Online series The Urgency of Change with Javier Gómez Rodríguez, January 4, 2026
In this first session of the six-part series on The Urgency of Change (1970), we took up the theme of ‘How to Live in this World’, which covered the chapter of that title and the related chapters ‘Conflict’, ‘The Individual and the Community’, ‘Suicide’ and ‘Order’.
How to live in this world is a question humanity has posed itself from the beginning. In inquiring into it, such key issues as conflict, individual versus society, order and the isolating nature of the self are involved. The topic of suicide might not seem to belong in this section, but K treats it as the act of despair to which the self-enclosing activity of the self can lead us and which signifies the ultimate meaninglessness of the way we live. For K this is not intelligent because intelligence involves seeing what is and acting immediately, the point being to live intelligently with love and sensitivity, which requires transcending the self and its time. Order is a natural aspect of this reflection, not a mechanical order but the dynamic, creative order of relationship, which is what both living and world are about.
This reflection involved a consideration of the sacredness of life and the importance of living in constant contact with ‘what is’. Being aware of ‘what is’ without distortion implies observing without the limitation of past experiences or preconceived notions, to see things afresh with eyes free from time. For K this was the way of order and relationship and suggested being choicelessly aware throughout the day and reviewing the day’s experiences objectively before going to sleep so there is deep rest and the renewal of the brain, so that on waking we do not begin with thought and pleasure, the known, but with the unknown of intelligence and love.
In the Q&A section we raised the question of life being sacred, not only human life but the life of animals. We considered that while from a scientific point of view life might be a random biological phenomenon, certain states of consciousness hint at a deeper, transcendent quality of being that could be considered sacred. This timeless dimension is life itself and involves the relation of the all with the all, which wholeness has the feeling of the sacred. We pointed out the importance of both mind and heart in understanding, acknowledging the difficulty of conveying it in words, as it has to be a living discovery rather than a concept.
The discussion then focused on the nature of order and identity. We contrasted the mechanical scientific order of the universe governed by necessity with the living order of relationship that requires freedom from the known. Our self-identifications and past experiences create divisions between individuals, preventing genuine connection, so K maintains that love and freedom come from emptying oneself of self-identity. K presents us with two divergent possibilities: to be nobody and live in joy or relate from the self and live in conflict and sorrow. This involves being highly sensitive and intelligent, which relates to the state of unknowing.
The group then discussed the nature of self-awareness and intimacy, which led to the discovery that true inwardness involves the dissolution of the self. We explored further how awareness of ‘what is’ can lead to its dissolution, how undivided attention can transform potentially destructive psychological processes. We might explore this further when we meet again in two weeks, when we will be inquiring into the meaning of awareness, perception and learning.
- Javier Gómez Rodríguez
