Hi Maggie
Two posts in as many weeks! - this is getting to be a regular dialogue :)
Your post is probably the most pertinent and excellent that I have read on the subject of Lila's
Child. I have given Dan my full backing on this privately and am quite happy to do so publicly -
just in case anyone was wondering where I stand on this as I am one of the contributors to
Lila's Child
My understanding of the MoQ has, I think, grown considerably since the quotes in Lila's Child
appeared but that's neither here nor there. Others join with many of the same questions that I
had when I first joined and feel similarly overwhelmed by the seemingly greater knowledge of
others. This is an illusion. We are all still feeling our way and a perfect understanding of MoQ
and how it relates to the world has not yet been realised and may in the end be impossible to
realise. But this is what MOQ.ORG is about - a shelter on the path to knowledge. Come in
and have a chat with other like (and sometimes not so like) minded people. Take what you
need and give what you can. That Diana is gone is a shame and regrettable but the virtual
community of MOQ.ORG continues.
Maybe none of us involved at the moment will see the realisation of Pirsigs Quality dream
but, while I'm in the mood for quotes (see my other post) here's one which I just found in a
magazine I was reading - I haven't the faintest idea of the source:
"A society grows great when old men plant trees who's shade they know they will never sit in"
Two of the greatest humans alive today in my opinion are Robert Pirsig and Noam Chomsky,
who both happen to be Americans - maybe there's hope for you yet :)
Also your point about information and the Internet is very relevant and, in my opinion, goes
beyond the Internet. Information and knowledge should not and will not be shackled and
anyone who tries to do so is acting immorally by the terms of the MoQ. This is one of the
reasons why the Internet is so important and especially at this stage in human evolution when
it seems to be the desire of so many institutions and governments to repress and silence
their members - if not by violence then by propaganda or ridicule or one of a number of other
subtle and not so subtle methods.
Dan deserves to publish his book as he likes and I will support him all the way.
Horse
On 26 May 2001, at 7:04, Hettinger wrote:
> Hello.
>
> I'm stealing a few minutes to write this, so it won't be as complete as I'd like.
>
> I'm responding to the posts of Jonathan and others about the value of Lila's Child.
>
> Dan Glover has worked for years to capture a "snapshot" of a historical event.
>
> The event was, and continues to be, one of the most dynamic enterprises in the
> universe today--the creation of set of new intellectual patterns sparked by MoQ.
> The fact that this Dynamic/Static dialogue is happening on the internet is
> significant. The fact that it continues to affect the thought processes of people
> all over the world is significant. The fact that it has formed a community, (a
> "virtual" community, but community, nonetheless) is significant. The fact that its
> existence is being worked out within social arenas of ownership and loyalty is
> significant. The fact that plain old biological patterns of fear and anger are
> being stirred up is significant.
>
> As a historian, Dan has done the world a favor, as he captures this snapshot and
> gives it reality in a form that is accessible to more varied types of thought and
> consideration.
>
> I gave my permission to be quoted in Lila's Child. I did not assume that I had
> permission to judge the shape Dan's work took, or tell him what direction to go.
> That is a converstion between Dan and the universe, and it's his baby.
>
> Dan DID ask permission to quote, (and received it), but frankly, folks, once you
> post to the Internet, you're out in the public. If you don't want to say it, don't
> say it. "If you can't take the heat, stay out of the kitchen."
>
> Lila's Child, as a book, will have its own context, but I don't think it will ever
> be seen as anything but a snapshot of a process. Dan's latching that process more
> firmly in the varied value sets of the world gives MoQ a foot to stand on, so to
> speak, in parts of the world where it was formerly invisible. So, to squelch this
> effort, especially at this point, is uncalled-for killing.
>
> I'm proud to have been one of the building blocks of MoQ, no matter how small my
> particular blocks were. Diana's were much more important than mine. And they were
> good. They were not her words today, but they were the steppingstones that made
> her words today possible.
>
> "The most moral thing of all is to make space for the business of life to go on."
> This particular life is valuable.
>
> Dan, I will pay for Lila's child, if it costs $100 a copy. I think it is extremely
> important. Don't try to change it. Your vision was true. If someone wants
> something different--essays, or a Diana-less version--then I suggest they get
> cracking and make it happen.
>
> peace,
>
> maggie hettinger
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