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Plato’s Cave allegory was explained to me in a casual conversation with a
dear friend many years ago. It was one of the most thought provoking
discussions I can remember. I still find myself referring back to it when I
become caught up with life’s illusions. Whenever I think about it, I find
myself delving deeper and deeper into more questions and more
comparisons.
Basically it is about perception, but rather than get into the academic side of
things, I will refer back to my friend’s casual description for those people
who may be unfamiliar with the story.
There are a group of men dwelling in a cave who have been chained together
by their legs and necks since childhood. They have been in the same spot the
entire time and cannot turn their heads: they can only look forward at the
cave wall. They do not seem to have seen anything of themselves or of the
others.
Behind the men is the cave entrance, which lets in light. Between the cave
entrance and the men there is a fire burning, and between the fire and the
prisoners there is a low wall. From behind the wall, there is another group of
men who are free and can move and speak. Their movement, shapes and
images cast shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners - like puppet show.
The prisoners appear to accept this situation and seem content to accept the
shadows on the wall as the totality of their reality.
When one man breaks free and manages to stand up and turn around, we
are asked to imagine what must have gone through his mind as he was
confronted with what he saw.
We might first wonder at the pain his body would experience in standing for
the first time, and the blinding light’s effect on his vision. Would he then run
towards the men in great excitement, wanting to see and know more, or
would he first turn back and set the other prisoners free.
What would be the response and the reaction of the other prisoners? It is
easy to assume they would be excited and grateful at being liberated but,
would they? We find ourselves asking how we might feel about someone
telling us our entire existence and belief system was nothing more than an
illusion.
The most interesting part of this story, for me, is in considering that not only
does the freed man have to comprehend that his perception of reality was
nothing more than shadows, but he also has to try and comprehend and
accept that the fire, the shapes and the men were the real reality. Even if he
managed to get his head around all of this, we are then left to imagine how he
copes when he sees the cave’s entrance, and his reaction when he discovers
that outside the cave there is yet another reality.
If he did manage to get this far, and was able to comprehend everything
outside the cave, we would then have to assume that he would also have to
grasp such things as the sun, moon and stars. We might also conclude, that if
he were able to make sense of his past and his present, then he would also
be compelled to question his future.
Is it possible that the other prisoners would have been so threatened by
these revelations that they may have become hostile or violent; would they
fight to hold on to the security of the world they knew?
Perhaps, they might group together and use peer pressure to convince the
freed prisoner to sit back down and forget what he had discovered. If this
were the case, would they be forever tormented by knowing the truth?Would
the prisoners be left wondering why they had never tried to get free before, or
would they wonder why they had never even thought to question their reality.
This story leaves us with many questions when we place ourselves in the
position of the liberated prisoner. In today’s world, with all of our knowledge,
technology and sophistication, we still find ourselves wondering about our
perceptions of our reality.
Some people are happy and content to accept things as they appear to be. Others
sense that there is much more and move slowly, safely and steadily through
changes. Of course, there are those who fight to hang on to their beliefs, while
others actively seek greater understanding.
Although the Cave Allegory is much more complex than I have illustrated here, it
should at least serve as a great example of perception of reality in today’s world.
We like to believe that we are far too evolved and intelligent to be compared with
the cave dwellers, but are we?
If we put ourselves in the position of the prisoners, our initial response is that we
would rejoice in being freed. On deeper reflection, we might recall many times in
our lives in which we fiercely resisted change. I’m sure we have all been
involved in petty but passionate arguments in which we insisted we were right.
Haven’t we all stayed in jobs, relationships and situations which were obviously
soul destroying? Often, we sense that we are more than we understand and that
life is greater than our personal experience. Something is missing and we are
vaguely uncomfortable or perhaps deeply insecure.
We want more; we believe there is more and we long for more. But we do not
want to let go of what is familiar and comfortable. We don’t like big or sudden
changes and we don’t like to accept that we may have been wrong.
