~ ∞ ~ Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
Don't study because you need to. Study because knowledge is power, you want to know more, it enhances you, it grows you.
Amazon Associate #ad links to book recommendations:
Quote of the Day:
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.
Amazon Associate #ad links to book recommendations:
Quote of the Day:
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.
~ ∞ ~ Success Life Quotes - Infinite Quantum Zen ~ ∞ ~
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.
Amazon Associate #ad links to book recommendations:
Quote of the Day:
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.
Amazon Associate #ad links to book recommendations:
Quote of the Day:
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.