I determined that from then on, I should adopt a more wide-awake attitude to life. I should question everything that was not immediately obvious to me. I should place less trust in 'recognised authority' and rely to a greater extent on my own innate ability to recognise contradictions or inconsistencies in what I was told. I should seek descriptions, resolutions and explanations that accorded with my own experience. This led me to be much more outgoing in my search for experience than I might otherwise have been and consequently enabled me to learn much more from the experience of others whose accounts stood up to examination in the light of my own experience and whom I therefore felt I could trust.
My personal interests include science, philosophy, mysticism, literature, business, politics, education, and computer applications — not necessarily in that order. These interests, while giving rise intermittently to periods of frustration, have ultimately afforded me much enjoyment and satisfaction. It occurred to me that perhaps the best way in which I could spend whatever remains of this life would be to share some of my enjoyment with other people who may be searching for more fulfilment in their own lives. And I could think of no more exciting or enjoyable method of doing this than by soliciting the co-operation of willing workers in building a site on the Internet as a contribution to holistic education.
1. Find an idiom capable of making a spiritual impact on minds steeped in a culture which generally recognises only the material. The idiom I have chosen is described in the essay entitled The Economy of Life.
2. Change the content of the site at regular intervals so that readers will keep coming back. The site will therefore be updated with fresh (or refreshed) material at least once a month.
In closed communities in which it is important to maintain good interpersonal relations, there is usually a rule (whether written or not) that forbids discussion of politics, religion and sex because they are subjects about which people may hold deeply felt but discordant views. Forthright expression of conflicting views is liable to give rise to heated arguments and lead to inter-personal antagonisms which militate against mutual co-operation for the common weal. In the somewhat moderated context of individuals interacting with an unemotional computer as an intermediary, stringent constraints on subject range are less necessary. We may thus be able to engage in rational consideration of 'sensitive' subjects in an endeavour to gain a deeper insight into their nature and discover why they arouse such passions. Therefore, no topics are barred from this site. However, all contributions will be edited to ensure ordinary civility and respect for opinions which differ from one's own.
'Temple' is said to derive from the Latin 'templum', a name that the Romans gave to a sanctuary or a place set aside for observation by an augur. From this we also get the word 'contemplate'. What we shall contemplate are our own ideas about the nature of the Universe and other people's attempts to put into words thoughts arising from their own experience of living. It will be for each of us to decide in each case whether and to what extent other people's glimpses of apparent 'truth' about the Universe can be reconciled with our personal experience. The Meditation Calendar presents some of these glimpses in a form designed to facilitate the adoption of a regular discipline of daily reflection.
The Ardue Cyber-Temple is dedicated to contemplation of the Economy of Life in the belief that such contemplation helps individual persons to live more happily while making a beneficial contribution to the life of the world as a whole and to the general advancement of mankind. The 'structural plan' of the Temple and its theme are more fully discussed in two essays: 'Cyber-Temple' and 'The Economy of Life'.
I am personally dismayed at the extent to which decisions on matters of public policy are now made by politicians apparently solely on short-term materialistic, financial, or Party electoral grounds oblivious of the more fundamental values which are deeply embedded in Natural Law — which includes human psychology. I wish to draw attention to these fundamental values and attempt to show why pursuing them diligently brings material, financial and spiritual benefits not merely to politicians but especially to the people the politicians purport to serve.
1. Contributions of essays and poems may bear the donors' actual names or pseudonyms, but will be free of copyright.
2. Relevant quotations traditionally attributed to sages or drawn from the works of other writers are always welcome as contributions to the Meditation Calendar. Any quotations proposed for publication should be attributed to the original writer if known. It is important to bear in mind that these quotations are not proposed as dogmatic statements of 'doctrine' but rather to help readers develop their own sense of values and 'rightness'. In other words, it is quite OK to disagree with any or all of them.
2. Essays comprising the Temple 'foundation' will be 'permanent' but subject to continuous amendment to keep the 'fabric' of the Temple in good repair, to enlarge its scope, and to enhance its effectiveness as an educational vehicle.
3. Other essays on the seven 'topics' comprising the Temple 'superstructure' may be added, removed, rotated or updated at intervals. Between appearances, essays will be revised to take account of readers' comments.
4. The poems in the 'Garden' will also be varied or rotated as necessary to accommodate contributions received or changes in policy.
5. The essays in the 'World' will be posted, updated, and removed at the whim of the Editor, but with some reference to topicality.
6. It is envisaged that the University section will consist of preparatory essays, "lectures", exercises and "provocative" questions to be published at intervals over a period spanning several years and constituting a course of instruction for students who wish to build their personal philosophies of life and living.
7. It is intended that all material published in Ardue will be free from copyright. Readers are welcome to copy and disseminate extracts from the site as they think fit provided they acknowledge the source and make no attempt to alter the sense. Please note, however, that any articles licensed from other publications (such as The Seeker) remain subject to the copyright policy of the publication in question.