I’m suggesting it scares me personally based on my own personal experience. This doesn’t make it wrong. Many good things can be scary.

> Are you saying that only “bad” people do this? You’ve never done this before?

I’m saying that’s the commonest association of this kind of action. Perhaps we do indeed need to ‘reclaim the streets’.

> We shouldn’t try to discern Right Action?

Of course we need to discern Right Action. This is both the most natural thing and also one of the easiest to get wrong.

> It sounds like you’re equating anything which is powerful with bad.

Not my intent. I’m equating it with potentially dangerous, requiring careful handling. I’m sure some powerful things are bad, but not all of them. Some are just misguided.

Your aims might be good, but I associate the means with other things.

So are you suggesting that because of your preconceived associations, my work becomes somehow invalidated or dangerous?

‘people who act covertly to further their own ends’.

Are you saying that only “bad” people do this? You’ve never done this before?

The /discerning of Right Action/ is the bit that concerns me.

We shouldn’t try to discern Right Action?

Especially if you’re going to use some of the powerful linguistic tools we’ve mentioned on this site.

What linguistic tools? Why are they powerful? It sounds like you’re equating anything which is powerful with bad. Wouldn’t we need powerful tools to discern Right Action?

Agreed.

> Where do you see me as going?

I mean I think I understand some of what you’re talking about; I was expressing myself metaphorically.

> What in particular do you find scary about it?

A lot of your writing recently has been in the same sort of language as I’m familiar with from years of exposure to NLP-management-BS. Your aims might be good, but I associate the means with other things.

> One of whom?

‘They’ with a capital ‘T’ are hard to define. I use the capital letter to indicate a relation to the catch-all term often used when talking about conspiracy theories. I guess in this context ‘people who act covertly to further their own ends’. That’s the impression I get from this post.

> So you’re saying that *anyone* (as we all have the power to act, right?) can potentially be tempted to do wrong?

That seems obvious to me. Conversely, anyone can also do right.

> Then we ought to not refuse action, but to discern and take Right Action, yes?

Yeah but no but. The /discerning of Right Action/ is the bit that concerns me. That, I think, is where the rabbit hole starts. Especially if you’re going to use some of the powerful linguistic tools we’ve mentioned on this site.

Hey, I’m smiling to see you’ve changed my listing from “fellow bloggist” to conspiracy blogging “starlet” on your about page.

That makes me laugh, man! Bloggist sounds kinda respectable (better than blogger), but starlet…man, I can’t help but smile at that.

I’ll take that as an upgrade!

I kinda see where you’re going

Where do you see me as going?

coming across in a really scary way.

What in particular do you find scary about it?

So now you’re one of Them

One of whom? Someone who realizes that life is just a performance and that we ought to put on the best one possible? Then yes.

http://www.myspace.com/gathertogetherin

I think that whoever has the power to act can be tempted by the dark side.

So you’re saying that *anyone* (as we all have the power to act, right?) can potentially be tempted to do wrong?

The ability to cause change in the world is a double-edged sword.

Then we ought to not refuse action, but to discern and take Right Action, yes?

Forgive me if I don’t yet understand what is so scary about all this!

I once made an analogy that that is a “bugs eye” view of the world. Like all powerful people are just big shoes ready to step on you. From that perspective they all look alike.

But I think when you start trying to exert power in your own life, own your personal power and increase it, the world starts to look different, you start to see why things are done a certian way by anyone that actually wants to take action as opposed to being a passive observer.