It might seem quite absurd that people would allow themselves to be tied up and
imprisoned without question or resistance. It’s even more ridiculous to believe
that shadows on a wall would be accepted as reality. But is it? Look up now and
you might notice a television set in the corner of your room. It might be
interesting to ask yourself how much of your belief system has come from mass
media. Does television influence reality or does reality influence what is on
television.
Our perception of reality is very rarely based on our own thoughts and
experiences. Media is an extremely powerful influence, as are culture, religion
and education. These are not bad things and serve as excellent foundations, but
have we lost our ability to think for ourselves.
Imagine if you came to Earth from some other planet and sat down with a group
of people and asked them what life was like on Earth. Suppose there were a child
and an elder, a Russian, Indian, African, Aborigine and an Englishman, a movie
star, cleaning lady, farmer and a millionaire and some from the 1920, 1960 and
2010. If you can imagine this conversation, then you might realize just how
varied our perceptions of reality can be.
To a large degree, our belief system is determined by geographical location.
Social norms are where we find our comparisons, and most of us mould
ourselves to fit our environment. Most people do not choose a religious belief,
nor do many bother to explore religion outside their own denomination. Often
when they do, it is only to arm themselves with an argument to prove the others
wrong. The same can be said about education, social skills, ethics, food, dress
and language. We all like to believe that we can think for ourselves, but the truth
is, that most of us have been fully programmed before we enter adulthood.
In pondering our own perceptions of ourselves or our experiences, we can
compare ourselves to the prisoner in the cave. Much of our understanding serves
us well, but it’s not until we question our belief system that we begin to expose
the illusions and then the illusions beyond those illusions.
Some people appear to function very well within their given environment and
may feel no desire or need to question it. Most of us have mastered the art of
looking like we fit. In today’s world, we compare ourselves to others within our
environment, and consider ourselves and our lives to be normal or successful,
based on the status quo.
Many people feel that they don’t measure up and experience great distress. Some
people think they look good but feel that they are faking it. These days, we seem
to hold material issues in very high regard, and many judgements about a person’
s value have little to do with the person at all, but rather the wealth, fame and
career status of the person. We also seem to be somewhat impressed with
celebrities or physically attractive people. Now, tell me that’s not shadows on the
wall!
Life today is materialistic and very, very fast. With so much emphasis on earning
money, we find ourselves running faster and faster, just to stay in one place. We
feel that we are on a treadmill and someone else has the controls. We are ever
conscious of the fact that just one wrong step and down we’ll go, face down
and flung across the room in a heap.
At some point, we must ask ourselves who is controlling our lives, what exactly
is my life, who or what am I, and what does it all mean. Well, I think that you
have just met the puppeteers! You can swallow the questions and go back to
your place in the line, or you can move towards the light.
The Physical Realm
On a practical level, we view ourselves and our lives in terms of physicality. A
great deal of our awareness is focused on our physical body, its protection and
maintenance. Self preservation is our strongest instinct.
We view our environment in physical terms and place a great deal of importance
on safety and comfort. Our community is also important to us, and we strive to
be a part of it and to be supported by it. Our physical reality includes our bodies,
homes, relationships, jobs and all things related to keeping us safe, comfortable,
supported and alive. Our physicality is often the overall view that we hold of
ourselves.
Much of our awareness is governed by intellect and emotional responses.
Intelligence seems like a loud voice and a keen eye, a constant commentary of
judgements, comparisons and analysis. Past experiences are recorded and
provide predictable outcomes as information and skills are stored for easy access
and reuse. Intellect is a great decision maker and problem solver, and emotion is
a great motivator. Intellect and emotion are usually the ways that we view what
we do and how we feel.
Most of the time, we operate from a physical, intellectual or emotional level.
Ideally, we strive to keep these levels in balance, but often we experience conflict
between them. Some believe that these three levels are the sum total of the
human condition.
