[October 2000 journal entry]
As the ‘religious’ sphere and its language melted down for me during my 20s and early 30s, this conviction re the human Geist survived. I did not derive or deduce this idea/view re the human Geist from a prior idea/view or an authority source. In other words, the idea/view is self-evident. Within the ‘religious’ sphere, there is no pressure/need for recognizing the human Geist to be the starting or unconditioned premise for thought about ethics and spirituality. In fact, there is pressure not to do so. Outside the ‘religious’ sphere, I have found that this conviction re the human Geist is implicitly, if not explicitly, acknowledged or at least taken seriously. Once the human Geist is acknowledged, consideration of freedom, unpredictability, creativity, . . . becomes possible – which in turn makes reflection on or consideration of a transcending Geist plausible (but not necessary in order to acknowledge the human Geist). This conviction re the unconditioned or self-evident human Geist integrates the ‘non-religious’ approach to spirituality and ethics I have been experiencing/interpreting all these years.
As the ‘religious’ sphere and its language melted down for me during my 20s and early 30s, this conviction re the human Geist survived. I did not derive or deduce this idea/view re the human Geist from a prior idea/view or an authority source. In other words, the idea/view is self-evident. Within the ‘religious’ sphere, there is no pressure/need for recognizing the human Geist to be the starting or unconditioned premise for thought about ethics and spirituality. In fact, there is pressure not to do so. Outside the ‘religious’ sphere, I have found that this conviction re the human Geist is implicitly, if not explicitly, acknowledged or at least taken seriously. Once the human Geist is acknowledged, consideration of freedom, unpredictability, creativity, . . . becomes possible – which in turn makes reflection on or consideration of a transcending Geist plausible (but not necessary in order to acknowledge the human Geist). This conviction re the unconditioned or self-evident human Geist integrates the ‘non-religious’ approach to spirituality and ethics I have been experiencing/interpreting all these years.
