Buddha, oil and a Norwegian professor of sociology, where do they have a common meeting point? Talent-Technology-Tolerance makes the connection and perhaps the article points in an unknown path to the future of man?
Let me start with Norway
You are familiar with Norway? The country that was Europe's poor hunting and fishing nation that first saw modernity with the brutal occupation during World War II and which became Europe's ruling rich country from the mid-1970s. In the year 2005, the Norwegian professor Ivar Frønes writes the book The Different Country: On the future and development trends in Norway. I will let you know what relation this book has on this article, in a minute.
I continue with oil
At school one early day before Easter in 1968, my teacher solemnly announces that oil has been found in the North Sea and that we will now see major changes in our country. At that time, my father had to write his name on the waiting list to get a phone installed in our house. Norway was poorly developed, poor but at the same time a well-functioning democracy. Oil created Norway a very rich and technologically highly developed welfare state.
I round off with Buddha
Buddha means enlightenment and is a title. With evolution, we will all become Buddhas, it will only take some time. In the meantime, we can add strength in an attempt to increase the pace. I believe in this effort.
Buddhism, which is a path of development towards greater enlightenment, can help you sort out your thoughts and feelings. One of the stages along the way is getting rid of The Five Clusters of Clinging.
Please note, I am no buddhist and do not preach buddhism to you, I just pay respect.
Then I'm ready for the text
The norwegian professor points out that Norway is a rich country, but he questions what choices the country must make to meet the uncertainty of the future. Wealth is no guarantee of successful development. One of his points is that even though Norway's wealth is large today, knowledge is the key to the future. Innovations, research and development of society depend on the knowledge choices that are made.
The American professor of economics, Richard Florida, coined the term The Creative Class (2002) by pointing to so-called creative people as business entrepreneurs. Florida claims that the key to future development lies in the 'creative' part of the population and where the core consists of artists, writers, film directors, actors, musicians, dancers, photographers, IT specialists, technologists, journalists, architects, teachers, researchers, business leaders , financiers, lawyers and doctors. This composite group has certain common features that unite the group across and which are expressed by the group acting creatively. Florida brings together the common features of the Three T's: Talent, Technology, Tolerance.
Talent, Technology, Tolerance are the common features of the creative group, according to the American professor.
The Norwegian professor, refers to the three T's, in his reflections on what may be the key to the future - the key is not money earned by extraction and sale of oil, but through the development of knowledge, and in the development of knowledge the three stand the qualities of talent, technology and tolerance, as key qualities.
How does this relate to Buddhism's teachings about The Five Clusters of Clinging?
I will immediately take my reasoning further, but first I will make it clear that I can not adequately address the thoughts of Florida and at the same time I will point out that his views have been both criticized and countered. Nevertheless, the idea of the Three T's is useful to me as a pedagogical tool in my text.
The Five Clusters of Clinging is a central doctrine of Buddhism. Since I am not a Buddhist and in no other way a particular connoisseur of the Buddha's teachings, I will here also confine myself to using the doctrine as a pedagogical tool.
The Five Clusters of Clinging is the path a Buddhist can follow to walk The Eight Folded Way which is another central doctrine in Buddhism. I am fascinated by The Five Clusters of Clinging as they speak a simple and clear language to me. All in all, the doctrine is about freeing myself from notions that slow down my development and my opportunities to be able to choose a preferred future scenario.
I'll get rid of clinging to:
Material forms - the separation of my own world from others
Mental emotions - thoughts like pain
Mental perceptions - the forms of the senses, past, present, future, small and large
Mental constructions - structure and classes
Consciousness - the six sensory intelligences
Here and there, I need the help of the two professors, along with the teachings of the Buddha.
The Norwegian professor points out that tolerance is more than a value in itself; it has the function of opening up the interplay between production, culture and creativity. This is where creativity is formed. Tolerance is the key to the journey of knowledge that can lead humans toward future.
Humans can not buy a place in the future. The space must be developed by knowledge that is unlocked by tolerance. Through tolerance, people free themselves from limiting sensory experiences, separation, thoughts, feelings, perceptions and structures.
This is how the future path for humans is created.
Good trip!
Jon
Comentarios