Much of our physical, intellectual and emotional awareness are externally
focused. We pay a lot of attention to doing and what is being done. We like to be
intellectually challenged, stimulated and entertained. We seek emotional highs and
avoid emotional lows. We pursue physical comfort and pleasure. When we are
physically, emotionally and intellectually balanced, we feel content and safe, and
most of the time we view ourselves as happy, successful or complete.
Although we may achieve a perfect balance and attain a sense of well-being, we
find ourselves still sensing or longing for something more. It may come as a deep
sense of being disconnected or a subtle hint of insecurity. At times, it may
present itself as sheer panic, a profound loneliness or intense anger. More often
than not though, it is just a vague nagging voice and it seems to be saying, “This
is not my real home, this is not the real me and these are not my people.”
At this point, we have nowhere else to go and find ourselves listening to and then
following ‘The Voice’. The voice of course, is the spirit or soul.
A lot of people think of spiritual communication in terms of religion. Religion can
be a great way to explore spirituality and often works very well. Too often
though, people find religion to be controlling, limiting or threatening. Much is
preached about sin and punishment, and on a not too subtle level we find
ourselves viewing life as a thing to be endured.
Life becomes a test and we are all on trial here anticipating, ‘A pass into heaven
or an eternity of hell’. Some believe that this is hell and we are only here because
we owe a debt or need to be punished for past-life mistakes. In trying to earn our
way into the ‘Promised-Land’, we find ourselves making a choice between living
a spiritual life or living a physical life.
The great illusion here, is that we are left believing that spirituality is separate
from physicality. We denigrate our lives and struggle to over-power our physical
needs or desires. In a way, we find ourselves at war with ourselves. Who we
are, what we are and how we are require all parts - the mind, body and spirit are
interconnected.
You wouldn’t decide to disregard your body and emotions just so that you could
live your life on a purely intellectual level. Nor would you consider living
emotionally and disregarding your intellect. Yet, many try to live physically and
disconnect themselves from their spirituality and vice-versa.
Probably, the greatest illusion of all, is that we define ourselves and our world as
solid mass moving through lineal time. We tend to measure time in terms of
events, or use time-frames as markers. We have big time-frames, like infancy,
childhood, adulthood and old age.
Rarely do we think of time as a minute to minute evolution. If we did, it would
be easier to comprehend how fluid our lives are. Even our own bodies are dying
and renewing, cell by cell, minute to minute. We are energy within a sea of
energy; everything is changing, and everything is evolving, and everything is
being affected by everything else.
You may notice skin particles and hairs dropping from your body, or wrinkles
forming on your face and muscles sagging with time. You may not have even
considered that every tiny little particle within you is also changing form on a
daily basis, nor may you have considered that every few years your body has
been completely replaced.
Our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, knowledge and perceptions are also changing.
We often notice the change in seasons, and accept that trees drop leaves, but do
we really accept that all of nature is in a constant state of change.
If we perceive life in big chunks, then we may as well look at it as only one big
chunk, and that is that we are born and we then die –that’s it, that’s life.
By viewing life as a series of events, we will find it far too easy to become
involved with judgements. We begin to predict future events and judge them as
good or bad. Rather than living in each moment, we find ourselves fast
forwarding our consciousness into what we hope will be a better event. The
greatest problem with this, is that we con ourselves into believing that when we
get there, we will be able to stay there.
Living with this perception is like being caught in rapids, desperately making our
way to the nearest buoy, and believing that once we find our safety we will never
need to let go. We view our families, homes and jobs as safety nets, and
desperately want to believe that when we attain them, we will be able to maintain
them. We all hope that when we get to ‘Our Happy Place’ we will be able to stay
there.
Another great illusion that many of us live by, is the belief that we need to prove
our value. So many people suffer so much anguish by believing that they must
do something great in order to be validated as worthy. Not only do we judge
ourselves by what we do, but we also judge others and allow others to judge us,
value us, or at least label us as worthy, based on what we do. Almost as
ludicrous as this, is the belief that what we have makes us worthy. More often
than not, we marry the ideas of what we do with what we earn, and as
unbelievable as it may sound, we actually label someone as important or valuable,
based on their occupation and material assets.
