In a reflexive domain, the actors can and do act on both themselves and on the domain. In a reflexive domain, the domain is responsive. So living in a reflexive domain means that living is fundamentally relational. Our selves are a reflexive domain; our relationships are a reflexive domain; our communities are a reflexive domain;Continue reading “Love in a Reflexive Domain”
Author Archives: Sean
The Observer and the Observed Redux
We create an image of ourselves. We see ourselves as others see us. Or perhaps as our imagined God sees us. Or as we wish we could be. Or should be. Or would be if we had different parents, lived in a different part of the world, spoke another language, had another partner, lived inContinue reading “The Observer and the Observed Redux”
On Objectification, Observers, Observation and Objects
I have written before that in a sense there are no objects, only processes. You can look at it that way, if you like. Some processes – like the moon or the earth, say – are sufficiently stable that we can treat them as objects. But if we look closely and honestly, they are inContinue reading “On Objectification, Observers, Observation and Objects”
Happiness is Relational
What works is what makes us happy, where “happy” is defined in a relational way – that is, where it is not a brief personal elevation of emotion but a solid network of entities each working to ensure the other is better off. In saying this, I am thinking of Heinz von Foerster’s observation thatContinue reading “Happiness is Relational”
The Secret to Awakening
If somebody asked me for the secret to awakening or the best way to see the face of God and live or how to be so happy that even dying can’t turn your frownie upside downie, I’d probably say “give attention to your experience of resistance and see what you can do to cut itContinue reading “The Secret to Awakening”
A Course in Miracles as Map
In a sense, A Course in Miracles became a distraction. Imagine that you are trying to reach a particular city, and have with you a map that guides you to the city. When you reach the city, the map is no longer helpful – indeed, if you insist on referring to it, it can onlyContinue reading “A Course in Miracles as Map”