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Don't study because you need to. Study because knowledge is power, you want to know more, it enhances you, it grows you.
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Furthermore, to be honest, how much do we really know about the past and the origins of the human species? When we really think about this — it seems that the story of the human species is one big mystery. As such, it appears that we are suffering from a certain level of collective amnesia. This amnesiac state seems to have an influence on our way of life, to such an extent that we humans also seem to live in a deep state of denial — most notably of our mortality and suffering. Against this backdrop, it is fascinating to see that we dream of an eternal life, but at the same time we fail to see that most of our lives are filled with suffering — there’s a huge dichotomy here — don’t you think? Despite this obvious dichotomy, most people just leave it there and continue their way of life as before; choosing an endless cycle of craving, frustration and suffering. In spite of that, there is a point, a moment we arrive at where the inevitable strikes us with its adamant presence: If we don’t choose a path of peace, harmony and balance, we plunge deeper into oblivion.
~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
Furthermore, when we say that we are earning a living – it simply means that we must pay for our very own existence; to be part of society, to be part of the community, to be part of social interaction that happens largely through shared activities. The way this happens is through various means, some of which are not so obvious. What is obvious though, is that each of us seems to have a price, and this is what is expected of us – to follow along like everyone else; to be obedient and submissive under the rule and pressure of the system. This, in turn, propels the underlying human condition to ever greater heights – widening the divide between rich and poor, increasing the gap between the haves and have nots, resulting in growing inequality and deepening poverty, increasing ruthless competition and social injustice along with it. As a result, wealth and power is concentrating at the top, into ever fewer hands.
This happens in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have the capacity, the knowledge, the know-how, and the resources to eradicate poverty and underdevelopment; in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have everything we need to make life equal for everyone; in spite of the fact that for the first time in human history, we have a real opportunity to bring about transformational change – to see life and its associated activities through a holistic approach; to create a totally different kind of social and economic structures, to create systems based on non-centralized, distributed and emergent approaches that would benefit many instead of the few. Dichotomy couldn’t be any more apparent, don’t you think? At this point, it is all about the will – or the lack thereof, you see?
At the time of writing, it appears that we are not ready to break free from our old ways – not just yet, it seems. This is why the shackles of the old system keeps us mesmerized through the perception of limitation. The system we have in place encourages inequality and the growth of power structures where the power is concentrated to the few on top. This type of top-down leadership is outdated, and more importantly, counterproductive; this type of top-down approach benefits the few at the expense of the many; the few on top make the rules that people on the bottom abide and live by – and this, quite frankly, makes the many on the bottom of the hierarchy slaves to the few on top. And because majority of the people live inside the system, being part of the system – they are very much dependent on the system – so much so that they remain servants to those few on top without even realizing it.
It is against this backdrop that we can more easily understand why it is overwhelmingly challenging to rise above groupthink and herd mentality and break free from the game of survival. It is precisely the aforementioned that keep us enchanted by illusion; we are too blind to see beyond appearances. As a result, people are sleepwalking through their lives, having no idea that they are asleep; people are dreaming dreams that are influenced by external stimuli. In this state of enchantment, the mind is open not only to the influence of the will of others, but also all external circumstances, primal drives and desires. This is why humans are concerned more with having than being, which is another way of saying that modern humans live to have and to own – not to be and truly live. From this, the question arises: Do we really want to be free, and furthermore, what does it mean to be free? And so you see, if people want to be free, they first have to free themselves from the overwhelming desire to have more of everything. The honest truth is that we are not free until we can imagine ourselves being happy without all these material things – if we cannot do that, then we do not really own those things – they own us – see?
There are a couple of other remarks worth making before we leave this chapter and shift gears. That said, considering all the aforementioned, a picture begins to form – humans as we know humans, are beings who like to complicate things; sometimes to the utmost extreme or even beyond absurd. We begin to see the absurdity in our way of life when we consider that in many ways the modern Western life resembles hunting – the only difference being its sophistication. You see, instead of hunting in the woods, modern humans hunt in an urbanized environment. The word ‘hunting’ has taken on a whole different meaning, though. One of the reasons is that we have outsourced the killing of animals and the production of our food to the multinational corporations; what’s left from the actual hunting is that in today’s world, people find amusement and sense of sport in competing for jobs and hunting a mate.
