Posting & Polarising at Bring4th

[zenmaster]

There's lots of room for disagreement between people, while still accepting and loving.

The real key is not to avoid debate, just avoid making debate about people or egos or proving yourself right. Virtuous debate is a search for the truth, a desire to test ideas, to discuss. This is a great thing if you don't let the ego get involved.

The trick is making sure you don't identify with your position. Anytime you start putting "winning the debate" as a goal over finding the truth I think you're going wrong. (I don't think it's STS though)

A good example is your post. I don't think STS and STO can be simplified quite as you put it. I don't think your conclusions follow from what Ra said either. But I mean this is just my opinion, my interpretation, I'm not particularly upset or worried that you have a different interpretation, and I'm not attached to my own interpretation. We could discuss ideas dispassionately in a loving way as a search for truth and insight, this can be in the form of a debate.

It's a mistake to start turning a debate over ideas into a huge nasty conflict full of negative emotions. But it's equally a mistake to avoid debating or discussing ideas and conflicting opinions because you are scared that asserting yourself is STS.

Gotta get that middle road

Going to have to agree with the majority of yoss's thought here. The intentions are what matter in the long run, regardless of someone's interpretation. Polarizing in 3D is primarily related to creating an understanding through seeking for betterment of the 3D-life condition. Eventually, this understanding is capable of reaching the 'acceptance' level, when interacting with another. However, the expression of such acceptance as a polarizing function in itself, is not so much about the smoothing expression of feeling of love or gratitude (which may be present, and feel good), but that which ultimately potentiates or provides understanding. This is the teach/learn and learn/teach process.

Of course, it's not possible to teach/learn and learn/teach unless there is a certain level of acceptance present, because one must be capable of following and bridging the unique perspectives offered by another. When there is a certain amount of acceptance, we then are in a position to enrich our experiences by sharing. In fact, if in our seeking and acceptance we open ourselves up further, we can directly experience another's point of view on a matter and in doing so there is little room for miscommunication.

It does seem that there are many that have worked very hard to achieve a delicate 'balancing act' with their thoughts of 'love' and acceptance. They inflate such thoughts, placing them onto a pedestal with guarded concern, afraid for their loss at the hands of the so-called 'non-accepting' or depolarizers. It's ironic that such concern of loss is actually indicative of non-acceptance of self and attachment. From such a standpoint of 'self', I'd submit that one is not and can not be polarizing or even offering an atmosphere of polarization.

In short, 'acceptance' itself, like 'awakening', is a gradual process resulting from learning and may not actually be that 'holy' notion which seems to hold so much promise and to which many thoughts 'cling' at present.