Spencer Heath Archive

Item 274

Penciling by Heath beginning on page 9 of a pocket notepad containing many names of people met and notes from classes probably at Teachers’ College, Columbia University.

On or about December 15, 1933

 

This original notebook contains items 274 through 286.

 

 

    

What is the economic problem? Organization and free functioning. Shall the approach be pro or anti? Anti energizes. Pro gives direction. Pro fails to energize (except by art and inspiration)

     In the botanical /?/ world

 

Life against life

Destroying undesired life

Strengthening desired life

Negative and positive emphasis or approach

 

     Man not against other life. Man is life versus the not life or rather the less life. If anti gives power it fails to give direction, guidance. Man’s brain like a bicycle or automobile. Power behind — guidance in front.

     How shall we advance if we don’t oppose? Big question covering generations of men — centuries of civilization. This must not appall but shows big answer required.

     First try to see things as they are. Find the subject-matter of the science. Classify by resemblances and then by functions. Same as in botany and other sciences and later in biology and now in psychology.

     Observe the functioning of the organs of society.

     Find in its subject-matter order, patterns, designs that have their reflection or obverse in the mind. How can this happen? Man derived from nature. Organization of and within nature. Created by nature, he bears the stamp of his external world. Nature cannot be hostile to man. It is his mother (mater — and all other matter if you like).

     The mind conscious of external nature discovers funda­mental patterns therein corresponding with patterns formed by his neuron bonds /?/. This is the learning process (per T.C.).

These brain patterns interact among themselves to form higher (creative) patterns subjectively. This suggests changing the outer world and gives it direction.

     But all this does not motivate.  If we became entirely pro and not at all anti, where shall we get the energy to move onward towards effecting changes in the objective world?  — the heart’s desire. How avoid sterile and dried up intellectualism?

     Here’s where we engage the offices of the fine arts, aesthetic appreciation and activity, spiritual exaltation. These operate directly by doing, indirectly by behold­ing. The beholding inspires to action. The doing employs energy and this energy manifests outwardly in creative works and performances (repetitions) and inwardly it causes higher organic development with consequently greater power of appre­ciation and also of action. “Old men dream dreams and young men have visions.”  “Without vision the people perish.”

     How do we get this? Advance consists in higher and higher stages of consciousness. Putting what has been learned or solved into the unconscious. Not all advance at the same rate. Ideas flash in various ages before they become general and accepted. These give the dreams, poetry, art, prophecy — enthusia

 

     How do we get anti and pro? Why don’t we accept whatever is, as the animals seem to do — seek food, reproduce and rest at one level, increasing or diminishing according as conditions are more favorable or less so. Why can’t we live at one level, the level fixed by external conditions whatever they may happen to be? We don’t know, except that we are different. However, anthropologists tell us of what was perhaps a “far off divine event.” They tell us that far back in the long, long trail of ascending life one of its forms experienced a unique differentiation — a special artery for direct blood supply between the heart and chief nerve center ..

                                         

                                          /Breaks off/

______________________________

 

The body is a community of cells. Each cell depends on practically all the others.

 

There must be an organic structure underlying every highest manifestation.