Furthermore, when we look around in our urbanized environment, there’s little life to be seen; most animals that we know and recognize we have only witnessed on screens – through our TV’s, laptops, “smart” phones and tablets. If we take into consideration everything we discussed in the previous chapters, isn’t it ironic that we call them “animals,” but ourselves “humans” – as if we are two completely different life forms with nothing in common? We see animals as beasts, and ourselves as people; at the same time we are calling their actions barbaric, yet ours as tradition; while animals kill to survive, we kill even as we call ourselves civilized – quite a dichotomy, don’t you think?
And it doesn’t stop there: we don’t only kill – we also raise life to be killed; the saddest part is that we do so not because we need to, but because we like the taste of flesh and the feeling that comes from the actual killing – and this is what we call “normal.” There’s clearly something wrong with this way of life – one has to be blind not to see it. The philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer once wrote something that exemplarily encapsulates the mindset that drives the world today, and thus it reflects the collective values we hold:
Man is the only animal which causes pain to others with no other object than causing pain. No animal ever torments another for the sake of tormenting: but man does so, and it is this which constitutes the diabolical nature which is far worse than the merely bestial. ~ Arthur Schopenhauer.
When it comes to traditions, it goes without saying that certain traditions are good and beneficial for us, if not essential; they keep us grounded and give structure to our lives, but there is always the other side of the coin. You see, the honest truth is that if we never question the traditions of our past, how could we ever be able to evolve? We should not blindly believe, accept and subscribe to traditions, customs and beliefs just because they have been handed down for many generations, neither should we blindly believe anything because it is spoken by many or written in books. We should rely on experience, not on theory – for you see, theory is just theory – abstraction without substance.
When it comes to traditions, it goes without saying that certain traditions are good and beneficial for us, if not essential; they keep us grounded and give structure to our lives, but there is always the other side of the coin – see? The honest truth is that if we never question the traditions of our past, how could we ever be able to evolve? We should not blindly believe, accept and subscribe to traditions, customs and beliefs just because they have been handed down for many generations, neither should we blindly believe anything because it is spoken by many or written in books. We should rely on experience, not on theory – for you see, theory is just theory – abstraction without substance.
In closing, there is one fascinating aspect to consider; and if you catch my drift, you may even laugh a little. Earlier in this chapter, we used the following terms: “game”, “survival”, “competition”, “race”, “species”, which all link together in ways not immediately obvious. Thus, it requires a shift in perspective to fully get it. A little reminder to get you up to speed: “In this game, the individual humans are caught up in a never-ending race to acquire more of everything; another side of the coin is that nations are in endless arms race to acquire more and more powerful weapons.” From this, the question arises: Could this also be the reason as to why we call ourselves the “human race,” instead of the “human species?” Did you catch the pun? You see, a race is a competition to see which participant is the fastest or best; and we are living life as though we are on a race track, competing with everyone else to stay ahead in life.
It is against this backdrop that we can more easily understand why we use the term “species” in this book when referred to humanity as a whole. When it comes to the terms themselves, there is quite a difference between the two; but before we explore them any further, it is paramount to highlight the following: in today’s world, the term “race” has certain connotations associated with it which are not very positive or constructive. First and foremost, the term is segregative, more than it is integrative. In other words, the term “race” seems to promote segregation, which is the arbitrary separation of people on the basis of their race – grouping humans based on shared physical or social qualities into categories. On the other hand, a species, by definition, is defined as the largest group of organisms in which two individuals are capable of reproducing fertile offspring – to pass down genetic information for the future generation.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within: Spirit ~ ∞ ~
Awaken the Living Awareness Within Glossary
The terms ‘Soul’ and ‘Spirit’ are often used interchangeably, although there is a profound difference between the two. Soul is the unique expression of the Spark of God, which is sometimes referred to as the “Breath of Life,” whereas the Spirit is that Spark of God itself. Soul is the essence of all that makes us human and unique – our emotions, experiences, thoughts, will; Spirit is the essence of our Divine nature – it is same in every being (human, animal, or other).
