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Why mercy without judgment, or love without truth, leads to ruin
"The morality of imagination is complex, deep, and far-reaching—especially because imagination itself is still in its early stages of development. I’ve mentioned before that imagination and goodness aren’t the same thing. However, I believe that, if we pay attention, we can sense a close and unique connection between them in our time. This connection was a key insight of William Blake, a visionary thinker who saw imagination as the highest virtue. He believed that taking things too literally—something that supports idolatry—is the great flaw of our age. But we must tread carefully in understanding this."
– Commentary on William Blake by Owen Barfield (paraphrased)
“Barfield refers to the "morality of imagination" as the ethical or moral dimension of how we use our imagination. Imagination isn't just about creativity or fantasy; it's also about how we perceive and interpret the world around us. The way we imagine things can deeply influence our moral choices and values.
The author suggests that imagination is still developing and isn't yet fully understood or appreciated in its role in guiding our moral decisions. While imagination and goodness aren't the same, the author believes there's a special connection between them. For instance, a rich imagination can help us empathize with others, envision better possibilities, and challenge harmful beliefs or practices.
In this context, the "morality of imagination" is about using our imaginative abilities to go beyond literal interpretations and rigid thinking, which can lead to idolatry or blind adherence to harmful ideas. Instead, imagination can guide us toward more compassionate, flexible, and morally sound perspectives. William Blake, whom the author mentions, saw imagination as a crucial virtue because it helps us break free from narrow, literal views that can trap us in outdated or harmful moral frameworks.” - Michael Maciel
“Religious (or worse yet, spiritual) people can and often are batshit crazy. But so are atheists (sometimes).
Atheism, once it became legal, saved our asses. There's no worse tyranny than fundamentalist religion. You can't argue with someone who claims to speak for God.
But now, the tyranny is on the other foot. It's the secularists who crave divine power.
Some secularist claims are so "sacrosanct" that they cannot be questioned. Just look at what happened during the pandemic. Some of the best scientists in the world said, Hey, wait a minute...there's something not right with the way we're approaching this.
But the established scientists (and by "established," I mean the ones who get funded, mostly by Big Pharma) traded in their labcoats for white robes and started handing out "truths" as if they were from God.
So, the question is whether science has become a fundamentalist religion.
And I'm not saying that ALL scientists have climbed aboard this new Ark, but quite a few have.
And they're the ones who have the best funding and the loudest microphones.
This should be a major concern to thinking people everywhere.
Remember the Communist joke: "Meet the new boss—same as the old."”
-Michael Maciel
A Mystic’s Journey into Science
“Many people excel at repeating ideas. Some are adept at paraphrasing them. However, both groups merely echo the thoughts of others. What they possess is not knowledge but information. Then, there are those who have so deeply immersed themselves in truth that it becomes part of their very being. They have inhaled it like air, consumed it like food. The truth becomes their flesh and bones. Every word they speak flows from the wellspring of truth within them—new, fresh, and alive. These individuals speak for their age, enabling the blind to see, the deaf to hear, and the dead to come back to life. They don’t just repeat the truth; they generate it. They are the vocal points for God.” - Michael Maciel
– why responsibility, structure, and individuation come before transcendence