bee lotus morality

The Busy Bee and the Languid Lotus -

reflections on the material origins of morality

George G Clark, 8 Nov 2012

Languid Lotus

Peacefulness is a self supporting mental state. The more that you engage with it the easier it is to engage. It results in stillness. The image is of a languid lotus with its roots in glorious mud. There is an easy peace that is non-egoic and outwith time and space. There is a realisation of the Oneness that is everything. There is enlightenment and release from the incessant promptings of the busy mind. The numinousness of what is here and now shines through.

Busy-ness on the other hand is egoic and immersed in the past and future. The image is of a busy bee with no time to stand and stare. The mind is stirred up by external and internal stimuli (thoughts and feelings) which create mini flash floods of excitatory neurotransmitters and hormones.  The busy bee’s monkey mind has a mind of its own as it tries to see patterns and agencies in its geo-historical happenstances.

Busy Bee

Busy bees cannot always see the point or purpose of the languid lotuses. Most bees view stillness and bliss as wasteful illusions. “The devil finds work for idle hands to do.” Some of the more thoughtful bees fear that through stillness they might lose track of their ‘selves’ – they fail to grasp the point that selflessness is the point.

Most languid lotuses were once busy bees and can thus empathise with their condition. But it is not easy to change other people’s minds. At best they can present a lived example. It is said that “pacified people pacify people” (languid lotuses). It is also said that “hurt people hurt people” (busy bees).

‘Reality’ is not as clear cut as the above paragraph suggests. But here, at least for the moment, we will keep things simple. The goal is easily enough stated –

 promote more pacification by selfless languid lotuses and
 reduce the amount of hurting by selfish busy bees.

This goal makes assumptions and takes a stand on good and bad. The main assumption is that ideas about what is good and bad (ie morality) are hard wired into human brains in outline (as is the case with language) but that the geo-historical happenstances of our modern times leads to putting bad details (hurtings) on the good outline (pacification).

Shaman

In ancient times of hunting and gathering there were Shamans who practiced stillness and were thus seen as wise elders and betters whose actions (and eventually words) promoted pacification. (Note – there were different moralities for dealing with in-groups and out-groups)

In more recent times of settled agriculture, cities, nation states and transnational corporations there have been mystics and priests. To summarise brutally, the better mystics practiced stillness and promoted pacification and some were influential in creating, but not for developing and maintaining, major religions. And then there were the Priests who colluded with the Kings, Politicians and Businessmen to hurt and exploit ordinary people by convincing them to become busy-bees, wage slaves and consumers.