples”) and, in part, because of history related to this date.
Today is a day when I typically focus on historical events, from 1862 to 1963, related to how we deal with difference, imbalance, and injustice in United States. I could go back as early as 1565 (earlier, if we were to include the rest of the world) and can easily push as far forward as 1968 or 1996 (again, if we just stick to the United States). However, today, I come back to Hegel and these events with new questions:
What if the issue isn’t that we aren’t learning from history?
What if the issue is that we aren’t learning the right lessons?
CLICK ON THE EXCERPT BELOW for the past prologue.
Please join me today (Wednesday, August 28th) at 4:30 PM or 7:15 PM for a yoga practice on Zoom. You can use the link from the “Class Schedules” calendar if you run into any problems checking into the class. You can request an audio recording of this practice via a comment below or (for a slightly faster reply) you can email myra (at) ajoyfulpractice.com.
Wednesday’s playlist available on YouTube and Spotify. [Look for “08282021 The Heart’s Wildest Dream”]
Extreme heat (and traumatic events) can not only make people lethargic and unmotivated, they can also lead to extreme agitation and anxiety-based fear. We may find it hard to think, hard to feel (or process our feelings), and/or hard to control our impulses. If you are struggling in the US, help is available just by dialing 988.
If you are thinking about suicide, worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, you can dial 988 (in the US) or call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call this TALK line if you are struggling with addiction or involved in an abusive relationship. The Lifeline network is free, confidential, and available to all 24/7. YOU CAN TALK ABOUT ANYTHING.
White Flag is a new app, which I have not yet researched, but which may be helpful if you need peer-to-peer (non-professional) support.
If you are a young person in crisis, feeling suicidal, or in need of a safe and judgement-free place to talk, you can also click here to contact the TrevorLifeline (which is staffed 24/7 with trained counselors).
In the spirit of generosity (“dana”), the Zoom classes, recordings, and blog posts are freely given and freely received. If you are able to support these teachings, please do so as your heart moves you. (NOTE: You can donate even if you are “attending” a practice that is not designated as a “Common Ground Meditation Center” practice, or you can purchase class(es).
Donations are tax deductible; class purchases are not necessarily deductible.
Check out the “Class Schedules” calendar for upcoming classes.
A Joyful Practice 