When I was younger, a group of us used to hang out together and the boys in
the group decided to learn to play musical instruments. They used to practice at
my sister’s house and they were not very good. I used to write lyrics and the
boys would try to work them into songs. We all thought that they were as great
as any pop stars around at the time.
The girls used to shop for old lady’s dresses at the op-shop (long before it
became trendy) and we would chop the dresses into minis, add beads or lace,
and turn out some pretty amazing originals. On Saturday afternoons, the boys
also played Rugby League at the local oval, and most mornings they went for
early morning surf. Life was good, healthy and a lot of fun. We laughed a lot and
we were all very close to each other.
Back then, we did what we did for fun, we did not think of ourselves as
designers, fashion models, rock stars or athletes. No one thought about
becoming rich and famous. We created and we did things because it was in us to
do so.
These days, everything is about being a celebrity, gaining fame, looking good,
earning money and acting like ‘We are Someone’. Really, showing a bit of tit and
running computerized sounds through a mixer hardly qualifies anyone as a
musician, and being paid millions of dollars to kick a ball around is a rather
shabby measure of human worth.
If we were to measure worth on doing, then my personal votes would go to
mothers, farmers, carers and nurses. Doctors and lawyers are often esteemed,
but I would rate them average and variable. However, this is not about joining the
‘Value by Occupation League’, it is about exposing it for what it is - just another
illusion.
Being of value is not about what you do, what you have, or what and who you
know.
All these things are transient and only small fragments of your overall experience.
None of this is who you are, and your life’s value should be based on the simple
fact that you exist. The consciousness or energy that you are is as vital to the
mix as anyone else’s. An ocean is not made of a few select drops of water, and
the Universe does not exist the way it is meant to exist, if your energy is not
included.
Accelerated Time
They say that as you get older time appears to speed up. Christmas takes forever
when you are a child, and yet as an adult it seems like we have Christmas every
six months. Perhaps it is my age, but I really don’t think so. I acknowledge that
clock and calendar time may well read the same, but I do not agree that my
experience of time has not changed. As a kid, I used to wonder what being an
adult would be like, and now as a middle-aged woman, I still wonder what
adulthood would be like. I often feel like I am still waiting for my real life to
begin.
Time is fast and we are busier than ever. Kids know their alphabet and how to
count before they even begin school, and many parents have them booked into
college before they are ten. The average woman has children, runs a home, goes
to gym, and an evening class and works at least a forty hour week. Many men
are working sixty hours a week and are under pressure to gain further education.
We need to move fast and talk fast, we are so structured and organized that we
rarely have more than thirty minutes a day to ourselves. We are bombarded with
information and noise.
We refer to the Internet as the Information Super Highway, and in many ways it
is probably one of the most wonderful inventions in history. Despite all of the
advantages of gaining super-fast information, we really need to wonder just how
much is enough. Many of our kids are being drugged and sedated; we label them
hyperactive, attention deficient, obsessive-compulsive and defiant.
Many kids are placed in day care centres before they are one or two years of
age. In many ways, this is a good thing for the child and a necessary thing for
the parent. The problem is, that kids are being so stimulated from such an early
age, that by the time they are ten years old they have only one speed – full
throttle.
A child at day care has constant attention, stimulation and entertainment. After
day- care, the child is further stimulated by the family’s attention and busy-ness.
In addition to all of this, they also have television, radio and computer games.
My school report cards typically stated, “Sonya has great potential, but does not
apply herself.” It’s quite common now for assessments to include behavioural
problems as well as academic observations. Children as young as five or six are
being labelled as disruptive, lacking empathy and social skills, defiant and
aggressive.
I believe that the future generations will be extremely knowledgeable. My guess
is that they will know more in the first twenty years of their lives than we will
ever know in our lifetime.
This brings me to my next observation of illusion – Knowledge vs. Wisdom.
