Not a Joiner

Paul Brunton, Notebooks, vol. II, p. 117:

He is not a joiner because of several reasons: one of them is that joiners are too often too one-sided in approach, too limited in outlook, too exclusive to let truth in when it happens to appear in a sect different from his own. Another reason is that too frequently there is a tyranny from above, imitated by followers, which forbids any independent thought and does not tolerate any real search.

On the other hand, going it alone does not guarantee safe or speedy arrival in the harbor of truth. It can just as easily leave one rudderless in the samsaric storm.

Life's a predicament.

Comments

[Spencer]

Hi Bill,

Doesn't the idea of "not being a joiner" priveledge dissent over assent in good skeptic form? And good luck on your book, by the way. I look forward to reading it.

[Bill Vallicella]

Hi Spencer,

I see I forgot to disallow comments on this post. I am closed for comments from here on out, with perhaps an occasional exception.

But thanks for the kind words. I don't think not being a joiner privileges dissent over assent so much as independence over dependence on an institution.