The "sacred" seems to be a human universal in the sense that such experiences arise in virtually every human culture. And, in virtually every human culture, people attribute profound importance to such experiences. Indeed, historically and cross-culturally, it would seem that human cultures have organized themselves around such experiences.
And perhaps in that major orienting role that these experiences play, we get a clue to how it may be that the evolutionary process -- which instills value in all sentient creatures -- has apparently instilled that experiential capacity in humankind. One might presume that it has proved life-serving for the animal that embarks on the path of culture to possess a capacity for experiences of value so profound that those experiences serve as major guideposts for the organization of cultural life.
Indeed, what peoples through history and across the world have tended to experience as "sacred" are things that are profoundly life-serving: the sacredness of holding one's infant in one's hands, the beauty of the natural world from which we draw our sustenance, the solidarity of the social group, the family gathered around the Thanksgiving table, one's hearth and home, a well-ordered and just social order.
The sacredness, in other words, of those things that contribute to human flourishing.
The Sacred: A Case in Point
Which will lead, in the next installment, to my talking about the latest space I've been working on fleshing out for this ambitious "integrative vision" of a "Better Human Story."
In contrast to that fleshed out piece mentioned in the previous piece -- the darkness ascendant in American in these times--this new project is about something worth celebrating in human life.
The name of the new project is "The Sacred Space of Lovers."
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NOTE: The comments that follow, below, are from people I've asked to serve as my "co-creators" on this project, i.e. to help me make this series as good and effective as possible.
They are people who have known me and my work. And my request of them is that --when the spirit moves them to contribute -- they add what they believe will help this series fulfill its purpose and give the readers something of value. I've invited them to tell the readers what they think will serve the readers well, and to pose questions or challenges they believe might elicit from me what I should be saying to the readers next.
I am grateful for their attempting to help me find the right path.
Margee Fabyanske:
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