Click the Next Button to go to Part 2.
dear friend many years ago. It was one of the most thought provoking
discussions I can remember. I still find myself referring back to it when I
become caught up with life’s illusions. Whenever I think about it, I find
myself delving deeper and deeper into more questions and more
comparisons.
Basically it is about perception, but rather than get into the academic side of
things, I will refer back to my friend’s casual description for those people
who may be unfamiliar with the story.
There are a group of men dwelling in a cave who have been chained together
by their legs and necks since childhood. They have been in the same spot the
entire time and cannot turn their heads: they can only look forward at the
cave wall. They do not seem to have seen anything of themselves or of the
others.
Behind the men is the cave entrance, which lets in light. Between the cave
entrance and the men there is a fire burning, and between the fire and the
prisoners there is a low wall. From behind the wall, there is another group of
men who are free and can move and speak. Their movement, shapes and
images cast shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners - like puppet show.
The prisoners appear to accept this situation and seem content to accept the
shadows on the wall as the totality of their reality.
When one man breaks free and manages to stand up and turn around, we
are asked to imagine what must have gone through his mind as he was
confronted with what he saw.
We might first wonder at the pain his body would experience in standing for
the first time, and the blinding light’s effect on his vision. Would he then run
towards the men in great excitement, wanting to see and know more, or
would he first turn back and set the other prisoners free.
What would be the response and the reaction of the other prisoners? It is
easy to assume they would be excited and grateful at being liberated but,
would they? We find ourselves asking how we might feel about someone
telling us our entire existence and belief system was nothing more than an
illusion.
The most interesting part of this story, for me, is in considering that not only
does the freed man have to comprehend that his perception of reality was
nothing more than shadows, but he also has to try and comprehend and
accept that the fire, the shapes and the men were the real reality. Even if he
managed to get his head around all of this, we are then left to imagine how he
copes when he sees the cave’s entrance, and his reaction when he discovers
that outside the cave there is yet another reality.
If he did manage to get this far, and was able to comprehend everything
outside the cave, we would then have to assume that he would also have to
grasp such things as the sun, moon and stars. We might also conclude, that if
he were able to make sense of his past and his present, then he would also
be compelled to question his future.
Is it possible that the other prisoners would have been so threatened by
these revelations that they may have become hostile or violent; would they
fight to hold on to the security of the world they knew?
Perhaps, they might group together and use peer pressure to convince the
freed prisoner to sit back down and forget what he had discovered. If this
were the case, would they be forever tormented by knowing the truth?Would
the prisoners be left wondering why they had never tried to get free before, or
would they wonder why they had never even thought to question their reality.
This story leaves us with many questions when we place ourselves in the
position of the liberated prisoner. In today’s world, with all of our knowledge,
technology and sophistication, we still find ourselves wondering about our
perceptions of our reality.
Some people are happy and content to accept things as they appear to be. Others
sense that there is much more and move slowly, safely and steadily through
changes. Of course, there are those who fight to hang on to their beliefs, while
others actively seek greater understanding.
Although the Cave Allegory is much more complex than I have illustrated here, it
should at least serve as a great example of perception of reality in today’s world.
We like to believe that we are far too evolved and intelligent to be compared with
the cave dwellers, but are we?
If we put ourselves in the position of the prisoners, our initial response is that we
would rejoice in being freed. On deeper reflection, we might recall many times in
our lives in which we fiercely resisted change. I’m sure we have all been
involved in petty but passionate arguments in which we insisted we were right.
Haven’t we all stayed in jobs, relationships and situations which were obviously
soul destroying? Often, we sense that we are more than we understand and that
life is greater than our personal experience. Something is missing and we are
vaguely uncomfortable or perhaps deeply insecure.
We want more; we believe there is more and we long for more. But we do not
want to let go of what is familiar and comfortable. We don’t like big or sudden
changes and we don’t like to accept that we may have been wrong.
