Christ Consciousness. 10: Going back to source

 

Going back to source

Thoughts such as “to do or not to do,” “to do because I want to,” “to do because I have to,” “to do because I feel I have to,” and “to do because I need to” are common in all of us. Often glued to these thoughts are emotions. When these thoughts and emotions spiral out of control because of an unexpected situation we have to face or the anticipation of circumstances that, in the end, may never manifest, we tend to feel “out of balance,” “out of control,” or “not grounded.” How do we deal with this? The answer is simple: we should go back to where we come from.

Enlightened ones, mystics and Holly Books agree on this point. For example, Buddha tells his monks to “be islands unto yourselves, be a refuge unto yourselves with no other refuge.” (The Long Discourses of the Buddha, A Translation of the Dgha Nikāya by Maurice Walshe, Wisdom Publications, 2012, 404). In a similar vein, Jesus’ journey includes several cases that, by means of a metaphorical understanding of the lesson behind them, refer to this. For instance, when Jesus cleanses the temple by expelling the crowd (Matthew 21-12-17) and when his parents, Mary and Joseph, realized young Jesus was missing, “they started to look for him among their relatives and friends.When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.” (Luke 2:41-52)

All these teachings advise us to have a contemplative position in life because there is a refuge of peace within us. When we understand God as our being, God can never be absent. Indeed, due to unforeseen circumstances or mundane challenges we may be mentally absent. Thoughts and emotions may seem to invade and conquer us. Yet, to find peace, we simply need to leave the “crowd” and go back inwards, to source, to the temple or, in other words, to our beginning. In these lessons, the dichotomy between the “crowd” and “self” points out to the state in which we find ourselves when our attention is scattered. When this happens, we should aim to acknowledge our conscious activities and ongoing striving in order for them to cease.

By gathering our attention, we are able to still ourselves. Being here and now we are not caught up in thoughts and feelings. While being relaxed but alert, we release ourselves into God’s case trusting we lack nothing. We have to constantly remind ourselves that we do not need to seek God here or there. He is in each of our hearts. Therefore, there is always a refuge of peace at reach, within us. In fact, that is what we do when we use techniques such as meditation, yoga and mindful breathing. We learn to leave the “crowd” for a while by simply coming back to source.

The road back to source requires concentration and will. More precisely, concentration of intention, concentration of energy, concentration of consciousness and concentration of investigation should be accompanied by effort of will. Our watchfulness must be intense, concentrated and unremitting. This implies a continual fixing and halting of thought at the entrance of the heart. By being attentive to ourselves we gain heart’s stillness that is free from mental images and becomes the guardian of the intellect. In truth, we simply have to be still and trust God will take care of everything.

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Christ Consciousness. 9: On watchfulness: becoming the observer

Available at: https://london1701.blogspot.com/2023/03/christ-consciousness-9-on-watchfulness.html

Saturday 18th March 2023

Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez

Twitter: @DrJorge_World

https://drjorge.world

BOOK PREVIEW: “Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics: A Theory” [Forthcoming 2023]

 

Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics:
A Theory

By 

Jorge E. Núñez

General structure: Part One

PART ONE refers to the current situation in the legal, political and international relations disciplines regarding the relationship between sovereignty and cosmopolitanism; wrong assumptions and pre-conceptions that cause bias in the relevant scientific analysis and its application; and a vision that proposes a reconceived paradigm.

Chapter 1 Introduction

The Introduction presents the overall aim of this work, its methodology and potential implications in dealing more efficiently with global issues such as territorial disputes; pandemics; arms, drug and human trafficking; terrorism; the flow of refugees; and war. It defines the meaning of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism and the reasons why they can (and should) operate together. It also introduces the notions of pluralism of pluralisms and multidimensional analysis. In short, the goal is to offer a common conceptual ground for discussion. There are many reasons for the origin and ongoing nature of pervasive negative local, regional and international issues: they are complex in nature (multi-faceted) and although addressed in several sciences, these sciences (and people at large and their representatives) do not follow a coherent and cohesive approach in assessing and potentially solving them. This chapter, therein, exposes the biases in the legal, political and international relations fields in regard to the relationship between sovereignty and cosmopolitanism.

