Wholes/Parts (Part I)

Parts/Wholes

Wholes/Parts (Part I)

Parts/Wholes

Happy Birthday, Albert Einstein

(Not to be confused with writer/filmmaker/actor/comedian Albert Brooks whose surname at birth (7/22/1947) was Einstein, brother of Bob Einstein (11/20/1942 - 01/02/2019) known for most of his show-biz career as comic stuntman, Super Dave Osborne, both are sons of Harry Einstein, who changed his name to Harry Parke (05/06/1904 - 11/24/1958), and worked as a comedian known as Parkyakarkus.)

When last we met I left you with Alan Watts’ video reminder, “You Are The Universe;” and a promise that in it Watts would pierce the heart of ACTING HUMAN practice. And, he did, especially if you stuck around until the ‘fin.’

TO WIT:

1) We are the Universe, which is one of many in Galaxies within Galaxies, that arise simultaneously as one continuous and timeless phenomena.

2) There are many ways to pay attention to what’s going on and on and on.

3) In Eastern traditions/wisdom we discover Maya and Lila. Especially prominent in Hindu mythology. A somewhat elaborate game of hide and seek, where attention dances playfully from and/or to this and/or that, and from and/or to here and/or there, and from now and/or then in a compelling though impossible to pin down way. 

Life as drama.

Carse Redux

In “Finite and Invite Games,” Carse distinguishes between Theatrics and Drama.

What he calls theatrical derives from scripted material taken seriously. Strict adherence. What we do repeatedly without variation. Not subject to change. A finite game.

He suggests that drama consists of open play, events unfolding without preconception, changing as players keep the story moving, and therefore alive. An infinite game.

Theatrical play tends toward the performative and tightly bound. 

My experience and intuition shows me that the finite or infinite nature of dramatic and theatrical play depends, overwhelmingly, on the orientation and skill of the actors.

Scripts bind those actors that see boundaries. There are infinite ways to play a scripted piece. It’s not that the script doesn’t count, rather that the way in which it counts is open to the extent actors and their collaborators use it with respect and inspiration, not as rules chisseled in stone, while they grow in stage faith, which amounts to trust in ‘don’t know mind’ and a natural unfolding of events.

If and when actors perform - self consciously - for the sake of performance, evaluated by themselves and others, we have finite play. Look at me.

When actors perform - as un-selves in consciousness - as vulnerable humans, they explore in the moment and discover a new play each time they do the same scripted material.

All acting alive, living life alive on stage or before cameras, roots in vulnerability and a keen improvisational sense, moment to moment presence. 

These qualities develop with ACTING HUMAN practice.

ACTING HUMAN serves not only all of us in daily life, it serves performers that aspire to work and those now working professionally, as well. 

Holons

Arthur Koestler reputedly coined the term holon in the tie dyed era, 1967. He wrote a book, “The Ghost in the Machine.” I never read it.

A holon presents as both whole and part simultaneously.

The concept grew out of systems thinking, as science types wrestled with complex systems. Quantum phenomena spurred interest. Cosmological questions bounced all around us. Black holes and multicolored shapes crossed through skies above the Haight. You know, 1967.

Holons transcend duality and recognize the interdependence of all things. No wholes without parts, no parts without wholes. What is whole and or part depends on who’s looking, from where, and how.

For example, we are biological holons. Whole organisms composed of interdependent organs that can be seen as independent parts of interdependent systems. As whole organisms we are independent wholes and interdependent parts of many other holons, like environment and community which are - and the beat goes on.

Sharon Salzberg nudges us to see that when we’re frustrated because we are stuck in traffic that we are not only stuck in traffic, we are the traffic. 

Maya and Lila

Maya and Lila are Sanskrit terms. We are well aware of the challenges that ensue from the use of language and concepts. When we add translation from ancient languages to the mix we compound the confusion. 

Many interpretations of these ideas are bandied about by scholars and mystics. If you are inclined, you’ll find much worthwhile and fascinating reading. 

Some folks spend a lifetime arguing about the correctness of one or another interpretation. Angels on the head of a pin. A very popular game in many circles. I prefer to play with angels in the absence of pins. That way, no one gets pricked.

For our purposes, ACTING HUMAN practice, I will try with my last ounce of energy - shorthand for I need a milkshake - to set out the simplest and clearest explication I can, and then, as with all we do, you can accept it, reject it, modify it, do any of the above in spiraling rotation, or hold it in abeyance. Simply feel if and how it helps you practice.

Maya

We can view Maya as ignorance and illusion. Our lack of ability to see the Whole of ‘reality.’ Not only are we physically incapable of seeing it all as is, we conceive of self and universe as separate.  

This persistent separation, called dualism, which is inculcated and supported by so-called education and the wider culture, further distorts our view. 

We forget that we see with limited perception. What we believe/see as permanent is temporary and ever changing phenomena.

It’s like going to the movies. What we actually see is a beam of light interrupted at regular intervals by static images (frames/stills), usually at the rate of twenty-four/second, which we are physiologically inclined to see as continuous. Continuity of vision. An illusion.

Lila

Lila most often translates to divine play. A dance with constantly shifting perceptions, perspectives, and intentions. A playful way to view and act in never before seen landscapes. 

It’s as if we live in a cosmic playground. The spirit of Lila encourages us to embrace spontaneity, joy, and creativity in our daily lives. To explore with wonder, to use “don’t know” mind. To open. To trust. To lead with heart and soul.

Practice

As we traverse the days of our lives take moments here and there to pay attention to what we see in terms of holons. Notice living experience in wholes and parts. 

If you already meditate on breathing, you’ve doubtlessly watched the way in which a whole breath is divided into parts. Inspiration, pause, expiration.

If you’re don’t meditate a formal way, you can still, anytime and anywhere you like, pay attention to a single breath.

What else in your common experience is similarly holonic? Imagination is our friend. 

People watching makes for fun practice. Perhaps notice and reflect on what part (role) someone you observe plays in a larger play (game). Do they seem to play with a finite or infinite orientation?

Play pays dividends in resilience and joy. 

Pay attention to what you pay attention to, playfully. What draws your attention? As part of what larger thought, concern, or as is common for me, appetite.

Until next time,

Lights Up!