Who am I ?

[Guest guest]

Are we the masterpiece of nature?

 

Are we the masterpiece of nature? Is nature ordered in a hierarchical

pattern, each form of life being higher than the other? Is man, then,

the highest manifestation? Can man claim to be the masterpiece of

nature?

 

It would seem highly unlikely considering man's weakness,

helplessness and long period of dependence from birth to adulthood.

It would seem unlikely in terms of strength and speed. Yet, man has a

unique intelligence, a conceptual ability of a high order. He has a

conceptual mode of awareness. Using concepts and symbols, he

understands and interprets phenomena far beyond his immediate

environment. Using this understanding, he then manipulates and

controls his environment. His conceptual ability generates the

awesome forces of science and technology that have the capability to

wipe out human life on this planet. His awesome powers of science and

technology take him to outer space. They enable him to minimize the

barriers of space and time by various means of communication. Yet,

with all these abilities, man threatens to destroy himself and others

of his kind, he lives in constant conflict, he lives in constant fear

and insecurity, not from the dangers of nature, but from his own

fellowman and most of all, from the turbulent forces within his own

mind.

 

The devastating forces of destruction man has piled up in terms of

armies, missiles, guns, nuclear warheads and so on derive from his

own fear and insecurity. They arise from his own inner conflict, his

double standards, his selfishness, his greed, his ruthlessness, his

cruelty and his fear. The need to arm ourselves to the teeth arises

from our fragmented view of the world as being inhabited by ourselves

and others, as " we " and " they " . This deep division, this painful

fragmentation, this fear and conflict born of division and dogma, of

geographical boundaries, of sacrosanct notions, arises primarily

within our own minds.

 

The world we see outside, with the conflict and violence between

religions, between nations, between self proclaimed policemen of the

world and champions of democracy on the one hand and fierce

fanaticism on the other, is a reflection of our own greed,

selfishness, shortsightedness and double standards.

 

The chaos outside is a reflection of the chaos inside. The imbalance

outside is a reflection of the imbalance within our own minds. The

hatred and conflict outside is a reflection of the hatred and

conflict within our own minds.

 

How then are we a masterpiece of nature? We, who threaten to

obliterate our own species, who threaten to destroy the great natural

resources and unmatched splendour and beauty of nature, who threaten

to shortsightedly destroy the ecological balance of this planet – are

we the masterpieces of nature? Are we the peak of evolutionary

perfection?

 

We human beings, with our unique thinking skills, our unique

conceptual ability, can really arrive at an extraordinary

understanding of ourselves and our world. We can live with a oneness,

love, patience, kindness and wisdom that is uniquely human. To do so,

we shall have to first heal the fragmentation within our own minds.

We may pride ourselves on our own sanity and balance, our

intelligence and goodness. Yet, closer examination, a honest inquiry

reveals the subtle seeds of egoism and pride, of selfishness, fear,

anger, a clinging to life and fear of death, still hidden within us.

Many of these are natural. Many others are learnt notions subtly

acting within us. Often, our wisdom is superficial, often we delude

ourselves with images of our own wisdom. Yet, subtly, unseen, lie the

hidden seeds of egoism and pride, of division and conflict within us.

To unfold our extraordinary potential, to live in oneness, love, joy,

contentment and peace, we shall have to embrace our own deepest

selves.

 

Our deepest self is an experience of unconditional love and

oneness.To do so, will be to overcome all conditioning and realize

our oneness with each other and the whole of creation, not merely

verbally and conceptually but in fact, in the experience of daily

life. When this experience becomes our reality, our lives are

transformed. In a oneness and joy beyond description, we become the

masterpiece we were intended to be, crowning the glory of all

creation. Ashok Gollerkeri