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within - Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
The Quieter You Become The More You Can Hear.
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To better understand the profoundness of this condition in our lives, it is necessary to draw the distinction between human nature and the human condition, for the simple reason that all too often they are confused as practically interchangeable terms, when in actuality, they describe two distinctively different aspects of humanity. Let us take a look at human nature first. In its simplest, human nature is an ensemble term used to describe our humanness; in much the same way as a cat has certain characteristics that distinguish it from other animals, so do humans. Thus, the term is often regarded as capturing what it is to be human, or the essence of humanity; it includes distinguishing characteristics of humans, such as ways of thinking, feeling, and acting — which humans tend to have naturally, independently of the influence of culture. In other words, human nature can be regarded as a source of norms of conduct or ways of life. The branches of contemporary science associated with the study of human nature include anthropology, sociology, sociobiology, and psychology — particularly evolutionary psychology.
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You Need To Understand That Life Isn't What You're Given; It's What You Create, What You Overcome, And What You Achieve That Makes It Beautiful.
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The question of free will is deeply profound and intriguing; it is one of the oldest and most enduring questions facing humanity, and hence it is of great importance — not only for its ethical implications, but also because our moral values spring directly from the experience of learning how to live and coexist with other people. Our understanding of free will in relation to ethics will influence the way we think about justice, the way we treat and meet other people, and the way we take care of other people in need of help and so on — see? It is through our free will that we develop spiritually and refine our ethical faculties; and this is where it gets interesting. You see, the experience of free will is closely connected and related to the experience of self-awareness. The truth is that we can only apply free will to that which we are aware of, to that which we have “control” over; only if we are aware of ourselves, and thus of our actions — is it truly possible to experience that which we call free will.
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within - Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
I Walk Slowly, But I Never Walk Backward.
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Although we seem to be incapable of recognizing that there is, indeed, a spiritual aspect to our evolution as human beings, we have come far in our journey to understand ourselves and our relation to our environment. Our understanding of evolution has grown to such an extent that we are finally able to recognize that evolution is a product of cooperation and altruism among organisms living in close association. We are just beginning to learn that sustainable life is the property of an ecological system — a biotic community and its physical environment. Although there is much work to be done, this is an excellent starting point for further development. But here the question becomes: Is it too little, too late? One thing is certain, unless we mature and grow spiritually, we will remain as spiritual infants. There is a maturation process in our natural life as we grow from being infants — to being young men and women — to being adults; in the same way, we should mature spiritually, as well.
~ ∞ ~ The Game of Survival – The Essence of Life ~ ∞ ~
The purpose of the following two chapters is to give some perspective on why it is difficult to achieve a lifestyle that reflects higher values, morals, ideals, and principles in today’s world; why it is challenging to strive towards higher evolution, towards inner transformation, by which inner peace, happiness, contentment and fulfillment is attained and maintained. As we continue to take a deeper look at ourselves as humans, we cannot help but see one particular issue. This issue is fundamentally keyed to the human condition that we explored in previous chapters; it is threefold in its nature and it can be broken down into following parts: 1.) Competition, 2.) Scarcity mentality, 3.) Survival mode. Each of these parts has an effect on the other parts, which means that each of these parts affects the whole. In other words, each part cannot be separated from the other parts, for they work in unison, you see? Let us explore this further.
Upon deeper examination, it becomes not only clear but self-evident that we as human beings are a competitive species living in a competitive society – almost every aspect of our lives is a competition. This sense of competition seems to be embedded in our mindset – we are relentlessly running around, rushing from one thing to another, always wanting more and more, in hopes of winning some sort of prize. People tend to value goals over process, which makes them restless and uneasy when not occupied. Why is this? Well, the reason for this can be found in our upbringing; you see, this sense of competition is drilled into our youth at a very early age. It is unfortunate that so many people are treating life as a competition – or do you beg to differ?
