Security, Identity, Survival
Welcome to the June 4, 2020 issue of The Shamcher Bulletin, weekly excerpts from the archives of Shamcher Bryn Beorse. Warm greetings to new subscribers! If this was forwarded to you and you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do it here.
This week features correspondence from the late 1970’s and early 1980 on topics of Security, Identity, and Survival, and a glimpse of life in Berkeley. In a 1974 proposal for seminars on ignorance Shamcher states: “Professionals of all lines can be trained to acknowledge their ignorance - and potentials. This may be a first step to make us all generalists.”
1930s poster promoting Det Norske Luftfartselskap DNL (Norwegian Air Lines) shows a plane in the air meeting Peer Gynt during the Magic Reindeer Ride.
Security
You know, it could well be that you are the great prophet who is to re-introduce constancy, no-change, faithfulness forever (by the lady at least) regardless of any treatment or assurance - an empty, funny word, security is nonsense, my whole life has been fluid, no specific purpose ever, some temporary efforts possible faced in certain directions, though not for long. When someone says "I feel insecure," I say "Congratulations, boy. Security is a funny word, like a blanket to chew on." Do you think I looked for security when I insisted on going into World War II even though nobody wanted me, my being "too old"? and when I volunteered for all the suicide missions and finally for the trip to kidnap Hitler? No security, of course but what fun! Can there be any fun or any sense in security?
You may have made your mistake in listening to me at all, at least in paying any attention. I was doing my thing by insisting on change but only my thing, not yours. You may be the next great prophet - for constancy, rules, regulations, the order of a society, constant values. So I trust you for constant friendship (well in that sense even I wish to be constant, unchangeable) so I thank you for your gracious offer to find me a place to live. I have one beautiful invitation to stay awhile in a friend’s luscious home but that will be only for three days of course. As the old Norsemen say: "The first day the guest is gold, the second day silver, the third day lead - a bit heavy you know - the fourth day garbage, to be carried out to the car and from there to be carried far away."
Berkeley
I have stirred up this wonderful, sober university to go to the fifth OTEC workshop in Miami Beach next February to really show them how. In general I have probably achieved as much I could hope and wee bit more. And I fight the miserables with mighty typewritten missives that have all the power of a feather in your hat.
The Berkeley campus is really like the wizard of OZ. As many surprises, as many styles, as many hidden grottos covered with flora. We crossed the campus yesterday to see The Miracle of Bali in the PFA. PFA is on Durant between Bowditch and College. You know? It means Pacific Film Archives and it sprouts cultural films. As for me, I know Bali already so I could duly appreciate it.
And of course we have been swimming in the fierce Pacific, and one wave disrespectfully sat me down plask on the sand and I said, "You shouldn't of done that." But it dood it. And reminded me of its strength and indiscretion for 14 whole days. But now it is all right. And we have been to Santa Cruz, where the beach swings inward so the waves are more manageable.
And we have splendid fog every day. Well, this is a sore point, for I have worked hard on getting California Rain, so we can flush. And all I have achieved so far is some mighty fog. It sometimes drips a bit but that is all. I blame the others, who say "Yes, we need rain" and then they turn around and pray for sun. When 12 million people pray for sun, what can one miserable oldster do against them? But I'll succeed yet. You just watch.
Is this image from street view Shamcher and Evelyn’s apartment building on Durant in Berkeley?
Identity
Time is running away from me, no cohesion in my life or lifestyle any longer and I really do not care. Who needs a lifestyle? All styles are good.
Good wishes and thoughts come to me from old and new friends anyway. What could be better? A Sufi recently told me he and his school were seeking their identities. In so seeking, they rejected an applicant. He would have jeopardized their seeking their identity they said. Now, would he? and if so, so what? What is identity? an illusion. Good to get rid of. But no, at a certain stage, for some, this seeking and finding an identity seems so important. Maybe I should reread, re-estimate, but anyway, for me there is no such thing as identity, nor seeking it. Seems it is like limiting yourself, turning yourself into a pat ego. There is a stream of which I am gently and increasingly conscious. It is beyond identity. I try to be in it, part of it. Whatever it is.
