I hope you dont mind if I partake of conversation between you and CherryBomb. I like the tone of discussion on this thread. I am a personwho has had very few boundaries and am trying to teach myself about them late in life. Here goes.
I have a book of poems called Edge Effect: Trails and Portrayals. It is based on the biological concept of the Littoral Zone, eg coastal sea/land habitats and ecologies.
I dont tend to like straight lines and have jumbled, overgrown garden. My pictures are on the walls in uneven clusters. They average out with some sense of balance .. but I do NOT measure it .. it just needs to be pleasing to the eye ... MY eye.
I have cared for plants outside my property line, (to the ridicule of some people in my street, who say I am doing the council's work, but mostly I get respect).There is a cyclone wire fence near my house. Often canola plants are self seeding there ... so I have a new boundary ... Monsanto rubbish can stay the other side of the fence. It is easier to manage when there are clear boundaries. We can become automatic in our responses etc. It can be time saving .. if they are accurately labelled.
I guess socially often boundaries can be like assumptions. I tend to be wary of people who pride their intuition, as they dont often actually try and reality check and find out about the other person but often like to prove their ideas about others being right. It makes it hard for someone like me on the edge to move in from the margins. In some ways I am now used to being there. I see myself as a critter of the Littoral Zone. Always trying to fit in ... on the edge .. so I guess I understand boundaries differently. I just dont take for granted the same that things that many people do. I have always been willing to learn, unfotunately not everybody shares that trait with me.
I learned "readiness" concepts in piano teacher training and preparing students to play duets. It is quite artificial in many ways, and a lot of effort, awareness and money is used to encourage the lucky student to be aware and be able to choose and tune in and play with another well. It can be good as it teaches the new generation better awareness skills than earlier generations but we do need to be aware of evolution in standards of living. I have rarely been "ready" for what life gave me. It has usually been a matter of rising to the occasion and sinking as often as I swim. I may be ready for a performance or not .. music is an area where hitting the right note is typically a matter of great pride ...
I havent read Robert Bly but he sounds interesting and the concept of a 'sibling society' revealing. We cram 30 children of the same age in a classroom for 12 years and presume they will get along and it gives accurate insight into normal milestones ..... what about the multiage societies of village cultures ... I think writers that encourage Americans to view their society as one (or a set of cultures) among many are important. They werent ready for 9/11 despite all their expertise or intelligence .. theoretical or security.
I read a bit oif The Golden Bough and comparative religions and I found it interesting that Robert Bly's website mentioned him as a man trying to write about religion when the world is turning away from religion.
My interest in religion is why .. why people believe anything .. how trust or faith are developed .. or its converse. What are the assumptions ... it doesnt mean I dont have beliefs but I am careful about them.
Sorry for ramble ...