Granted, there are some benefits that can be gained from this, if done correctly – through a sensible combination of play, creative activity, cooperation, and fun. However, the manner in which the competition is conducted in all levels of society is the complete reversal of the aforementioned. As such, this sense of competition is playing havoc with our social and moral values, which results in that we tend to be selfish, jealous, envious, and even aggressive towards other people. There are exceptions, of course; however, this seems to be a growing trend, especially among people in Western countries. As such, people are driven by hedonistic desires to satisfy their wants and needs – ready to fight it, possibly even at the expense of their own lives.
And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same issue, namely “scarcity mentality.” This aspect is equally important as the other, for they are closely related, you see? A scarcity mentality includes seeing things from a perspective of lack; the mindset of lack in turn forces one to see things in a more competitive way. To give an example: most people seem to live in a scarcity mentality where they see life as having only so much, as though there were only one pie out there; and if someone were to get a big piece of the pie, it would mean less for everyone else. People with this mentality have a very difficult time sharing recognition and credit, power or profit – even with those who help them. These kinds of people also have a very difficult time being genuinely happy for the success of others. The irony here is that we live with a mentality of scarcity on a prosperous Earth that’s teeming with abundant life, but for some reason we are geared towards the destruction of life – rather than nurturing and preserving the Gift of Life itself.
There is yet another closely related aspect of this issue that we should take a look at, namely “survival mode.” When one looks around in the world today, sooner or later you just see it with your own eyes – most people live in the “survival mode,” which prevents them from tapping into their brilliance and inner genius. They get by in life, but they are not really living – they are just existing. They put in their time, punch the time clock and live for the weekends – they never really have any major goals or major drive in life. There are exceptions, of course; however, this seems to be the case more often than not. You see, if the basic needs are not met, people are not motivated by the higher needs either. One of the biggest reasons for this is the system we have in place – it promotes inequality, ruthless competition and social injustice among many other things.
In turn, the modern human life has become a world-wide competition – the name of the game is survival. In this game, there is one rule over others: we must pay to live, to exist – therefore we must do anything and everything to acquire money to pay living. It is essential, for you see, money gives us access to the ability to feed our families, send our children to school, and to maintain our health. We work and stress about our ability to obtain money because our access to the goods and services we need ultimately relies on obtaining money. In this game, the individual humans are caught up in a never-ending race to acquire more of everything; another side of the coin is that nations are in endless arms race to acquire more and more powerful weapons. Our whole lives seem to revolve around money and acquiring more stuff – to the point where we obsess about money even beyond fulfilling our core needs. People tend to value money over time, until time is almost up. Always rushing from one thing to another with the mantra: “time is money,” and yet constantly searching for more time, complaining about working too hard.
Man sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived. ~ Dalai Lama.
It is no accident that there is a word ‘be’ in “human being.” You see, the noun ‘be’ describes the state of having existence in the present moment, which goes on to say that being human is our foremost nature – after that comes everything else – including doing. Ironically, society expects us to be busy – always running around and doing things; there are even commercial slogans, like “Just Do It!” to promote this lifestyle. The more we observe people around us, the more we can see how humans have evolved to become empty shells, ego-driven human doings – instead of human beings. Taking the previous into consideration, it is always good to consider why we are doing all the things we are doing. The honest truth is that by spending more time on ‘being’ than doing, we are able to become more happy and fulfilled – simply by being connected to ourselves more deeply and more often – see?
A closer observation reveals the harsh truth about this game – a game of survival that we are all taking part in; no matter how one looks at it, the game itself seems to be rigged – privileged, rich & powerful have always a head start. These kinds of people can afford education, housing, transportation and financial resources beyond ordinary reach; they also have a well established social network of people who are already deeply engaged in the game, e.g., in business, banking, law, politics etc. In these circles, there are people who want to hold onto their power and status with all means necessary. This powerful elite – if you will, controls the system; which in turn controls the people – see? This invisible power structure, in turn, governs and shapes our culture – which is a collection of unvoiced agreements of how to be and act as a part of society. In this way, people are participating in keeping the system alive – quite a dichotomy, don’t you think?
