24.3.12

Poems referenced in the Steve Jobs biography

Poetry & Technology: “God Is A Verb”, by Buckminster Fuller

I see God in

the instruments and the mechanisms that

work

reliably,

more reliably than the limited sensory departments of

the human mechanism.

And God says

observe the paradox

of man’s creative potentials

and his destructive tactics.

He could have his new world

through sufficient love

for “all’s fair”

in love as well as in war

which means you can

junk as much rubbish,

skip as many stupid agreements

by love,

spontaneous unselfishness radiant.

The revolution has come-

set on fire from the top.

Let it burn swiftly.

Neither the branches, trunk, nor roots will be endangered.

Only last year’s leaves and

the parasite-bearded moss and orchids

will not be there

when the next spring brings fresh growth

and free standing flowers.

Here is God’s purpose-

for God, to me, it seems,

is a verb

not a noun,

proper or improper;

is the articulation

not the art, objective or subjective;

is loving,

not the abstraction “love” commanded or entreated;

is knowledge dynamic,

not legislative code,

not proclamation law.

not academic dogma, not ecclesiastic canon.

Yes, God is a verb,

the most active,

connoting the vast harmonic

reordering of the universe

from unleashed chaos of energy.

And there is born unheralded

a great natural peace,

not out of exclusive

pseudo-static security

but out of including, refining, dynamic balancing.

Naught is lost.

Only the false and nonexistent are dispelled.

And I’ve thought through to tomorrow

which is also today.

The telephone rings

and you say to me

Hello Buckling this is Christopher; or

Daddy it’s Allegra; or

Mr. Fuller this is the Telephone Company Business Office;

and I say you are inaccurate.

Because I knew you were going to call

and furthermore I recognize

that it is God who is “speaking.”And you say

aren’t you being fantastic?

And knowing you I say no.

All organized religions of the past

were inherently developed

as beliefs and credits

in “second hand” information.

Therefore it will be an entirely new

when man finds himself confronted

with direct experience

with an obviously a priori

intellectually anticipatory competency

that has interordered

all that he is discovering.

Buckminster Fuller / http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buckminster_Fuller

God is a Verb, “Whole Earth Catalog Fall 1968”.

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