A human being is part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. We experience ourselves, our thoughts and feelings as something separate from the rest. A kind of optical delusion of consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us. Our task must be to free ourselves from the prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty. The true value of a human being is determined by the measure and the sense in which they have obtained liberation from the self. We shall require a substantially new manner of thinking if humanity is to survive. -- (Albert Einstein, 1954) The above quote speaks directly to the heart of the solution to our current world economic situation. I did not call it a solution; this is fundamentally a larger perspective while involving the heart in coming to terms with why these things are happening, understanding and systematically eliminating the causes, and ultimately getting on with living this great life.
It's time for us to begin to look at ourselves and how we view this situation. Do we feel victimized? Do we need to blame someone? How will this affect our children? Have we thought about it? Have you thought about it?
Think. About. It.
Greed and apathy have played insidious roles in forming the current path. Honesty and integrity will cure it and restore our vision of the correct path, one in which all people are honored and planned for. Maybe we should stop putting our parents in nursing homes and assisted living communities and allow them to live with us in support of raising our children. Think about the benefits, not to mention the honoring of the wisdom inherent in being the older, wiser adult. Spending time with men and women of such stature is incredibly good for young people and children. At the same time, it is very healthy for elderly individuals to be involved in the energy of the young as well. Think about it.
Like I said, fundamentally a larger perspective :)
The opportunities to influence the world for good take place all around us and how we treat other people speaks to our willingness to be a part of the process. We have evolved to a point that we can and should be seeing everyone as connected; not separate. This is indeed a world situation, not just an American situation, and I believe we can get a good start on healing it all if we would consider forgiveness. Forgiveness. Neat word.
Peace -- jb
Kumusta P're (That means, how are you pal, in my language). Hey, I know you like being my friend but putting my picture on your latest post was just too much man. Well, that picture was taken before they put me in the nursing home. I haven't shaved then, and I was two weeks away from my last bath. Seriously, your statement about putting the elderly at nursing homes struck a sensitive cord. That's one thing I am proud to say about my country. Despite the poverty, we don't send the old ones away. The mere thought of doing that is already a terrible sin for us. That's the one thing I don't like about living in america. It must be lonely being old and alone. Bless you, man...
ReplyDeleteHey Jeff,
ReplyDeleteI really loved what you had to say about our world community. We have become so nationalized, segregated, and narrow-minded, we have forgotten the ways in which we are all connected and all want the same things for ourselves and our families. Thank you for your bluntness ability to succinctly pin point the areas we all need to work on.
Blessings
Defying Gravity
defygravityalways.blogspot.com
Nice insights. Those are a lot to read and review about. I'm doing the same essay lately and it could add up to my own views. Really influential indeed. Good work
ReplyDeleteAgree totally. Particularly the parents in care homes thing. We live in a different country from our families and miss the support.
ReplyDeleteJeff,
ReplyDeleteExcellent post. Our optical delusion does indeed interfere with understanding unless we can, by grace, let it be used as a catalyst to discover the true nature, the Being. Our humanity is ever striving to reach the place of 'being'. The human is changeful and seeking t connect all delusions together with some woven string of fabrication. The being is changeless, causeless, eternal. At the point where awareness sees that the being is eternal and whole, in the present moment, the removal of the false sense of self begins, by grace to reveal our true self.
One Love