At present I'm going to list seven characteristics of a causative living person, there are more, of course, than the ones I am listing, Bil listed 21 for me in the course of our association, but these seven form a useful foundation on which we can build.
1. A CLP is aware of his games.
2. He has assumed responsibility for his life and its consequences.
3. He has excellent body posture of which he is constantly aware.
4. He resolves religious and philosophical paradoxes.
5. He is not affectively controlled by dogma or authority.
6. He translates knowledge into wisdom.
7. He contributes to raising his fellow humans to the level of Causative Living 'homo novus'.
Let's briefly discuss these:
Being aware of your games. If there is a goal there is a game, you can succeed or fail, score or not score. In nature the big game is to survive. The survival of everything that exists, plants, animals, people, concepts, religions, is involved in the big game. We see the game employs a simple, but effective, reasoning that 'something must always exist' or 'something else must never exist'. Mostly the players are not aware that they are players, resulting in the attempted perpetuation or eradication of things, people and concepts. Causative living on the other hand does not focus on this type of survival or eradication, but by definition, focuses on following goals that result in creation, it adds to that which exists. To the degree you are aware of your goals, is the degree to which you are aware of your games.Assuming responsibility for your life. Assuming responsibility for your life, really means not blaming any one or anything for your circumstances, but regardless of which, we are not stopped, we strive to fulfil defined goals. In fulfilling goals we lead fulfilled lives, obviously.
Body posture. One's posture is a communication shibboleth, wherein we expose our attitudes, likes and dislikes. It is body-language. Practising particular postures increases awareness. Assuming a particular posture in a particular situation to effect a particular outcome is causative. I'm sure thespians, for example, who rely on precise communication for success, must practise posture control, and be constantly aware of their own postures. In causative living there are practics which can get one up to speed, but these may initially require individual tutorial or guidance.
Resolving religious and philosophical paradoxes. A good God allowing bad things to happen is an age old paradox. Paradoxes of what we should or should not do in particular situations are as relevant today as they were in antiquity. What do paradoxes (seeming absurdities) like Lucifer being banished from heaven and Adam & Eve eating of the forbidden fruit mean?
Being affectively controlled by dogma or authority. Now, whereas we cannot avoid, dogma and authority physically controlling our lives in the form of governments, receivers of revenue, law makers, police, the military and so on, we do not need to expire when they say boo or bah, we still are free to be causative and to create, even when we are in the most dire of situations.
He translates knowledge into wisdom. Our attitudes generally reflect how we translate knowledge into wisdom. Wisdom is applied knowledge, e.g. in knowing that smoking is harmful to the body, wisdom is found in not smoking. Yet one might have a paranoid attitude toward smoking & be completely unaware that this paranoia may also be a carcinogen.One example of wisdom (applied knowledge) I like to use is Dr. Ignaz Semelweis' efforts to introduce infection control into obstetrics to reduce the appalling death rate, at the time, from puerperal fever. The example is useful because firstly it was so simple, secondly the idea was scorned at by Dr. Semelweis' colleagues, and thirdly Dr. Semelweis usually introduced his ideas in an autocratic manner.
Anyway, when talking about how our attitudes and actions may be related to wisdom I found the word 'benesidious' coined to mean 'that which is cumulatively beneficial' in conjunction with its natural opposite 'insidious' meaning 'that which is cumulatively harmful' is a particularly useful tool. Dr. Semelweis' ideas were benesidious, his colleagues' scorn was insidious and his autocratic manner was also insidious.
We may also describe habitual drunkenness e.g. as an insidious habit; while sobriety, meaning voluntary but deliberate control of our actions, we describe as a benesidious habit.
He contributes to raising his fellow humans to the level of Causative Living 'homo novus'. In life, survival is a major issue. Causative living, the concept of benesidiousness, and the concept of rightness (to be introduced later) are perhaps neologies, but they are the fruit of an ancient tree. By analogy, in order to live trees need to be fed and watered, and to survive as a species their seeds to mature and to propagate. This blog is one way that I contribute to raising fellow humans to the level of 'homo novus' (new man).