Forgive my many words. So useless, aren't they? but then, what is useful?
Survival
As Abdul Aziz Said says "A person on the path is never lost" and neither are you. It is sweet that you are anxious and in doubt, but in reality you are ahead of most and on the path and you certainly don't need any "teacher". Nobody really does any longer, except for learning shoemaking or driving an auto.
When a person is full of self and pride, he may benefit from one nobler and wiser for a guide but when he/she has abandoned the silly belief of a separate self and realizes that there is only one single being he needs no more teachers. Millions of benevolent wise beings press on him and enter his being, advise and guide him and any outside "teacher" would be a gross imposition. You still have friends of course, but none of these must impose himself as a "superior"??? teacher. Then it is all lost.
Be delighted to see you any time, as a friend, nothing else. Inayat Khan was so special that he possibly believed, for a while, that a teacher was good. He was good, yes. But who is like him? Many try and be and that is good. But not always equally good. When you understand these things you have no more trouble. We are all very ignorant at present. Humanity is on a primitive stage yet. In science, medicine, technology - what we "know" is practically zero. Don't worry about that. Many great Hindus let us wander into oblivion. My duty is the opposite: To prevent this, or try, to my last ounce of life. Others also try as I do, and are surprised that even the most famous yogis have given up on human survival already. I never give up, nor do I worry. I just work. And so do you, bless you. But listen to the being and the One Being - and not to outside so-called teachers.
If in my hurry I missed some of your questions, write me again. I must admit I am always in an awful hurry - to try to make humanity survive.
Shamcher being hugged by Camille, a cook at Canada Camp in Ontario, late 1970s. Sa’adi Rothenberg photo.
Proposal for “Seminars on Ignorance”
Engineers, physicists, economists, psychologists achieve more, and with more zing, the more they are aware of their degree of ignorance - and of their potentials. I would like to conduct seminars to this effect, including current history and examples.
When my friend Henri Coanda, professor of physics at Sorbonne (Paris), flew his first jet into a barn door and just survived, Vannevar Bush, called our greatest scientist, pronounced, "Jet power will never be appreciably used, neither in military nor civilian aviation." Professor Everett D. Howe and I built three plants on the principle of thermal difference between ocean surface water and deeper layers at University of California. Only plants of considerable size are economical and only if a few large cold water pipelines are used rather than several small ones, which would involve prohibitive friction losses. Reputable engineers, failing to acknowledge their ignorance of this, pronounce the method not feasible, having built plants with no regard for the mentioned condition. Professor Edgar Schieldrop of the Norwegian Institute of Technology used to say "Our so-called natural laws are crutches, to make us believe we understand what we don't." Einstein might have taught us. His theories are more advanced crutches.
In the field of economics, inability to see our ignorance causes tragedies. How many economists cling to the credo that employment and inflation must be 'traded off' according to that famous "Phillips Curve?" (To cure inflation we must have unemployment!) this is rejected as flimsy fabrication by economists who have delved into this matter, Yale's John H.G.Pierson, Harvard's John Philip Wernette, the Truman administration's Leon Keyserling, the Kennedy and Johnson administrations' Seymour Harris. And there is John Maynard Keynes' foreword to his famous book: "I have called this the General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money to contrast the character of my arguments with those of the classical theory upon which I was brought up and which are applicable to a special case only the characteristics of which happen not to be those of the society in which we actually live."
In the field of psychology Carl Jung warns, "If you really want to help your patient, forget all your science."
The University of California considered helping their engineers by adding sociology, philosophy, psychology to the curriculum. Remarked Dr. Joe McCutchean, "I'd say it is a matter of attitude rather than adding subjects. The sociologists and psychologists who'd talk to our engineers would add their own limited syndrome." He listed a number of teachers he thought had it, and those, he added, had not been exposed to the considered courses.
Professionals of all lines can be trained to acknowledge their ignorance - and potentials. This may be a first step to make us all generalists.
The Shamcher Bulletin brings you snippets from Shamcher’s writings that might help frame and context our experience of the world we live in today.
In every issue, the text is as originally written, with only a few editorial tweaks if necessary.
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