Cultural Split Screen

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Foster harmony. Enable beauty. Distill complexity. Oppose harm. It has been a long time since I began a Wall post with the four tenets of Distilled Harmony - those assertions by which I attempt to structure my life. Yet it has been a long time since the successes and failures of our culture have been revealed in such stark contrast. 

On one side of the screen a rocket rides on plumes of flame flinging humans once again towards the mystery of space. On the other, garish flames highlight humanity sinking into the thuggish behaviors from which we vainly struggle to free ourselves. 

I have no doubt that politicians, academicians, theologians, business leaders, friends and neighbors will attempt to distill the complexities that etched these strangely disparate realities upon our collective consciousness. Blame and praise will be assigned. Harm will be defined, and appropriate paths of support and opposition will be proposed. And each voice will echo with certainty. So distilling complexity and opposing harm will take center stage as we look back on a day defined by both human triumph and societal failure. 

It is here that I need to reaffirm that the four tenets of Distilled Harmony are hierarchical. Foster Harmony is the first and dominant tenet. When faced with any decision, that which fosters harmony is always preferable to that which ignites conflict and creates discord. Enable Beauty is the second tenet, following closely on the heels of foster harmony. Here too the decisions are often clear cut. That which makes our lives more beautiful must always be given preference over the coarse and merely pragmatic.   

The planning and creativity that led to the SpaceX side of the screen was informed by those first two tenets, and brought to fruition by tenets three and four. The destructive thuggish side of the screen reflects the awkward attempts prompted when we struggle backwards to tenets three and four to address the discord prompted by ignoring the primacy of foster harmony and enable beauty. 

Hopefully we will learn from this strange day, and will squeeze discord off the screen and free space for our better selves. 

Foster Harmony. Enable Beauty. Distill Complexity. Oppose Harm. 

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