The answer lies not in rejecting current concepts and creating new ones but in a change of perspective. By reimagining the perception about how cosmopolitanism and sovereignty can embrace and acknowledge pluralities, it is possible to shift from an exclusive to inclusive paradigm in the legal, political and international relations disciplines that can facilitate the cooperation of local, regional and international agents in finding mutually beneficial solutions to common problems.

Chapter 2 Sovereignty

State sovereignty has many meanings, however, all the definitions incorporate the element of a highest and absolute authority. Therein, any government or population retains sovereignty over a territory if and only if they have the exclusive capacity to enact and apply laws for those within their borders. A current understanding of state sovereignty accepts territory as a defining element─i.e. territorial sovereignty. What in principle appears to be a clear characterization of state sovereignty as the exclusive authority a government or population has over a territory, however, may offer different views. The chapter aims to show that one definition of sovereignty may refer to territory but can refer to other concepts such as population. Moreover, the chapter acknowledges that sovereignty is not absolute and because of its limitations, individuals, communities and states are able to interrelate in fact and in law with other agents in the form of domination or cooperation.

It is correct to argue that many voices do accept sovereignty’s limitedness; however, this statement is accurate only if disciplines like political science and international relations are considered. In the legal context, sovereignty is assumed to be absolute because a sovereign state can only have one ultimate and superior lawmaker and interpreter. In fact, the European Union is one example that illustrates the author’s point. Politically, there is room to argue that sovereignty is limited; however, the EU legal framework still accepts Member States, i.e. sovereign states in the monograph, as having exclusive sovereignty unless a given power has been conferred in law to the EU according to EU law principle of conferral, art. 5.2 TEU. The argument is that by acknowledging state sovereignty’s limitedness in law and politics, it is still possible to count on a set of legally binding and enforceable global principles.

Chapter 3 Cosmopolitanism

Similar to sovereignty, scholarly literature uses the word “cosmopolitanism”  loosely.[1] Claimed to have emerged in Ancient Greece when Diogenes labeled himself  “citizen of the world,” but according to the Stoics, without giving up identifying local roots, cosmopolitanism suggests identification with different groups (such as family, neighborhood, city, state, region and world).[2] Arguably, it is Kant who is the modern father of the concept, and his Perpetual Peace, scholars from different disciplines find epistemological, economic or commercial, legal, moral, ethico-theological, political and cultural cosmopolitanism.[3] This chapter distinguishes the different kinds of cosmopolitanism and argues that the focus should be on legal cosmopolitanism of a particular kind, more accurately, that to acknowledge and understand the distinction between moral and legal cosmopolitanism is not enough.

In addition to moral cosmopolitanism’s limited embrace of state sovereignty and, consequently, legal pluralism, a broad understanding of legal cosmopolitanism would also not suffice. Accordingly, it is important to distinguish between two different kinds of legal cosmopolitanism: natural law cosmopolitanism and positive law cosmopolitanism. This monograph explores legal positivism in further detail, i.e. how the world state is not a necessary consequence of positive law cosmopolitanism[4] and, therefore, other options are possible such as one that accepts a pluralism of pluralisms and embraces legal systems of different natures.

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[1] Cali goes as far as to characterize cosmopolitanism as an umbrella of ideas. See Basak Cali, “On Legal Cosmopolitanism: Divergences in Political Theory and International Law,” Leiden Journal of International Law 19:4 (2006): 1149-1164, 1150.

[2] Martha C. Nussbaum, “Patriotism and Cosmopolitanism,” in Joshua Cohen, ed., For Love of Country: Debating the Limits of Patriotism (Boston: Beacon Press, 1996), 2-17; Thomas Kemple, “Mannheim’s Pendulum: Refiguring Legal Cosmopolitanism,” University of California Irvine Law Review 4:1 (2014): 273-296, 275.

