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By Ben Dench (about the author) Page 1 of 1 page(s)

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For OpEdNews: Ben Dench - Writer

Originally posted:
http://bendench.blogspot.com/2009/07/spirituality.html

Positive spirituality is exploratory and experience oriented. It's also life affirmative and life glorifying-promoting a love and appreciation for nature, sex, self, power, pleasure, the body, happiness, health, and prosperity. We want to focus on the development of understanding both through promoting skepticism as well as acceptance of things for what they are-the former being a matter of epistemology and the latter of values. Things are what they are, and it's to our benefit to accept reality for what it is. There's nothing that exists that is unnatural. Accept life, and learn from it. That doesn't mean that you can't dislike anything or want to change anything-that, too, is the perfect expression of those conditions that created it. Everything is perfect. We want to honor and glorify everything for what it is and change things out of a joy of creation and expansion rather than any idea of an ontological flaw within the thing itself.

We want to encourage parrhesia-the Greek concept of fearless speech Foucault discusses. We want citizens who are comfortable being naked in every sense of the word. We should all share everything about ourselves openly-and create a loving, tolerant, accepting culture that embraces everything that is said. Let us do away with guilt and shame. Let us live together in perfect love and trust.

We want to teach children to assess things pragmatically and make intelligent, responsible decisions. Responsibility is not a matter of fault, or "you can't do this," or "you're bad if you do this," as it has become, but is, in its purest form, a power. A response-ability. It's a way of acting in the world in which you take concern for things that are important to you, place yourself in the driver seat rather than shift focus to the play of other factors, and act in such ways as to maximize your involvement and influence concerning the issue at hand. This is the proper, powerful, point of view that the strong take for themselves-but the strongest also take responsibility for the actions of others as well. When I look at myself, the most powerful (effective) perspective is "What will I choose?" But when I look at the other, the most powerful (effective) perspective is not "What did this person choose? (for I will hold this person accountable)" but rather "Why did this person choose that?" Every being, action, and experience is the perfect expression of those conditions that created it. Don't argue with nature-ask "What is it? Why is it that way? How can I love it? How can I use it? And if I truly can't incorporate it, how can I change it?"

Individuals choose what they think is best. If you don't like the choice an individual made, provide the person in question with better options-options that the person will prefer. "I take responsibility for myself, and for the other, and for as large a circle of influence as I can. Could I not do anything? I should have become stronger. Did I not know? I should have become smarter. I love life, and dominate it as a lover dominates, and serve it as a lover serves." Thus speak the strongest. "I live in the world, and I want my decisions to be the most effective, to get me the best kind of condition that I want, to fill my desires to the utmost level, so that I can have the best kind of life: eudaimonia." Thus speaks responsibility.

If you identify with the message of this article, please email it to people, tell your friends, even print out copies to pass around. Together we can raise awareness. Thank you.

http://bendench.blogspot.com/

Ben Dench graduated valedictorian of his class from The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey in the Spring Semester of 2007 with a B.A. in philosophy (his graduation speech, which received high praise, is available on YouTube). He is currently (more...)

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