Even though we have everything we need to make life good for all of us, for some reason – we are unwilling to do so. It is more than disconcerting to realize that somehow we have built ourselves a collective slave-system; self-imposed system where we are slaves to what we slave for – it doesn’t have to be so, but unfortunately, it is. This is completely backwards in so many ways – or do you beg to differ? Unfortunately, most people don’t seem to notice it at all – it seems that the “average Jane & Joe” are too busy to notice what is happening around them, or even care for that matter. The blindest of us would like to deny it altogether, and some would like to argue that its nature is so subtle that it doesn’t matter. Maybe it’s due to the fact that in our Western culture we always want to sugarcoat everything, so we say that we are “earning a living.” In so doing, we are fooling ourselves to believe that we are somewhat free in a society that is based on modernized form of slavery.
Extra Material:Video: Society, A Perpetual Cycle [Alan Watts]. Video description: "Alan Watts talks about how our society conditions children to live with a constant frustration and worry about the future, and never learn how to live in the present."
~ ∞ ~ Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
Trust Your Intuition - It is one of your most reliable resources in life.
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When people are looking outside, they never have to look inside — until one day, something happens that reveals just how asleep they are. Suddenly, they realize that their sense of self, which has been formed and constructed out of their ideas, images, beliefs, assumptions, interpretations, expectations and desires is not really who they are. As this happens, one has to be overwhelmed how much their life has been driven by someone else’s narrative. When we look around us, and pay attention to our surroundings, we can see that no one seems to have any idea what they are doing and everyone is just pretending, which brings us to an important point: as humans, most of us live immersed in our daily lives with little thought of who we are, why we are here, or where we are going. This means that most of us are completely unaware of the fact that real freedom and happiness can never come to us from outside ourselves — they can only be found within, you see? As such, most of us have never realized the True Self — our innate Spiritual Nature, which is the Living Essence beyond name and form, words, ideas and thinking.
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within - Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
The Most Expensive Thing In The World Is Trust - It can take years to earn and just a matter of seconds to lose.
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The materialistic worldview has resulted in excessive production of short-lived and disposable items, and thus the Western society has become a “throw-away society” where consumerism is being worshipped. Indeed, we live in a culture of hyperconsumerism where we can, and do buy nearly anything. Sadly, beyond the basic necessities, awful lot is spent on useless things that end up in landfills; in a throwaway culture, even human lives are seen as disposable — see? We take what we need in the form of raw materials and cheap labor to invest in our “culture,” we then feed it back to the world in the form of cheap material possessions, which in turn further the image that we have more and hence somehow better. As long as we keep up the illusion, the gears keep turning. Doesn’t this fit the definition of a parasite? The consumerist-driven capitalist economic system is indeed a parasitic paradigm which is only going to lead to more problems and eventually to self-destruction — one has to be blind not to see it.
~ ∞ ~ Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
I AM Thankful: I Woke Up - I Have Clothes To Wear - I Have Running Water - I Have Food To Eat - Life Is Good.
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Indeed, we are all on a journey — some more invested and committed than others; the path we tread is full of ups and downs — and some of them are very steep. Sometimes we may feel that we have lost our way on the river of life; with its many twists and turns we might find ourselves wondering which direction to take. But all is not lost, for you see, if we choose to use our free will to find the strength that dwells within, we find hope — a compass directing us in life. With patience and persistence, we continue to move forward, overcoming any obstacles we may face, and eventually we will prevail, you see? And this is where the wisdom lies — sometimes the obstacle is the path, for every obstacle presents an opportunity to grow and become better — see?
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within - Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
The Eyes Indicate the Antiquity of the Soul.
