In the Preface to the transcript of The Future of Humanity, Bohm summarized the themes of his discussion with Krishnamurti that I found most striking. Added emphasis appears in red, and my reactions are enclosed in a box: (Note 32)

The starting point for our discussions was the question: "What is the future of humanity!" . . . It soon became clear as we talked together that the ultimate origin of this situation is in the generally confused mentality of mankind, which has not changed basically in this respect throughout the whole of recorded history . . .

My confusion arises from listening to people and watching the news. In ways that I do not understand, most people and societies seem to be missing the boat. Trying to resolve this confusion lies at the core of my search for The Intuitive Self.

Krishnamurti points out, psychological time, or "becoming," is the very source of the destructive current that is putting the future of humanity at risk. To question time in this way, however, is to question the adequacy of knowledge and thought, as a means of dealing with this problem. But if knowledge and thought are not adequate, what is it that is actually required? This led in turn to the question of whether mind is limited by the brain of mankind, with all the knowledge that it has accumulated over the ages. . . .

On a visit to the University of Chicago, I spent a day in the library. While there, I wrote a poem about the inadequacy of knowledge:

Warning from the Taoist Surgeon General:
Libraries may he harmful to human survival.

Krishnamurti does not regard these limitations as inevitable. He emphasizes that mind is essentially free of the distorting bias that is inherent in the conditioning of the brain, and that through insight arising in proper undirected attention without a center, it can change the cells of the brain and remove the destructive conditioning. If this is so, then it is crucially important that there be this kind of attention, and that we give to this question the same intensity of energy that we generally give to other activities of life . . .

Recognizing this need, a Meditator in the World focuses attention on successive moments in the flow of Awareness. As a later thread illustrates, a sense of undirected attention was important to my path.

BACK