It might seem quite absurd that people would allow themselves to be tied up and
imprisoned without question or resistance. It’s even more ridiculous to believe
that shadows on a wall would be accepted as reality. But is it? Look up now and
you might notice a television set in the corner of your room. It might be
interesting to ask yourself how much of your belief system has come from mass
media. Does television influence reality or does reality influence what is on
television.
Our perception of reality is very rarely based on our own thoughts and
experiences. Media is an extremely powerful influence, as are culture, religion
and education. These are not bad things and serve as excellent foundations, but
have we lost our ability to think for ourselves.
Imagine if you came to Earth from some other planet and sat down with a group
of people and asked them what life was like on Earth. Suppose there were a child
and an elder, a Russian, Indian, African, Aborigine and an Englishman, a movie
star, cleaning lady, farmer and a millionaire and some from the 1920, 1960 and
2010. If you can imagine this conversation, then you might realize just how
varied our perceptions of reality can be.
To a large degree, our belief system is determined by geographical location.
Social norms are where we find our comparisons, and most of us mould
ourselves to fit our environment. Most people do not choose a religious belief,
nor do many bother to explore religion outside their own denomination. Often
when they do, it is only to arm themselves with an argument to prove the others
wrong. The same can be said about education, social skills, ethics, food, dress
and language. We all like to believe that we can think for ourselves, but the truth
is, that most of us have been fully programmed before we enter adulthood.
In pondering our own perceptions of ourselves or our experiences, we can
compare ourselves to the prisoner in the cave. Much of our understanding serves
us well, but it’s not until we question our belief system that we begin to expose
the illusions and then the illusions beyond those illusions.
Some people appear to function very well within their given environment and
may feel no desire or need to question it. Most of us have mastered the art of
looking like we fit. In today’s world, we compare ourselves to others within our
environment, and consider ourselves and our lives to be normal or successful,
based on the status quo.
Many people feel that they don’t measure up and experience great distress. Some
people think they look good but feel that they are faking it. These days, we seem
to hold material issues in very high regard, and many judgements about a person’
s value have little to do with the person at all, but rather the wealth, fame and
career status of the person. We also seem to be somewhat impressed with
celebrities or physically attractive people. Now, tell me that’s not shadows on the
wall!
Life today is materialistic and very, very fast. With so much emphasis on earning
money, we find ourselves running faster and faster, just to stay in one place. We
feel that we are on a treadmill and someone else has the controls. We are ever
conscious of the fact that just one wrong step and down we’ll go, face down
and flung across the room in a heap.
At some point, we must ask ourselves who is controlling our lives, what exactly
is my life, who or what am I, and what does it all mean. Well, I think that you
have just met the puppeteers! You can swallow the questions and go back to
your place in the line, or you can move towards the light.
The Physical Realm
On a practical level, we view ourselves and our lives in terms of physicality. A
great deal of our awareness is focused on our physical body, its protection and
maintenance. Self preservation is our strongest instinct.
We view our environment in physical terms and place a great deal of importance
on safety and comfort. Our community is also important to us, and we strive to
be a part of it and to be supported by it. Our physical reality includes our bodies,
homes, relationships, jobs and all things related to keeping us safe, comfortable,
supported and alive. Our physicality is often the overall view that we hold of
ourselves.
Much of our awareness is governed by intellect and emotional responses.
Intelligence seems like a loud voice and a keen eye, a constant commentary of
judgements, comparisons and analysis. Past experiences are recorded and
provide predictable outcomes as information and skills are stored for easy access
and reuse. Intellect is a great decision maker and problem solver, and emotion is
a great motivator. Intellect and emotion are usually the ways that we view what
we do and how we feel.
Most of the time, we operate from a physical, intellectual or emotional level.
Ideally, we strive to keep these levels in balance, but often we experience conflict
between them. Some believe that these three levels are the sum total of the
human condition.
Much of our physical, intellectual and emotional awareness are externally
focused. We pay a lot of attention to doing and what is being done. We like to be
intellectually challenged, stimulated and entertained. We seek emotional highs and
avoid emotional lows. We pursue physical comfort and pleasure. When we are
physically, emotionally and intellectually balanced, we feel content and safe, and
most of the time we view ourselves as happy, successful or complete.
