Saturday, February 10, 2007
Harmony
My drawing professor is an interesting guy. He's relatively young, 30-something, but is a combat veteran, long-time artist, and has competed in mixed martial arts competition. He is also a spiritualist, with strong feelings for the Eastern philosophical traditions. Needless to say, we have no problem finding interesting things to talk about. For instance, as class ended for the night this past Monday, the concept of peace came up. Art Prof proclaims that the idea of peace is ridiculous. Not only is it ridiculous, it is unnatural! Always being up for this sort of discussion, my curiosity was peaked, so I asked him to explain.
The gist of his idea was that peace, in and of itself, is an unnatural condition for any animal species. Nowhere in nature is there peace, as we perceive it. Ants are among natures simplest insects, but they are not ever at peace with one another. Ants, should they encounter a potential threat or food source, will almost certainly attack said threat or food source. This reaction is an instinctual act to better protect the ant's self-interest. After all, the fewer competitors he has to worry about, the better his chances of finding resources needed by the colony. His killing is motivated by a hard-coded instinct for self-preservation, which is ultimately serves to sustain his species. All through nature, similar violence and focus on self interest is present, from lion prides and hyena packs to lone sharks and dolphin pods. Nature is not made of peace and understanding. On the contrary, nature is often cruel, merciless, and always indifferent. Nature just is, nothing more, nothing less.
So if peace is an illusion, what is real? Harmony, was his reply. Harmony, as in nature will find a natural balance, a state of harmony, if left to its own devices. The interrelation of its various elements will be anything but peaceful. However, they will naturally settle into a state of harmonious balance. One species will feed off another, but the natural push-pull of population density will limit greed and gluttony. If they consume too much, the predators will starve, eventually killing each other for sustenance. Should the prey grow too populace, the predators will up their reproduction and kill rates, to regain the balance. Typically, a natural biosphere finds a settling point where there is balance and harmony throughout the food chain. Nature does not know any other way.
I knew where he was going as soon as he started and agreed wholeheartedly. Peace is impossible, and I think we all know it on some level. Man will always find a reason to destroy Man. This has been the way since the dawn of humankind. We will not ever know peace, as we are products of nature, but the higher price of our intellect is that neither will we ever know harmony. Ours is a species that has been out of balance for thousands of years, if not longer. A vast majority of our species cares nothing for balance. For most, it is not even a consideration, as its importance does not register in their psyches on any conscious level. Eating, drug use, exercise, nearly anything can, and inevitably will, be taken out of balance by people. It is a side effect of our ability to reason and rationalize.
Which leads me to the idea that our discord with nature is a byproduct of rational contemplation. Where nature shows us the way, we reason a way to somewhere entirely different, losing sight of the essential beauty in the natural order, thereby surrendering any hope for harmony. This is why many Eastern philosophers have referred to typical Western philosophies as being too top heavy, which is to say all brains, no gut. That second center of consciousness, or dandien, is an ancient, spiritual counterbalance to the brain's constant push toward the illusion of control. In Eastern faiths like Buddhism and Taoism, the brain is a processor of illusions and half-truths that spends its entire existence trying to convince the spirit that this world, this reality we experience with our physical selves, is all that the universe has to offer. In making this claim, the mind finds solace in an illusion of understanding, which breeds a sense of control and mastery.
Our brains constantly remind us that life is temporary, that the gelatinous mass floating in our spinal-cerebral fluid is Us. The brain and its accomplice, the mind, conspire to betray our spirits, forcing us to fear the temporary nature of this existence, thereby making us their slave, as their finite existence is all that we have. That is where dandien serves to restore balance. Dandien is a conduit through which our spiritual energy influences and attempts to balance the motives of our mind. In this way, the physical and metaphysical components within each of us interact. Theoretically, they would find their own harmony, and we would be at ease with ourselves, but in practice, the two are constantly giving and gaining ground. The idea of competing influences is prevalent through nearly all faiths and philosophies. The Yin-Yang is a good illustration of this duplicitous swirling, which explains its prevalence in Eastern doctrine and symbology.
Where am I going with all this? Isn't it obvious? I am not in harmony. There is no denying that I am incredibly top heavy, and I am not certain there is much to be done about that, at least willfully. I have been confused by some things lately, and have tried to give a more attentive ear to my gut, but I've found that I struggle to find any satisfaction, because my head continually gets in the way. I find myself having a hard time reading peoples' true intentions, so I assume the worst until given a reason to believe otherwise. Some of that is a natural reaction to the inherent selfishness exhibited by all people as we pursue our own interests. In that context, caution seems utterly natural to me, neither right, nor just, but natural. Remember that nature doesn't care about abstract judgments like right, wrong, or the gray between. Nature has no use for things like righteousness, honor, and justice. Neither, for that matter, do most people. And in the end, none of us can be perfect...we can't even get close enough to have a shot at holding it in our hands.
So how do we find harmony? We seek the balance. How do we do that? That is the million dollar question and the answers are all contextual. At this point, I would be satisfied with a little quiet time away from people on an abandoned beach. I'm not talking Robinson Crusoe, but a little Blue Lagoon would work for me, sans any human beings. People are such a struggle for me right now that an empty island with plenty of edible food and drinkable water would be totally refreshing! No one to criticize, to manipulate, to make demands of, or to obstruct my way. It sounds like a dream, like paradise. Obviously, this sort of thinking is fueling things like my desire for a motorcycle, and my decision to join the BBBS. I want so badly to find some good in this world that I find myself longing to escape even as I am driven to dig deeper in hopes of contributing some good of my own.
Labels: general, life, school, spirituality
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I had never heard of dandien before, that's really interesting. It's about time I get back into studying Eastern religions. When I was reading the Tao Te Ching nightly, I felt much more calm. I dream to escape to an island as well. But don't worry, I'll find my own. :)
My secret island will be in an undisclosed location. :) Dandien is very interesting, particularly in how it applies to tai chi and other Asian philosophical concepts. Definitely worth looking into.
an island?! what happened to your pyramid of enlightenment? i was planning on vacationing there, just as soon as you got it completed!
Isn't it obvious? The pyramid gets built ON the island!! C'mon, think Slade, THINK!
ohhh, i get it - a technique for insulation! clever!