Lewis is the masked avenger

[Guest guest]

a forward from:

deconstructionism/

 

Re: Lewis not willing to post here but very inspired anyway

 

Dear All,

 

Eric has mislead you. There is no reluctance to post here. I did not

post a response to Joyce's take on what she thought Eric said but was

part of something I had written on another list. I did not answer

because it was decontexualized and there was not enough understanding

of what was being done in the previous post and what the line of

thinking was about, or knowledge of deconstructionism and so on. To

post in those conditions would have lead to a drawn out discussion

that neither Joyce nor I would would. So no post.

 

As can be read in the posts that Eric pasted here, I have said

deconstructionism can be useful if done well. This has not been case

in general, that is, it is usually done very poorly,especially when

not applied to literary criticism where it was first honed. When

applied outside that domain and into life and living as it is here

there are many problems that need to be faced squarely, most of which

were mentioned.

 

Deconstructionism has no stated goals or methodology, though people

have put a political agenda into Derrida's mouth. Not having a goal or

a clearly stated methodology, deconstruction has tended to be a free

for all slashing at anything status quo, anything held tightly. The

methodology has been gleaned from deconstructionist writings and put

forward without getting to the fundamental assumptions. So to be a

deconstructionist at first one must be a copy cat. This is of course

is no different than the beginnings in any discipline. One learns the

vocabulary, concepts, style and personas needed to appear to be an

authentic representative.

 

After copycatism what have we? We have all types of personalities with

axes to grind and agendas to fufill. This of course becomes obvious

when the sole purpose is to crush one thing and replace it with

another, with what one wants. This creates conflict and division and a

call for the heads of the deconstructionists, a call for them to

deconstruct their hidden or open agendas, which is in general is never

done. And there is always present the call to deconstruct themselves,

also rarely done.

 

In settings concerning spirituality and humanism, deconstructionism

runs fast up and down decentering every belief. Nothing is allowed to

stand. Gods and divinities fall, practices demolished, goals and

purposes undermined, heavens and nirvanas shattered, identities

eliminated, there is a wholesale reduction of everything religious,

philosophical, moral and ethical to ashes and this is all that is

left, ashes. There is a rawness and bone rattling insecurity that one

faces if deconstruction enters their life full force. Take this and

die! Who wants that?

 

The serious side of religious traditions also say " Take this and die! "

but they add a sweetener, a lure, like salvation, freedom, peace,

bliss, enlightenment and so on to get us to take the medicine, to face

the hardship to be encountered. This gets people in the throes of it

but spiritual materialism creeps in and a lure is mistaken for the

goal which it is not, the goal is death to the self and all

attachements (not physical death).

 

So deconstruction is raw and bone rattling without such a lure to

distract the attention from other more serious work being done in the

hidden recesses of being. So why would anyone come to a place like

this to be savaged, to be denuded, to be killed without clear purpose

or goal?

 

Those who know what they are and seek this death because they

understand what it is and its importance can use deconstruction to aid

their quest, regardless of their conditioning and beliefs. For all

others, I cannot fathom why they would tread here except to play with

themselves and others.

 

Some of you may know me, but I am not what you may think. I assume any

identity as required. If I am here, I assume the identity of an arch

deconstructionist. What I am is indefinable, but I assume as required

 

If you wish to hear the voice and persona of the arch

deconstructionist that I can assume, be forewarned, for there will be

no mercy whatsoever. There is no malice or ill intent, only compassion

in an iron fist. So tread here and face squarely all that is.

 

Lewis