[3] Georg Cavallar, “Cosmopolitanisms in Kant’s Philosophy,” Ethics and Global Politics, 5:2 (2012): 95-118, 98.

[4] Contra Thomas Pogge, “Cosmopolitanism: A Path to Peace and Justice,” The Journal of East-West Thought 4:2 (2012): 9-32, 12.

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General structure

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Friday 17th March 2023

Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez

Twitter: @DrJorge_World

https://drjorge.world

Christ Consciousness. 9: On watchfulness: becoming the observer

 

On watchfulness: becoming the observer

A bare mind is not worried about anything and it is tied up with nothing. It is about not holding onto distractions rather than ignoring or avoiding them. Distractions will happen. Whether inner turmoil or influence by our surroundings, our lives are constantly surfing through this physical existence. Therefore, the challenge is to master ourselves to the point we may remain calm despite the inner or outer circumstances. When the Holy Scriptures say something like “Do not sin by letting your anger control you.” (Ephesians 4:26) they are simply advising us by describing the tension between self or our soul and ego. While self knows we lack nothing, ego will try to trick us into attaching ourselves to thoughts and emotions related to need.

A particular useful tool to learn how to master ourselves and to include in our daily and practice is watchfulness. It has been used for centuries by many religious traditions and is often neglected, most possibly because of its simplicity as well the discipline it requires. Indeed, watchfulness enables us to become the observer. One of the several outcomes when we become the observer is that we do not get lost in thoughts or emotions. We simply accept them as and when they come, we avoid judging them, we acknowledge them and we let them go their way. But, what is watchfulness?

Watchfulness “… signifies an attitude of attentiveness whereby one keeps watch over one’s inward thoughts and fantasies, maintaining guard over the heart and intellect.” (St Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St Makarios of Corinth, compliers, The Philokalia: The Complete Text, Volume One, translated from the Greek and edited by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard and Kallistos Ware, London and Boston: Faber and Faber, 1983, 367).

As there are different ways to master ourselves, there are several types of watchfulness. For example, in brief, according to religious tradition, we may become the observer:

1. By closely scrutinizing of every mental image or provocation.
2. By freeing the heart from all thoughts, keeping it profoundly silent and still.
3. By continually and humbly calling upon the Lord Jesus Christ for help.
4. By always having the thought of death in one’s mind.
5. By fixing one’s gaze on heaven and by paying no attention to anything material.

A more modern take on watchfulness has to do with what it is becoming a trend: mindful meditation. Truly, mindful meditation has its roots in Ancient traditions including religious understandings. Put it simply, mindful meditation is the enabler that paves a way to become the observer but, different from Ancient tradition, is stripped down from its spiritual nature.

Watchfulness allows to catch reactivity. By not reacting it is possible to come back to our centre, to our calmness and, ultimately, to our freedom. It means we are able to anchor to stillness while still flowing.

It is important to mention watchfulness is not about putting up with what we should not be putting up (e.g. an unjust or a painful situation). It just implies we are able to transform that same energy and change it for good. In other words, watchfulness helps us find a new relationship with issues such as pain, distractions, thoughts and emotions and avoid reactivity. In a nutshell, we avoid turning that pain into mental suffering.

Watchfulness is not about fighting but grounding ourselves to our Holy essence and in doing that, shining so bright that any negativity is disintegrated. We are able to transmute energy. Therefore, take time and space to nourish yourself. Watchfulness’ end goal is to become the observer—even when we are surrounded by people. Because through watchfulness we face ourselves, we face our light and our fears. And if we want to know ourselves and in knowing ourselves, heal, we have to observe in order to be aware. Watchfulness allows us to be aware of self and ego; awareness enables us to be awake. Being awakened is the way to ignite what we already know: “All healing involves replacing fear with love.” (ACIM, T. 8. IX. 5:2)

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Christ Consciousness. 8: Self-mastery: the battle towards God and inner peace

Available at: https://london1701.blogspot.com/2021/08/christ-consciousness-8-self-mastery.html