Although we may achieve a perfect balance and attain a sense of well-being, we
find ourselves still sensing or longing for something more. It may come as a deep
sense of being disconnected or a subtle hint of insecurity. At times, it may
present itself as sheer panic, a profound loneliness or intense anger. More often
than not though, it is just a vague nagging voice and it seems to be saying, “This
is not my real home, this is not the real me and these are not my people.”
At this point, we have nowhere else to go and find ourselves listening to and then
following ‘The Voice’. The voice of course, is the spirit or soul.
A lot of people think of spiritual communication in terms of religion. Religion can
be a great way to explore spirituality and often works very well. Too often
though, people find religion to be controlling, limiting or threatening. Much is
preached about sin and punishment, and on a not too subtle level we find
ourselves viewing life as a thing to be endured.
Life becomes a test and we are all on trial here anticipating, ‘A pass into heaven
or an eternity of hell’. Some believe that this is hell and we are only here because
we owe a debt or need to be punished for past-life mistakes. In trying to earn our
way into the ‘Promised-Land’, we find ourselves making a choice between living
a spiritual life or living a physical life.
The great illusion here, is that we are left believing that spirituality is separate
from physicality. We denigrate our lives and struggle to over-power our physical
needs or desires. In a way, we find ourselves at war with ourselves. Who we
are, what we are and how we are require all parts - the mind, body and spirit are
interconnected.
You wouldn’t decide to disregard your body and emotions just so that you could
live your life on a purely intellectual level. Nor would you consider living
emotionally and disregarding your intellect. Yet, many try to live physically and
disconnect themselves from their spirituality and vice-versa.
Probably, the greatest illusion of all, is that we define ourselves and our world as
solid mass moving through lineal time. We tend to measure time in terms of
events, or use time-frames as markers. We have big time-frames, like infancy,
childhood, adulthood and old age.
Rarely do we think of time as a minute to minute evolution. If we did, it would
be easier to comprehend how fluid our lives are. Even our own bodies are dying
and renewing, cell by cell, minute to minute. We are energy within a sea of
energy; everything is changing, and everything is evolving, and everything is
being affected by everything else.
You may notice skin particles and hairs dropping from your body, or wrinkles
forming on your face and muscles sagging with time. You may not have even
considered that every tiny little particle within you is also changing form on a
daily basis, nor may you have considered that every few years your body has
been completely replaced.
Our thoughts, beliefs, emotions, knowledge and perceptions are also changing.
We often notice the change in seasons, and accept that trees drop leaves, but do
we really accept that all of nature is in a constant state of change.
If we perceive life in big chunks, then we may as well look at it as only one big
chunk, and that is that we are born and we then die –that’s it, that’s life.
By viewing life as a series of events, we will find it far too easy to become
involved with judgements. We begin to predict future events and judge them as
good or bad. Rather than living in each moment, we find ourselves fast
forwarding our consciousness into what we hope will be a better event. The
greatest problem with this, is that we con ourselves into believing that when we
get there, we will be able to stay there.
Living with this perception is like being caught in rapids, desperately making our
way to the nearest buoy, and believing that once we find our safety we will never
need to let go. We view our families, homes and jobs as safety nets, and
desperately want to believe that when we attain them, we will be able to maintain
them. We all hope that when we get to ‘Our Happy Place’ we will be able to stay
there.
Another great illusion that many of us live by, is the belief that we need to prove
our value. So many people suffer so much anguish by believing that they must
do something great in order to be validated as worthy. Not only do we judge
ourselves by what we do, but we also judge others and allow others to judge us,
value us, or at least label us as worthy, based on what we do. Almost as
ludicrous as this, is the belief that what we have makes us worthy. More often
than not, we marry the ideas of what we do with what we earn, and as
unbelievable as it may sound, we actually label someone as important or valuable,
based on their occupation and material assets.
