I have seen many familiar faces today; some for the first time in several months.
There is a recognition there, but at the same time, I do not know them. It may seem natural to say that you know someone, but in this organism, there is nothing more unnatural.
If I see my brother, there is recognition there. But I can never say, “I know him.” There are memories, obviously. I can remember the things we have done, certain situations and events. But that is all of the past. If I say I know him, it is due to memory. And memory is of the past, and therefore, unchanging and immutable. That would mean that he has no chance of ever being different from what I remember. I effectively kill him with my mind, because I cannot see him at all. I only see my image of him; my memory of him.
This is why the living in the image, living through thought, is inherently violent. One kills the possibility of reality, of seeing what is. There is no true sight, only the remembered image.
If I meet with you, why should I rely on my memory to tell me anything? You are there, and I have no need to imagine you. After all, If I wanted to think about you or imagine you, I could have just stayed home.
Living life through thought, through the image, is living a life of violence. It is the killing of what is.
How many people have you killed today?
7 Comments
This is a very good reminder, applying to beyond just people but that being the area of most error.
A unique perspective, Thanks. That memory is not only of the past but of the illusion. We hold, as if, a dream of a person and tell ourselves we know it. And then the person does something unexpected that the dream did not predict, and there is conflict. Our dream is threatened. The battle begins…
@Jarrod Thanks for the comment, and thanks for stopping by.
It is an inward movement; a reaction that thought has to memory. The recognition is enough, but we never stop there.
Thought has this nasty way of spilling into places where it doesn’t belong. Or maybe it is more accurate to say, the self inserts itself into everything, to insure its continuity.
@ Davidya That is an excellent description of conflict.
When the image of ourselves - that thing we hold most dear - is challenged, questioned, insulted, rejected, etc., the war begins.
This makes it entirely clear that it takes only one person to end war.
Hi,
Jarrod posted a link to this article in mine about Freeze-Framed Relationships, and I’m glad he did.
I enjoyed your perspective and the way you articulated it.
Cheers,
John
@John
Thanks for letting me know about the link, John. I like your site, by the way. When I have a spare moment or two I’ll be sure to dig deeper into it. Jarrod has an interesting site as well, don’t you think?
And thank you for sharing the writing with others, Jarrod. It is appreciated.
Takuin,
Thanks for the thoughts about my site. And yes, Jarrod does have a good site going. His head in the right spot I think.
John