VIOITVl3TTA 3001Fl8
ATTENTION BRIDGE
OVIIOITOAFl9 23UJAV :YJTVl3Fl3=i=i10
PRACTICING VALUES DIFFERENTLY:
MOFl=i OVIISIFIAJ09 23100J0301 JAFIT0392 OT OVIIVIIOAMl3FI
FROM POLARIZING IDEOLOGIES TO SPECTRAL REIMAGINING
ATTENTION BRIDGE
ATTENTION BRIDGE PRACTICING VALUES DIFFERENTLY: FROM POLARIZING IDEOLOGIES TO SPECTRAL REIMAGINING
“Attention Bridge” gives attention to bridging poles & offers a framework for thinking about how to practice values differently. This means learning to hold the following ten concepts in a generative tension, re-imagined along a spectrum.
Tensions form between ideas that have conflicting demands. Each end of the spectrum can become its own ideology. But with a tension bridge, one can view tension as a tool of expansion --a necessary, strengthening stretch, avoiding entrenchment, ideology & dogma--
finding value in each perspective. It is not duplicitous, it’s expansive. Like a flag that is both fixed & fluid, “Attention Bridge” is anchored by its poles, yet allows for travel in between. Simplicity on the other side of complexity.
Established & fixed ideology in tension with an intuitive, generative approach.
"In Between" suggests a middle way that recognizes and respects the dynamism at play along the spectrum. There is positive & challenging energy in between that which is strong and stable and that which is flexible and changing.
conviction----------------------curiosity
Belief, imagination & magic in tension with science & objective, empirical truth.
“As if” reminds us that an imaginative speculation fuels the pursuit of empirical objectives. We lean into the unknowability of mysteries and live “As If.” We see science and spirituality as two ways of knowing that are not mutually exclusive.
belief----------------------------------proof
Deferral of certainty NOW, in tension with the finality of transcendence. A process-oriented searching “now” for what will be fully known “later” requires a deferral of certainty here & now as we move towards unity with the divine-when our divine spark is freed from the constraints of terrestrial existence and all questions will be answered (or not). “Now/Later” reflects our ability to exist among uncertainty and doubts, & to continue in the face of mystery without reaching for absolutes. Messianic time isn’t simply about waiting and deferral, it is available across time, “Now/Later.”
certainty----------------------------mystery
Self-knowledge as a part of a collective, in tension with knowledge of self as an individual. There is value in acquiring knowledge about who “I Am.” But, naming (identity) separates from the collective. Individualistic naming changes the essence & the named is no longer what it was, or what it started as being. Rights and self-hood are never fully independent from the collective.
collective-minded-----------individualistic
Expert mind (few possible answers) in tension with beginners mind (many possibilities). Pursuing expertise (learning) without losing the fresh perspective of a beginner is the goal. Expertise can lead to a certainty that narrows possibility. To unknow is to be open-handed, with room for creative boredom. There can be pleasure in re-imagining, as we become unfamiliar with the familiar. The jaded needs re-enchantment, & the ideologue detournment.
expert mind----------------beginner mind
Unmediated, direct connection to the divine in tension with institutional, ideological correctness & authority. “As Above” acknowledges our individual impulse to pursue the transcendent (divine), & weighs our need for the institution. An unmediated, individual experience isn’t flawless. The institution helps provide a structure of discernment. Institutions require flexibility to continue to meet the needs of a changing culture & provide mutual care & investment for individuals. “As Above” shines a light on hierarchical/arboristic structures and recognizes the cracks in the foundation. There is a need for a more rhizomatic approach. individual-------------------------institution
Ritual, tradition, & heritage in tension with change & rhizomatic growth outwards.
“So Below” points to the way mycelial systems sustain themselves by branching outwards rather than simply returning nourishment to their roots. While uprooting may feel freeing, it provides no lasting foundation. “So Below” gives preference to open, horizontal networks (rhizomatic) over closed vertical hierarchies (arboristic).
fixed------------------------------------fluid
The end is also a beginning.
The process of re-generation is transformative in nature: decomposition begets composition. With regard to the things that we hold as most important and stable as systems in our world (political systems, religion, institutions), destabilizing forces can serve to “Both” renew “And” propel them, not just topple.
linear--------------------------------cyclical
Skepticism in tension with visionary expectancy.
We experience doubt, skepticism & distrust. We desire empirical, rational understanding. We also desire a noetic encounter; to experience an ineffable truth--to have our awareness expanded. “I See” is the daily work of cultivating a visionary practice of possibility & wonder.
skeptic---------------------------expectant
Practical production (experience) in tension with theoretical presence.
Contemporary life stretches & folds the perceived boundaries of ourselves. “Still/Present” reminds us that contemplative stillness is in tension with being present in daily (material) life. The dizzying network of consciousness & culture needs a grounded theoretical practice.
practical------------------------theoretical
Bibliography Belser, Alex Boehme, Jacob Brooks, Peter Buber, Martin Cage, John D’Aust, Maja Davis, Erik Debord, Guy Deleuze & Guittari Derrida, Jacques Eliade, Mircea Fisher, Mark Friedman, Tom Griffiths, Roland Gurdjieff, G.I. Haidt, Jonathan Harwatt, Helen Huxley, Aldous Hoffman, Albert Huberman, Anthony Hyde, Lewis James, William Jesse, Robert Jung, Carl Lacan, Jaques Lecky, Mark Lilly, John Luhrmann, T.M. McLuhan, Marshall McKenna, Terrence Paracelcus Pinchbeck, Daniel Rohr, Richard Ruck, Carl A.P. Schulgin, Alexander Schultes, Richard Evens Shrigley, David Smith, Huston Stamets, Paul Steiner, Rudolph Taylor, Astra Tolle, Eckart Tzu, Lao Upritchard, Francis Verwoert, Jan Wasson, Gordon Worthen, Molly
DOVETAIL PRACTICE, 2021