When I was younger, a group of us used to hang out together and the boys in
the group decided to learn to play musical instruments. They used to practice at
my sister’s house and they were not very good. I used to write lyrics and the
boys would try to work them into songs. We all thought that they were as great
as any pop stars around at the time.
The girls used to shop for old lady’s dresses at the op-shop (long before it
became trendy) and we would chop the dresses into minis, add beads or lace,
and turn out some pretty amazing originals. On Saturday afternoons, the boys
also played Rugby League at the local oval, and most mornings they went for
early morning surf. Life was good, healthy and a lot of fun. We laughed a lot and
we were all very close to each other.
Back then, we did what we did for fun, we did not think of ourselves as
designers, fashion models, rock stars or athletes. No one thought about
becoming rich and famous. We created and we did things because it was in us to
do so.
These days, everything is about being a celebrity, gaining fame, looking good,
earning money and acting like ‘We are Someone’. Really, showing a bit of tit and
running computerized sounds through a mixer hardly qualifies anyone as a
musician, and being paid millions of dollars to kick a ball around is a rather
shabby measure of human worth.
If we were to measure worth on doing, then my personal votes would go to
mothers, farmers, carers and nurses. Doctors and lawyers are often esteemed,
but I would rate them average and variable. However, this is not about joining the
‘Value by Occupation League’, it is about exposing it for what it is - just another
illusion.
Being of value is not about what you do, what you have, or what and who you
know.
All these things are transient and only small fragments of your overall experience.
None of this is who you are, and your life’s value should be based on the simple
fact that you exist. The consciousness or energy that you are is as vital to the
mix as anyone else’s. An ocean is not made of a few select drops of water, and
the Universe does not exist the way it is meant to exist, if your energy is not
included.
Accelerated Time
They say that as you get older time appears to speed up. Christmas takes forever
when you are a child, and yet as an adult it seems like we have Christmas every
six months. Perhaps it is my age, but I really don’t think so. I acknowledge that
clock and calendar time may well read the same, but I do not agree that my
experience of time has not changed. As a kid, I used to wonder what being an
adult would be like, and now as a middle-aged woman, I still wonder what
adulthood would be like. I often feel like I am still waiting for my real life to
begin.
Time is fast and we are busier than ever. Kids know their alphabet and how to
count before they even begin school, and many parents have them booked into
college before they are ten. The average woman has children, runs a home, goes
to gym, and an evening class and works at least a forty hour week. Many men
are working sixty hours a week and are under pressure to gain further education.
We need to move fast and talk fast, we are so structured and organized that we
rarely have more than thirty minutes a day to ourselves. We are bombarded with
information and noise.
We refer to the Internet as the Information Super Highway, and in many ways it
is probably one of the most wonderful inventions in history. Despite all of the
advantages of gaining super-fast information, we really need to wonder just how
much is enough. Many of our kids are being drugged and sedated; we label them
hyperactive, attention deficient, obsessive-compulsive and defiant.
Many kids are placed in day care centres before they are one or two years of
age. In many ways, this is a good thing for the child and a necessary thing for
the parent. The problem is, that kids are being so stimulated from such an early
age, that by the time they are ten years old they have only one speed – full
throttle.
A child at day care has constant attention, stimulation and entertainment. After
day- care, the child is further stimulated by the family’s attention and busy-ness.
In addition to all of this, they also have television, radio and computer games.
My school report cards typically stated, “Sonya has great potential, but does not
apply herself.” It’s quite common now for assessments to include behavioural
problems as well as academic observations. Children as young as five or six are
being labelled as disruptive, lacking empathy and social skills, defiant and
aggressive.
I believe that the future generations will be extremely knowledgeable. My guess
is that they will know more in the first twenty years of their lives than we will
ever know in our lifetime.
This brings me to my next observation of illusion – Knowledge vs. Wisdom.
Click the Next Button to go to Part 2.
| Get Real Illusions - Are we thinking our own thoughts? Plato - cave allegory (Part 1 of 2) |
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