literarydiscussions.myfreeforum.org

Sitaram · Site Admin Joined: 14 Sep 2005 Posts: 1079

http://www.sulekha.com/chpost.asp...ilosophy&show=0&cid=92245

There is a little book store in Greenwich Village devoted exclusively
to biographies; a clever concept! Since ancient times, when Plutarch
wrote his "Lives," biography has been considered an important
learning tool. Plutarch's Lives were the Gospel or "good news" of the
pre-Christian world, the news that "character counts."

One literary scholar described literature as philosophy in motion.
The biography of a great person's life might be called ethics or
religion in motion. The biography of an exceptional individual is
like the alchemist's alembic, distilling qualities into a
concentrated form readily visible to the naked eye of the spiritually
ordinary average citizen. Or, one might liken the biography to a
microscope for the soul, or a telescope for sighting universal
concepts. Perhaps the gold of a life well-lived and well remembered
is the only real magical alchemy which exists. A serious study of
such a life has the power to transmute the substance of our own soul.
Perhaps the greatest mystery and power of the Christian religion
resides in the biography of the man Jesus, and the transformational
power which the contemplation of such a life can have upon us.

All religions are in some sense a byproduct of the biographical
process. The assessment of biography as a process prior to religion
is a subjective judgment which each of us may consider and accept or
reject in the private sanctum of our own heart and conscience.
Consent to such a concept, in my estimation, in no way denigrates
religion, and in many ways it ennobles the human life experience.

Certainly the Bible may be seen as a collection of biographies. The
Qu'ran is a biography of Muhammad if we read between the lines. The
Mahabarat and Ramayan may be seen as wonderful and wondrous
biographies. That the Buddhist Sutras are a biography of Siddhartha
Gautama is demonstrated by Tich Nhat Hanh in his delightful "Old
Path, White Clouds" narrative account of the life of the Buddha taken
from original Pali texts. If God lives in us then in some sense, God
lives THROUGH US, vicariously partaking of our choices and
experiences. We, in turn become proxies for God, enacting in our own
personal sphere what we believe God would do in our place, and we
call such a life "Godly." Do you see how biographical all this
becomes when viewed from the proper perspective?

Carl Sandberg devoted himself to a four volume biography of Lincoln.
When in my adolescence, I attempted to read it, I found it too
unctuous for my tastes. Perhaps a mid-life attempt at reading it
would fare better.

Nowadays our attention is more beguiled by the life-style rather than
the life of an individual, as evidenced by the popularity of a
program such as "Lifestyles of the rich and famous." The term life-
style denotes materialism, the glitter and sequins of adornment which
wealth and power provide. "Life" is different from "life-style." We
read of Jesus' life, or Gandhi's life, or Lincoln's life, but these
were not stylish people. We shall note that that the only adornment
which we hear of Jesus wearing is a crown of thorns and we shall
leave that as a final note and rest our case. The life of Jesus
certainly transformed Gandhi's life, though it did not transform him
into a Christian.

I awoke quite early this morning, Saturday, July 24, 2004, with
thoughts about the nature of biography in general and the biography
of Michael Josephson in particular. Michael Josephson is the creator
of the "Character Counts" program at www.charactercounts.org . He
left a lucrative law practice to devote himself full time to writing
and lecturing about ethics. There are so many cruel jokes about bad
lawyers as well as bad jokes about cruel lawyers. Generalization and
stereotyping is a pauper's philosophy. There are lawyers who are good
people. Perhaps the best lawyers cease to be lawyers. Michael
Josephson is still a young and vigorous man so it is perhaps
premature to speak of his biography. Rabindranath Tagore once said
that every time a child is born, it is a statement that God has not
given up hope for humanity. Sitaram says that every time an Ethicist
is born, it is a statement that humanity has not given up hope for
God.

Every Johnson needs his Boswell. Lincolns need their Sandbergs and we
need biographers. We may criticize the biographer as voyeur or
eavesdropper who does not personally live or re-enact the life he
praises. But then, if no one lived the life of a biographer or
scribe, then we would have no biographies, no little bookstore in the
Village.

What I do when I write such things as this, in the wee hours of the
morning, is analogous to a scribe who eavesdrops. I become quite, and
listen and then write down what I hear. There is a narrative within
us which is not us but apart from us. The Vedas say, "May noble
thoughts come to us from all sides." Shankaracharya said that
thoughts pour into the mind like molten metal into a form. Rupert
Sheldrake speculates that thoughts come from outside us and we are
like radio receivers. Eavesdropping is a lowly job, but for some
reason it has become my job, and someone has to do it.

A relative criticizes me for spending all my time writing and
thinking in this fashion and not acting and doing in my own daily
life in a more gallant and swashbuckling fashion. Yes, I am Sitaram,
but Sitaram is not me personally. Sitaram is a persona which abides
within me. Our word "person" comes from the Latin word "persona" for
mask. Such masks were worn by the actors of ancient drama. Life is a
divine comedy or drama and Religion is a script for a live
performance. The person or persons of God are masks of a sort. A
concentration camp becomes a stage for a Viktor Frankl, and the
narrative of "Man's Search for Meaning" becomes a stage in the hearts
of generations of young students.

Sadly, the vast majority neither live lives worthy of biography, nor
write biographies, nor do they even read biographies, nor even lament
the fact that they do not read. There is a kind of poverty which
renders its victims unconscious of their mean estate.

What the world needs is more biography.

Get your own free IRC Chat room