Saturday 11th March 2023

Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez

Twitter: @DrJorge_World

https://drjorge.world

BOOK PREVIEW: “Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics: A Theory” [Forthcoming 2023]

 

Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics:
A Theory

By 

Jorge E. Núñez

General structure

Simply put, these pages fill a major gap in the legal, political, and international relations disciplines─a multidimensional view that acknowledges the pluralism of pluralisms in sovereignty and cosmopolitanism and consequently, their compatibility. The book begins with a top-down global and interdisciplinary study in order to draw general theoretical conclusions concerning how sovereignty and cosmopolitanism could (and should) interact and concludes with a bottom-up national and regional set of guidelines for crises analysis and potential resolutions that current remedies, procedures and organizations fail to provide.

The first part of the book outlines the concept of sovereignty and brings to light a common misconception: sovereignty is absolute and consequently exclusionary. On the contrary, sovereignty is limited and because of its limitations can accept pluralism. In turn, cosmopolitanism may have to do with individualism, universality and generality to start with and may be legal or moral; however, its claims do not affect how sovereignty operates. In order to uncover evidence about how sovereignty and cosmopolitanism operate together, the second part of the book refers not to pluralism but to the pluralism of pluralisms characteristic in both (whether or not explicitly recognized). The final section will use territorial disputes at large to illustrate how different claims and issues at stake embody their complexity.[1]

The challenge in assessing and potentially solving territorial disputes (and any other global issue) is presenting the agents with a solution that acknowledges their individualities without disregarding those of their counterparts. Consequently, any conflict resolution procedure and remedy will fail to solve these disputes unless both sovereignty and cosmopolitanism operate together, acknowledging the pluralism of pluralisms present in these differences. In a similar vein, if current understandings of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism continue, they will only perpetuate a status quo and therefore, legal and political uncertainty in efficiently tackling territorial disputes and any other global issue will persist.

In short, chapters 1-3 are more explanatory in nature and review and criticize current understandings of sovereignty and cosmopolitanism in law, political science and international relations. Chapters 4-6 introduce and develop the author’s multidimensional view by presenting the different pluralities that can shape and characterize phenomena. Finally, chapters 7 and 8 apply a multidimensional analysis to sovereignty and cosmopolitanism in the context of territorial disputes as an example of crises and integrate recommendations on how to gain an extensive understanding of the two.

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[1] For the author’s view about territorial disputes see Jorge E. Núñez, Territorial Disputes and State Sovereignty: International Law and Politics (London and New York: Routledge, Taylor and Francis Group, 2020), in particular chapter 4. For an extensive analysis of the concept of territorial disputes, its implications and relevant bibliography, see chapter 7.

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Book’s description

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Friday 10th March 2023

Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez

Twitter: @DrJorge_World

https://drjorge.world

BOOK PREVIEW: “Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics: A Theory” [Forthcoming 2023]

 

Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics
A Theory

By 

Jorge E. Núñez

Book’s Description

This book assesses the relationship between cosmopolitanism and sovereignty. Often considered to be incompatible, it is argued here that the two concepts are in many ways interrelated and to some extent rely on one another.

By introducing a novel theory, the work presents a detailed philosophical analysis to illustrate how these notions might theoretically and practically work together. This theoretical inquiry is balanced with detailed empirical discussion highlighting how the concepts are related in practice and to expose the weaknesses of stricter interpretations of sovereignty which present it as exclusionary.

Finally, the book looks at territorial disputes to explore how sovereignty and cosmopolitanism can successfully operate together to deal with global issues.

The work will be of interest to academics and researchers in the areas of Legal Philosophy, Legal Theory and Jurisprudence, Public International Law, International Relations and Political Science.

Pre-order via Amazon: Amazon link

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BOOK PREVIEW: “Cosmopolitanism, State Sovereignty and International Law and Politics: A Theory” [Chapter 1: Sovereignty and cosmopolitanism: pluralism of pluralisms and a multidimensional analysis].                   

Friday 03rd March 2023

Dr Jorge Emilio Núñez

Twitter: @DrJorge_World

https://drjorge.world