Being Human

Two of my spiritual mentors,  Frederick Franck and Bob Alexander focused upon the "human" as a factor in spiritual development and work.  Frederick edited a book on the subject,   Bob talked about it and was recently quoted in an article written about The Temple of Man after his death.  Why is it that this critical factor is most often forgotten in religious/spiritual writings and life?

One of the outstanding vegetable growers and human beings in our region was recently quoted as saying (and this is my paraphrasing):  Be good to people, almost everyone is in some kind of trouble now-a-days ....  As a "feeder"  (there will be a blog on this subject soon) she knows humanness from a deep and pervasive place.  Part of her life has been dedicated to what is known as a "transition alternative",   to enable folks to get ready for a time when our food will not be trucked thousands of miles in 18 wheelers,  our energy provided by distant, unreliable grids,  our children bused to distant schools.   STOP Petrochemical Dependency!

In an article about Alexander in the "east of borneo,"  March 14, 2012,  Kate Wolf describes his work and life and quotes from a "Bulletin to Temple of Man Ministry 1:   "In all this, persons come first.  None of the above is to be construed as a rule or regulation.  Humanness always comes first!"   see:
http//www.eastofborneo.org/articles/humanness-always-comes-f...   The title of Frederick Franck's book  is:  "What Does It Mean to Be Human,"  he was editor on this one.   And "To Be Human Against All Odds:  On the Reptile Still Active in Our Brain (Nanzan Studies in Religion and Culture).
See the description of Frederick Franck's life and work in the World Wisdom website.   Also,  there is a Bullfrog video aptly titled "The Art of Being Human;  A Portrait of Frederick Franck,"  written and directed by Emily Squires,  ISBN:  1-59459-669-1  

Enjoy your humanness,  more and more referred to by those who are trying to save us on our dear Planet, especially from corporate power and bureaucracy,  but especially from the many forces of impersonalization ... eg.  self deceit,  personal groveling,  digitalization via electronic devices.