Readers of Antiquity

Where are the cutting edge minds of our time? I think I've found some of them in a recent book composed of a series of interviews. David Jay Brown and Rebecca McClen Novick wrote 'Mavericks of the Mind' in 1993, and the following review will remind you of notable things said by these great thinkers.

Terence McKenna was asked about death. He said that he imagines death to be the 'self' traveling backward. We will relive our entire life only to divide into two different consciousnesses. One travels forward, the other backward. One lives on through our children and grandchildren, the other goes back through our parents and grandparents. The second consciousness eventually returns to the 'Beginning Void.' The first goes forward to the end of time, which might also be the beginning void.

Riane Eisler and David Loye spoke of the need for equality between sexes in our society. Riane observed that we give our little boys bombs and swords and say, 'Go get'em boy!' We give our little girls dolls and say, 'Play nice and show love.' Then we wonder why a male dominated society is lacking compassion and nonviolence.

Robert Trivers was asked about his theory of 'Reciprocal Altruism.' This is simply the idea that all organisms are capable of trading altruistic acts over a period of time, which shows that the individual is sensitive to the tendency of the other individual to be reciprocal, or choose to cheat the reciprocal. In plain English, it's the idea that, at some point, humans began to be nice to each other. They did this in the hope that others would be nice to them in return. In most cases, this practice seemed to work. For example, the concept of friendship could not exist until the law of 'Reciprocal Altruism' came into being. But, we all know those who cheat the return principle. Don't we?

Suppose there was a machine, like a typewriter, that a ghost could use to speak with the living? Nick Herbert got hold of one of these in the seventies. He tried to speak with Harry Houdini. They hung posters of Mr. Houdini, took acid, and the séances was on. The typewriter rambled on for hours. Nothing on the paper was intelligible except for one oval shaped design. It had three small words enclosed on the inside of it. Inside this oval was inscribed the words, 'In Infinite Time.' So, will we soon be able to speak with the dead? Harry Houdini thinks so.

Ralph Abraham has devoted his life to two things, math and the environment. He said that, "There are serious problems on this planet, and if mathematics doesn't have anything to do with solving these problems, then it's not worth doing."

The question of life after death was posed to Robert Anton Wilson. He answered with an ancient story from the Buddhist religion. It is said that a student once asked a Zen Master, "What happens after death?" To which question came the reply, "I don't know." The student, in a state of confusion, cried out, 'But you are a Zen Master!' "Yes" said the old man, "But I am not a dead Zen Master."

Timothy Leary explained that there are really no laws at work in the universe. Everything is made up of pure information. The world works on the principle of 'If, if, if, if, if, --then.' For example, if the sunlight, temperature, water level, and nitrogen are right, then all the leaves will turn green in spring. By this principle, we can deduce that life appeared on this planet because, 'If this happened and that happened, then life began.'

In most of the world's religions and mythologies there has been a prediction of a coming Golden Age. We can also add scientists to this list of people who await a future Utopia. The New Age, The Kingdom Come, The Millennium, are all names for something in the future that is pulling us towards it. Rupert Sheldrake says that some future destiny is drawing us and has made itself known to mystics, poets, and scientists. This will happen as sure as a ball rolling in a bowl will finally be drawn to the center.

A delightful interview was the one with Artist Carolyn M. Kleefeld. She described the spark of inspiration that comes to her when she paints or writes. It comes as the 'Witness of Oneself' moves through the darkness, into the light. As she sets her spirit to 'Embrace the Infinite', a dialog of information spills out of her sub-consciousness. She needs only to decipher this secret message. An artist in this mood can stand before a canvas or a writing pad having all and expecting nothing. This is 'Stream of Consciousness' poring out of the spirit onto the artistic medium.

Colin Wilson reflected on how a disastrous situation can bring about true wisdom. He had once read of how Gurdjieff was reminded of the wonderment of life. He was trying, hours on end, to bring a dear friend out of depression. He suddenly realized that he was talking to himself. As he took his leave, he thanked his friend for opening his eyes to the beauty of life.

Is there a place in life for selfishness? Probably not. But Oscar Janiger speaks of a thing called 'Enlightened Self-Interest.' This is where doing something for you will eventually help others, even if it doesn't look like it at the moment.

Trying to capture the wisdom of these renegade thinkers, in this small review, is quite a chore. There are further interviews with Nina Graboi, Laura Huxley, and Stephen La Berge, all of which are thought provoking.

I close with the words of Allen Ginsberg about his friend Jack Kerouac. "It was him who made me realize that writing was a sacramental vocation. Rather than being a sailor who wrote, he was a writer who also went out on ships. That changed my attitude about writing, it became, to me, a sacred vocation."