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In the context of paradox, it can be said that the logic behind the Western thought is very much classical in nature, which means that there is an underlying belief, according to which every statement becomes false if a contradiction is true. For some reason, it is difficult for us to appreciate anything that goes against the norm, that is, logic and reason as we know and practice them today. Hence, it goes without saying that this is, indeed, a narrow-minded approach. In contrast to the Western approach, some ancient wisdom traditions like Advaita Vedanta, Taoism, and Zen, are dialetheist in nature where non-dualistic thought is used to refer to true contradictions. A paradox which is both true and false at the same time and in the same sense — is called dialetheia; a dialetheia is the view that some statements can be both true and false simultaneously, which goes on to say that there can be a true statement whose negation is also true — such statements are called “true contradictions,” dialetheia, or nondualisms.
~ ∞ ~ Awaken the Living Awareness Within - Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
Free Your Mind.
Because the stories we tell create our future, it is paramount that we learn to tell better stories. To begin to break away from the old, outdated and outmoded, limited narrow view of the world, which is colored by the human condition - we need a new collective story, that of Empowerment, Equality, Compassion, and Unity.
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Many ancient wisdom traditions explore consciousness through direct experience, which is achieved through contemplative practices such as Qi-gong, Zen meditation, and Yoga; these practices teach the practitioner to achieve a state of mental quiescence or stillness in order to comprehend reality in its non-physical manifestations, and in so doing, achieve a state of unity with the ultimate ground of being. There are three classical paths that lead towards being more aware, towards higher consciousness, towards better understanding of consciousness: meditation, concentration, and contemplation. Even though each path is different, each of them can help one to better understand consciousness; when followed and practiced consistently, they all lead to the same final goal or destination — absorption of Self into the Ultimate Reality.
~ ∞ ~ Masters of Storytelling – Awaken the Living Awareness Within ~ ∞ ~
Now, let us expand this a little. From the above-mentioned, it becomes obvious that human life is clearly a story. More specifically, human life can be seen as a repeated story, or as a series of stories that are more or less related, intertwined and interconnected. If one takes a moment to reflect on their life, they could reasonably see it in terms of various story lines, whether parallel or intersecting or distinct. As it turns out, there is a term for this type of understanding: “samsara,” as it is called in Sanskrit. It refers precisely to the idea that human life is a repeated story; the one we all have been caught up – a dream from which we are unable to wake up. Samsara is the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth – see? This brings us to something called a “Hero’s Journey,” or short, a monomyth. In the following few paragraphs, we will briefly look at this, but just before we do that, let me ask you this: Is it not indeed the case that we are all heroes of our lives? Is it not, indeed so, that we are all on a journey – some more invested and committed than others?
Joseph Campbell’s theory of the Monomyth (Hero’s Journey), asserts that various myths, legends, and fairy tales throughout human history share a common story structure involving a hero who departs from known reality in order to confront a series of trials and tribulations before returning home as an initiated master of both realms. In his book, The Hero with a Thousand Faces, Campbell studies many hundreds of fairy tales, folk tales and legends in order to unearth a common “pattern” in the structure of stories. Campbell defines this as the “monomyth” or “hero’s journey” – the typical trajectory of a story, across all cultures and religions. Comprising three stages – separation, initiation, and return – the hero’s journey offers a narrative framework for understanding the progression of a character, namely the protagonist.
The journey, according to Campbell, usually includes a symbolic death and re-birth of the character. The religious idea of “cleansing” is also important, giving a sense of the character transforming from old to new – the character arc. The journey undertaken sees the character undergo both physical and emotional battles, which work together to bring them to a better understanding of their life and their place in the world. As such, the journey is full of duality – symbol and spirit; body and soul; manifest and myth; plot and story. In other words, as the character does (action), he or she becomes (character arc).
If there is anything to take away from this, it is this: stories we tell reflect who we are, what we believe, and the futures we envision. This is why powerful stories resonate within us. In a similar way, archetypes of the characters resonate within us – some more, some less. We identify with certain characters more than others, be it heroes or the villains or something in between, because we share those tendencies inside of us. Powerful stories show the light and the dark, point to a greater cause, teach, and leave room for interpretation. The interesting part is that not only do stories share common elements and structure, but so does human life as well – our individual paths may be different, but they share many common elements.
