Cybercabin Diary--Themes Outline
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[4] My final admission that life in society
is
proper and should not be shunned
"Then the word of the LORD came to Jonah a second time...Jonah obeyed the word of the LORD and went to Nineveh."
(Jonah 3:1,3, NIV)
[4.1] It is not right or human to be continually alone
[4.1.1] Essentially human is the tendency towards seeking out others (e.g., we are "social beings")
[4.1.1.1] Those who live fully enough within social groups achieve a transcendent and self-sustaining strength
27 September 1997 --
Taking another look at the crowd
10 November 1997 --
Walking the solitary road
27 November 1997 --
Yearning to give real thanks
4 October 1998 --
Not watching the game
29 January 2002 --
That life of the heart
[4.1.1.2] Participation and conformity, despite their associated pain, result in the optimal course of personal growth
[4.1.1.2.1] Isolation, though an immediate source of comfort, eventually loses its lustre
[4.1.1.2.1.1] Being at all human is enough to create identification with the collective
7 December 1998 --
Encroaching concessions
24 February 2000 --
A self-contradicting illusion
9 April 2000 --
Down to the river and back
10 October 2000 --
Facing basic needs in the cold
4 March 2001 --
Unavoidably a member
8 July 2001 --
Some time in a smaller space
12 November 2001 --
The question of where to look
18 March 2002 --
In limited company
9 December 2002 --
The posturings of a fugitive
6 January 2004 --
My place within the flux
[4.1.1.2.1.2] Life with others is an inherently richer, more "interesting" way
[4.1.1.2.1.2.1] Non-human surroundings do relatively little to engage a person, rich though they may be
27 May 1998 --
Alone at the summit
2 July 2000 --
The contexts of my immersion
19 November 2000 --
Preparations made in isolation
12 April 2001 --
A call to share in life
8 January 2002 --
Inevitably, a struggle
12 October 2002 --
The many parts of the self
[4.1.1.2.1.2.2] In the presence of a social group; the vibrant collective, a nearly limitless potential resides
13 February 1999 --
An observation of my surroundings
24 April 2000 --
A life of two extremes
23 September 2000 --
More time spent on my own
30 January 2001 --
The variety of my connections
4 January 2002 --
A suggestion of more
29 March 2002 --
The solution is at hand
4 November 2002 --
It must get better than this
3 January 2003 --
The utility of the moment
26 June 2003 --
Custodian to the source
11 November 2003 --
The many, and the one
3 May 2004 --
One of the one many
[4.1.1.2.1.3] One's conscience becomes bothered by the act of leaving
1 February 1999 --
The others are out of sight
3 May 1999 --
Persistence under fanciful premises
3 July 1999 --
I have time on my hands
16 July 2001 --
The gravity of my actions
[4.1.1.2.2] Such difficult yet noble efforts prove endurable and valuable in ways that must be accepted on faith
[4.1.1.2.2.1] Initially entering such a life can have its share of misgivings
26 July 1998 --
Staying under the sun-shelter
14 September 1998 --
Alone, facing the oncoming wind
14 March 1999 --
Visibility is low today
11 July 1999 --
Going over the rules of the game
28 March 2000 --
Enjoying what I can
14 July 2000 --
A presumption of higher justice
28 February 2001 --
Facing a temporary temptation
[4.1.1.2.2.2] A person must accept the initial uncertainty of embarking upon what seems "right"
24 December 1998 --
A break from facing the unknown
15 May 1999 --
It is not always the waste it seems
30 August 1999 --
The activity of my own making
19 February 2000 --
Attempts at proper gratitude
28 April 2000 --
A most powerful truth
24 December 2000 --
An assessment of true demand
[4.1.2] The desire to escape and remain completely alone is an artifact of stress; a difficulty in coping and social adjustment
[4.1.2.1] A person becomes unduly sensitized and weakened by insufficient exposure to the outside world (e.g., "avoidance")
20 October 1997 --
Coming face to face with real life
19 May 1998 --
Dreams and hard truth
17 November 1998 --
Lasting out the rough spots
25 November 1998 --
Sheltered by distance
21 January 1999 --
Venturing out again into the open
19 May 1999 --
Inside my shelter, as the rain falls
8 August 1999 --
I still hear the noise
[4.1.2.2] A defeatist attitude towards living among others can develop from an exaggerated and distorted view of life's pain
