Thanks to the random site below for this pic.
Reality is a spectrum of multiple overlapping aspects that spread between multiple extremes,
but our linear mind likes to see it at the best three dimensional, and also as
discrete contrasted in black and white. Therefore, while the reality is
confusing with its multitude of complexities, we are not helping it at all, by
not engaging in an optimal manner to deal with the confusion associated and
adding to the very confusion with our own rhetoric's and biased positions.
Let us understand the
inherent confusions first. When we want to talk about any topic, there is
always an aspect of established truth as a set of natural principles. But
again, here too, there are exceptions to the rules and these exceptions are
applicable in different situations, which again cloud the clarity. So, what we believe as the absolute truth as
a spotless cream floating on the muddy water itself bites us back with
exceptions, and these exceptions also become unpredictable.
Another source of
confusion is that the reality in anchored on opposing characteristics together
in various degrees that dynamically varies in space and time. For example, let
us take any good food. While it sustains in some contexts, it could also be
unsustainable in some other contexts. While consuming the food may be
pleasurable activity, accomplishing that may have pains associated. Also, the
after effect of the food can be not so pleasurable, especially when it needs to
be dealt with shit and fart. So, it is our biased mind which wants to look at the
reality as I want it to be rather than what it is, is further distorting our
abilities to deal with it optimally.
Another source of
confusion is the limitations of our senses, mind, feelings and energy to do
full justice to the vast realm of the reality, even in the local sense. For
example, when we deal with the light, our eyes can deal with only upto a
certain spectrum of frequencies, so is with the sound, touch etc. etc. But, we
are not willing to put a disclaimer in associating with our experiences, we
like to establish our own distortions as the absolute truth, while this
approach allows an individual to go some far, it definitely does not allow the
collective to harmoniously coexist with all its elements together.
So, we do have confusion
challenges at two distinct levels, individual and collective. Collective again
is a multitude of hierarchies interacting and intersecting across multiple
dimensions. For example, family is a simple collective, within it, a relation
with spouse is distinct from that with the siblings or progeny. The complexity
extends as we reach out to friends, colleagues, neighbors, community, race
etc. Then we have civilization related approximations which are our ongoing
best efforts to make sense, but dynamically it is a cesspool of sense and
nonsense competing in different dimensions, contexts etc.
Therefore, through
simplistic ways of dealing with clarity alone, we have rendered ourselves
further ignorant, stupid, suffering and adding muck to mud always there. As a
result, we are not helping ourselves by the vary nature of ourselves, we need
to put an effort to see things differently than they look for us to seek as
much clarity as possible.
I can go on like this
and bring different aspects of our reality only to convince us that we are in
deep shit and while we hope to come out of it, we are adding to it going deeper
and deeper.
Therefore, it is
counterproductive or limiting for us to look at things in black and white, in
terms of nonnegotiable rules, in terms of discrete aspects and with bias and
judgement. Therefore, next phase of human evolution depends upon extending our
abilities to do better justice to our reality and also implementing individual
and collective life styles to empower a better sense of convergence while the
divergences continue to make a hay day.
The purpose of this
thought is not to promote anarchism or despondency, rather to get a measure of
the muck we are in and the muck we produce further in spite of good intentions.
So, the first step is to
align on the objectives at the level of individual and collective. Then apply
benchmarks for these objectives and assess the reality for corrections,
improvements and evolution.
At the level of
individual:
1.
Innate sense of purpose
for this existence, meaning and expressions associated
2. Dealing with the
dynamisms of aging, space and time.
3.
Dealing with the complex
multitude of our own existence, summarised into four realms for simplicity:
Body, mind, heart and soul. The mirroring of these four realms from the reality
around us as four distinct realms.
4.
The connectivity between
ourselves and the worlds around us at different hierarchies. We usually tend to
look up, but we could look down too, we are anchoring miniature worlds inside
us, while we deal with them in abstract manner, the expression down there is
quite contrasting. For example, the germs in my stomuch may be jobless today
and might have decided for an expression like Bhajan seeking more mercy and
good will from the God concerned, which is we ourselves, while we may not get
this message distinctly, our realms may sense this intelligence automatically
and respond. Similarly, we could be germ like in an higher context and we could
be damaging the higher context while deeply committed with the devotion to the
higher context as God Almighty, the funny thing could be that God Almighty also
may not know enough about our dealings as much he or she needs to know. This is
funny and could be quite offending to some that I am hinting that our God too
has limitations built in.
5.
