I find myself feeling uncomfortable again with the spiritual approach of Ramana Maharshi and others.

I think the basic problem that we face is one of perception. A perception based on separation of ourselves as the viewer, the experiencer, the enjoyer, the one who suffers, etc. This is what makes us attempt to control, and eventually destroy, our world. Our interference results in destruction. The destruction of other species and ecosystems. It results in speciesism. Any philosophy that helps to create non-interference, cooperation with the natural world, is preferable to ways of action that are based on interference, domination, subjugation, etc. Right now the best thing that we could do for the universe would be to disappear and let the earth slowly recover from our presence. Unless we are serving a divine plan that intends the reduction and eventual collapse and reenfoldment of the 'sarvani bhutani' back into a single unitary consciousness. Such a grand plan cannot be ruled out and would reflect the cyclical vision of the kalpas.

I cannot know the divine plan, but my feeling is that what we really need to do is to reach the unitary consciousness now, to shift our vision away from the I. Here in Florence, I learned two main lessons: that the great renaissance artists painted and sculpted themselves into their creations; they saw themselves as participants rather than being outside of what they experienced. And that eventually Michaelangelo begged forgiveness for "wasting" so many years on his art, and eventually sought only spiritual reconciliation.

I don't think it is going to help to focus on self-inquiry into the nature of the I, or to try to reduce the I through worship of the divine. What seems to be needed is silence of the mind through non-distraction, quiet observation, reduction of needs, integration and cooperation with nature, non-intervention. Some of these must be learned. Some of what I wish to do requires new learning. We are given human intelligence in order to use it, but to use it in a correct manner, as did Fukuoka. The early Taoists were the highest exponents of this philosophy, and Fukuoka showed some ways to apply it today.