From Michelle's blog:

That is another thing that makes me think…How and why people remember certain things and why nobody normally picks the same thing to remember. What determines what I remember verses what somebody else will remember…my guess is that we remember things that are more close to our lives and our hearts rather than something that has nothing to do with us, but then again I guess it’s something I can’t really have a definite answer for.

I think this is something that postmodernism has really picked up on, and I think also why we are inclined to favor the emic perspective over the etic. What if our focus is not as evenhanded as we think? What if we're emphasizing what we want to see, over what someone else might? But more significantly, what if we simply don't have the capacity to experience what they've experienced? I would imagine that 50 years of reflecting on the inner light would be a different experience than doing it once. What if the absence of adornment are not mere economic simplicity, but an austerity to testify to the richness that can be known within?

I found Molly's idea of "waiting" interesting. I'd not heard that term, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's often used to describe the immanent spiritual approaches. Allowing the spirit to come to you, rather than your actions actively bringing it to you. But the word has the connotation of "not finding" in ordinary speech, which I would assume wouldn't apply in these circumstances, though it might.

Having these blogs is really cool. It gives you a chance to see how incredibly smart people are, even if they may not speak up in class.