[4.1.2.2.1] A pessimistic outlook towards such life emphasizes too much the negative
29 January 1998 --
The cost of a personal outpost
14 July 1998 --
At home, sitting outside
7 March 1999 --
Encamped in familiar surroundings
21 July 1999 --
Two lives, one reality
31 October 1999 --
Enclosed in the night
12 March 2000 --
The cold weather persists
[4.1.2.2.2] Misinterpretation of truly rewarding experiences contributes to the sense of futility
30 August 1998 --
The steep path to a life of love
9 January 1999 --
Stepping out for some air
7 September 1999 --
Sorrow that has no place
17 December 1999 --
Inside for the night
20 March 2000 --
Solitude's ultimate limits
18 October 2000 --
Temporarily sheltered from exposure
27 October 2001 --
Inspiration at its limits
[4.2] I have too much to give in my city life (e.g., it is "where I belong"; "they have use for me")
31 October 1997 --
It need not seem like a bad life
13 January 1998 --
Discerning which work is worth doing
27 February 1998 --
The acceptable sacrifice
16 April 1998 --
A moment's escape to the clearing
6 August 1998 --
Waiting on my reward
21 November 1998 --
Back in hiding
3 March 1999 --
Away from my obligations
[4.3] The need for membership in communities cannot be denied
[4.3.1] The cost of participation within community is repaid in what is returned to the individual
[4.3.1.1] Identification with others through common humanity allows for a "currency of exchange"
16 December 1997 --
This snow is good packing
19 February 1998 --
A solitary walk in the snow
29 November 1998 --
Seeking to understand my objectives
2 April 1999 --
Looking for the right answer
18 April 1999 --
A most permanent place
11 June 2000 --
The ideal of imperfection
20 December 2000 --
A place for holding out
3 February 2002 --
My self and its complement
4 May 2003 --
The receipt of content and creation
[4.3.1.2] Rules and contraints pertaining to membership prove necessary and worthwhile
[4.3.1.2.1] The overall effect of other-directed effort is to "enforce" an environment of compassion and mutual support
24 April 1998 --
Sitting with the campfire
28 December 1998 --
Timeless predictabilities
29 January 2000 --
Relaxing on my own terms
6 April 2002 --
Duty is unavoidable
[4.3.1.2.2] The individual is best exalted and supported in an respect-filled environment of cooperation and compromise
25 January 1998 --
Freedom through interdependence
3 October 1999 --
Time to warm myself up
5 October 2000 --
Some time spent doing nothing
17 September 2001 --
It isn't about just me
[4.3.1.2.3] A legalistic structure to one's behavior in the group adds a stabilizing influence to living
22 August 1998 --
The problems with running away
4 November 1999 --
The inevitable is coming
[4.3.2] It is a mere illusion when commitment to others does not appear worthwhile
[4.3.2.1] Intrinsic value lies in such a difficult life, but it must be lived to be known
[4.3.2.1.1] The social realm has a sublime power of enrichment that cannot be understood from the outside
11 March 1998 --
Threads more precious than gold
4 June 1999 --
My expectations are out of view
27 November 1999 --
Reflection in solitude
30 May 2000 --
The place of true comfort
15 September 2000 --
The cost of a free life
14 October 2000 --
A scene to promote appreciation
5 January 2001 --
Playing host to myself
10 June 2001 --
Accepting a gift of solitude
16 January 2002 --
The one and the many
10 May 2003 --
Encamped before the door
14 October 2003 --
The true and the real
[4.3.2.1.2] Those with a stronger faith in humanity can see up front what they'll get when they join in
31 May 1998 --
The price of peace
6 September 1998 --
Trying to explain my hesitation
25 December 1999 --
Lasting out what must be
21 January 2000 --
Trying to conserve heat
[4.3.2.2] The socially compliant receive external support and recompense for their sufferings
10 August 1997 --
Learning the secret to life amid the crowd
24 December 1997 --
A truly Silent Night
16 June 1998 --
Keeping step to the beat
1 November 1998 --
Taking a break from social striving
29 December 1999 --
Illusions in the uncertainty
20 April 2000 --
The specifics of satisfaction
23 November 2000 --
An obligation towards gratitude
17 May 2001 --
The inescapable load
5 April 2003 --
There is indeed a place