Posted by Sean on March 01, 2000 at 20:47:22:
In Reply to: Re: For Ryan posted by Ryan on March 01, 2000 at 20:16:48:
Ryan,
I appreciate your response. I'd advise you to be aware there's a big difference between saying "I think too many of you use superstition to fill a void you all feel within yourselves" and calling something "spiritual garbage," implying by association that those who appreciate the Enneagram's spiritual implications and origination as a spiritual tool are also "garbage." The difference is I can have an interesting discussion with you about the former comment, and we can in the end perhaps agree to disagree. For the latter comment, you've already discounted, basically, everything I could offer - my opinion is garbage.
For example, although we agree about the Enneagram's enormous significance in understanding human beings, I could not possibly disagree more with your insistence that human beings are totally quantifiable and the ultimate goal is to create artificial human beings using the Enneagram. I'd even have a hard time verbally encapsulating my vehemence to the opposite. But I don't put you down for your beliefs or call it garbage or attack you for it. If I did that then there'd be a lot of name-calling and not a lot of listening.
I should say I think it's a mistake for you to purport to know why I or others find value in an understanding of human beings that goes on beyond personality - that I/we have a void to fill. Though I do appreciate your pity for those of us who lead such empty lives that we crave anything - even superstition - to fill the void. I envy your profound understanding of life that enables you to tell me what is Reality and where I have gone off track. That's the part I disagree with you about. You've never asked me what my life experience has been but you've already judged it. If that's the way artificial human beings will ultimately work then I think it's pretty clear how successful that's gonna be.
Sean