Even though each path is different, they all lead to the same final goal or destination – eventually. Some paths are more difficult than others, having many obstacles to overcome; some are full of hardships and suffering, while others may provide moments of joy only to be followed by extended periods of distress. Even though each path is different, on constant remains: like a river flowing into the sea, the Soul returns to its Source, becoming one with the Ultimate Truth, eventually experiencing absorption of Self into the Ultimate Reality – this is the Hero’s Journey, you see? The journey becomes much more easy when one realizes that life has its own order, its own discipline, if you will. Hence, you simply move with it, you float with it – you don’t try to push the river, you become one with it and the river takes you to the ocean.
Indeed, we are all on a journey – some more invested and committed than others; the path we tread is full of ups and downs – and some of them are very steep. Sometimes we may feel that we have lost our way on the river of life; with its many twists and turns we might find ourselves wondering which direction to take. But all is not lost, for you see, if we choose to use our free will to find the strength that dwells within, we find hope – a compass directing us in life. With patience and persistence, we continue to move forward, overcoming any obstacles we may face, and eventually we will prevail, you see? And this is where the wisdom lies – sometimes the obstacle is the path, for every obstacle presents an opportunity to grow and become better – see?
If we take into consideration all the above-mentioned, we can arrive at the conclusion that everything seems to be cyclical – not only the stories we tell, but also our lives and everything in it, including our thoughts and ideas; everything in life seems to be rediscovered, reinvented, recycled, reused and repurposed time and time again – intriguing, isn’t it? And so you see, as it has been before, so it shall be again, and what has been done will be done again; life is a full circle; coming back around, again and again, in hopes of meeting ourselves; in hopes of seeing and really knowing ourselves; around and around and around we go, in this thing we call life – see?
And with this, we arrive at another aspect of the same. Earlier in the section titled PROLOGUE, we briefly discussed the idea of “Original Thought,” and reached the conclusion that this thought preceded any other, and hence everything springs from this singular source. Therefore, everything arises in dependence upon this thought. This is also the main reason why we don’t actually have any original thoughts, even though we might think we do. Everything that can be written and everything that can be said, has already been written and said before using different flavors of words.
Indeed, there is no such thing as “original ideas,” for you see, everything is derived from the one and only Original Idea there ever was, is, and ever will be. All we have are merely new creative expressions of what has already been said, written, or otherwise expressed – see? And now you may ask: Why? Well, to answer that question we would need to start with the following truth: the very words we use to express our thoughts are coming from outside of ourselves, and therefore it is extremely difficult to think freely and independently. The words we use in our language comes from the community we live in and were brought-up. Words themselves are symbols representing things and ideas known to us; language is created out of these words and used by masses of people to express things and ideas experienced by their senses and mind. So when we think in a language that our community gave us – it means that eventually we are not thinking our own thoughts. Intriguing, isn’t it?
And when it comes to originality: at first glance, it might seem that everything that is presented as being “new, fresh, and original,” is actually a variation of what has been done before. We see this clearly in our world today – every story we tell each other is in some way or another a recycled version of previous stories we have told. For instance, the movies and TV-shows of today are just retelling of the same stories that have been told for thousands of years. In much the same way as traditional stories are recycled versions of previous stories we have told, science is also a story, a narrative, and scientists are storytellers who keep circling the same ideas and theories time and time again. Science, therefore, is a work in progress, a construction that emerges at a very specific juncture in the hi(story) of humanity; it is a story about ideas – often abstract, often technical, often complex – and all the energy and profundity and drama of science comes from the interactions between these ideas. All this drama that comes from the battle of ideas might be our downfall in science, and its salvation in spirituality – intriguing, isn’t it?
We can conclude this chapter with the following: considering all the aforementioned, one should be inclined to ask the following question: Is it not, indeed so, what has been said long ago, in the Bible (Ecclesiastes 1:9-10), and is it not, indeed, that it holds true even today?
“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, ‘Look! This is something new?’ It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time.”
Extra Material:Video: You're It - Alan Watts. Video description: "An inspiring and profound speech from the late Alan Watts. Speech extract from 'Zen Bones and Tales' by Alan Watts"