Managing the complexity
of existential dilemma across multiple realms within us. For example, the
higher realm may be pushing us into a field of karmic journey while our current
tendency is to resist it. Again, it is too simplistic to think that resistance
is futile or uncalled for, as the resistance in itself may be a productive
phenomenon for the higher realm like a germ doing its battle in our stomuch
gets the food digested. Pure germ could be confused whether it is doing the
right job right and wondering all the time what is the ultimate purpose of all
these.
6.
etc. etc.
At the level of collective:
1.
Dealing with the
overlapping complexity of the multitude of hierarchies and overlaps. For
example, a newly married is quite concerned with the conflicts of interests
between wife and mother. Imagine the complexity a Prime Minister or President
needs to go thru on issues riddled with confusions and contradictions. One
cannot make everyone equally happy and some get jipped. While it is important
that sacrifices are made to protect a country, the sacrifice at an individual
level can be confounding if the values do not match between the individual and
collective. Therefore, it is mandatory that the values are established between
the individual and collective towards smooth functioning. But, given the
complexity of relations between the two, values are contradicting and
conflicting.
2.
While the collective has
inherent mechanisms brimming with chaos superimposed with deterministic efforts
at the level of individual and collective, resulting in some clarity
temporarily in an isolated manner and doing otherwise all the time, the very
existance is riddled with 99.99% struggle for 0.01% or less fulfilment that is
fleeting. In other words, there is a vast sense of nothingness and does not
matter aspect, and only way to deal with it is with the opposing force, which
is everything matters and has meaning. No wonder, why we will always need
meanings, philosophy and religion.
3.
If you observe the ants
world, and let us say, they can sense our peeping into them as some stupid
gaints at it again, their sense of self esteem is that the ants rule this world
in spite of these human gaints, and they remain hopeful to contain or
collaborate with us. Similarly, we have a sense that this earth is meant to
serve us humans, and the rest are just the pawns towards it. As a result, it
looks like we may be stuck in the evolutionary path as a giant block in the
intestine against daily motion, and the very being needs to go for unusual
measure to get rid of this block, and only mechanism that being is counting on
is that the block grows to a level that its pressure in itself pushes it
out. We humans could be behaving with
increased stupidity in the name of progress, actually dooming ourselves towards
a phenomenal enema and troubling the higher realms in the mean time.
4.
etc. etc.
So, you may ask what is
the point of depressing us further with this rhetoric. Actually, this rhetoric
could help. One, to appreciate that we do have solid reasons to be depressed.
Second, by admitting the depression, we can wake up to deal with it, and
hopefully get rid of it. So, what options we have.
Options for us.
1.
Continue to unlock the
secrets of our reality. While this effort may not pay off us in our life time,
it adds up and brings evolution or improvement for the future.
2.
Acknowledge that the we
are idiots individually and bigger one collectively. Therefore implement idiot
proof systems and processes as much possible. Love and compassion are one such
measure.
3.
Take all the feedbacks
and messages from our as well as other realms. While majority of the feed do
not make sense, keep the logs, distinguish clarity made and confusions raising.
Analyze the outliers and exceptions continually and get a sense of dynamism and
direction.
4.
Engage the individuals
and collective towards more productive life style suited to this confusion and
needing to make progress in spite of it.
5.
Establish universal
benchmarks for the individuals and collectives as to the quality of journey in
the mean time and continually engage the individuals and all the collectives to
improve the measures as well as the benchmarks.
In conclusion, we are
not only blind in various degrees, we are also idiots in varying degrees. The
ones lacking humility and pounding their chests are likely to be bigger blinds
and idiots. While we continue to fight and mess around, we are missing the real
avenues that lead us to more light, clarity, contribution an fulfillment. Let us
call this as Faith. Let us always start from there and see what we can do
together to deal with what we have before even we can come together to help
ourselves.
One option is to bring
two opposing measures for each context. For example, if we talk about success,
let us talk about failures too. Never isolate a context without an equal
opposite measure. When you talk about food, also deal with shit and vice versa.
At the minimum, let us
acknowledge the options ahead of us for higher knowing, learning, contribution
and fulfillment. If this does not leave good taste in our being, let us at least
settle for hakuna matata for all concerned including ourselves and leave
everyone including self to their own devices and jump to the muck and play with
the mud with good belly laugh, especially towards those who are the cause for
bigger laugh. So, we cannot ever ignore our ignorance and stupidity, at least
let us learn to laugh at it and even celebrate it, at the levels of both
individual and collective. Humility and
humor together is the much needed religion for us ahead.
I might have to live to right a book called "God exists but may not care beyond a point!". Hope I survive the ordeal before and after! But I believe, the book will help if I write, else I wont write. (The aspect of it not helping may still loom beyond one's imagination though! That is humility and humor, right there! ;-) )
