2003-04-10 - 11:35 p.m.
It is scary to consider that in order to make a truly objective judgement of humankind, one must use the incredible gift with which we have been endowed, imagination, to put ourselves in the position of our Creator, and then to use the very fallible gift of intelligence to make the judgment. Nevertheless, for those who have the impudence to attempt it, the answer that returns is often importunate. That the above-mentioned gifts, along with many other equally valuable, naturally-endowed gifts, are even at our behest to wield and create and to take to their ultimate limits every moment of every day in the life of every person on this planet, speaks for the most devastating tragedy of creation when one considers how wasteful or mercilessly we have utilized them in our world. That we have even been allowed to possess such gifts, it is a justified and, what I like to argue, required higher function of us humans to go beyond boundaries that even our imaginations would purport to have as limitations, and to use those gifts as though we would not have them in the next moment in time. The tragedy lies in that not only are such gifts used very rarely for the purposes I can imagine them to have been created for, but that when they are used, they are dismissed, mutated, or quelched by the forces that would have us believe that it is against goodwill to have such uses occur. Countless times, daily, I see the same story played out in all realms of life. The issue is so devastating, in fact, because it has become ingrained methodology for us to practice it upon each other. I do not know the players at work, nor their reasoning, but I do know that it is inherently evil to force limitation on the human mind, and I see it happening all around me and TO me every day. As long as I remember this, I will remember to make a conscious effort to avert its aims and to make others aware as well.
In following the same brainstorm as above, it is not implausible that this is an innate property of evolution, but no less evil. In times of competition such practice may naturally, but inadvertently, come to the forefront for most lifeforms, including us. For other organisms, this manifests itself in the more brutish practices of fratricide, cannibalism, or forced subjugation. In us, it may be that an inner conflict of evolutionary competitiveness and the relatively novel concept of moral righteousness is playing out a battle which evinces itself in the subconscious proclivity to quash, or at least limit, the use of others' endowed gifts. It may not even be as a result of an inner battle, because moral righteousness may not even necessarily need to be involved. It may be a subtle, yet sophisticated tool in an arsenal of evolutionary compensatory mechanisms which we use to outcompete others, while conserving our "civility", setting us apart from the methods of the beasts. What I find a bit funny is that the popular general attitude then becomes part of the same system working on those that are promoting it. What goes around comes around. In the same mindset, I personally set forth efforts not to get caught in the same trap. In other words, I attempt to help empower others to use their gifts, not in the least part because it may come back someday to help me remember to use mine, but at the risk of empowering others who may one day outcompete me. However, although it may be simplistic, I like to think of things a little more simply, and to put bit of faith in karmic good and bad. I think it was the philosophy of Zarathushtra that to live prudently was to "think good, speak good and do good". Any more complicated than that, and a philosophy becomes a religion. Poor, poor philosophy.
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"On action alone be thy interest, Never on its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be thy motive, Nor be thy attachment to inaction."
"Fear Not. What is not real, never was and never will be. What is real, always was and cannot be destroyed." Bhagavad Gita
"If the radiance of a thousand suns were to burst at once into the sky that would be like the splendor of the Mighty One... I am become Death, the Shatterer of Worlds." J. Robert Oppenheimer (1904 - 1967), Quoting "The Bhagavad Gita",Alamogordo, New Mexico, 1945, at the testing of the nuclear bomb which he helped create.
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