Hey everybody! It's been about a month now since I last wrote, so I guess it's time to start a-typin'. I just finished writing an e-mail to a penpal about the way I (sometimes) look at things. There's two basic proverbs which could be essentially interpreted as the same, but in more than their literal sense:
Tat tvam asi or You are that
and
Do unto others as (you would have them/they) would do unto you
The Hindus interpret Tat tvam asi in different ways, one being that the soul is part of the Ultimate reality. The Bible proverb (although it also has it forms in other religions, including Hinduism) seems simple enough; whatever you do, imagine yourself in their position and the consequences.
However, I think both are more simple and even more mystical than they seem to be. You are that. Could it not mean that you are All? You are the chair you sit in. You are the keyboard you are typing. You are that calculus textbook. You are the people around you whom you love and hate.
If I were to give a "scientific" version, you are the atoms of the universe. We merely think we are part of the universe, but shouldn't we think we are the universe? How can you say this is the universe and that is not? Although we quantify the universe, is that really a possibility? Is a star more part of the universe than a planet? Well, we may say there's more matter, but that it's more "universy"?
With the proverb, was it simply the same as Tat tvam asi? That if you do good or bad to others, you are actually doing good or bad to yourself? We see reality as full of pieces and so we think that anything outside our social circle means nothing. A big disaster happens and so for a moment we `feel` for people. But what about the people in front of us...?
These sayings have many aspects to them and as another proverb goes: One cannot see what is right in front of him.
Yes, of course it may sound mystical and perhaps something not related to reality, but have we given it a chance? Imagine the world if we followed these simply words of wisdom. And not in a selfish way, but really with pure motives. No more wars because we`d just be fighting ourselves. No more pollution because we would only be polluting ourselves. No more greed because we would simply be stealing from ourselves. No more power because power exists only when there are variances of power.
What would be left? Observations. Probably `someone` saying ``Oops, `I` already knew that.`` This would be a revelation to our conscious minds. We would simply have to apply it to everything, even things not human. Where would we be then? Maybe then death would not exist and we could move on from this simple yet revelatory experience. Please feel free to comment.
`Dr. John`
