Prologue
Simply Simple
No worries, no hang-ups,
Nothing to look forward to,
Nobody to hate,
Nothing to feel sorry about,
No one to follow,
No desires to satisfy.
Comfort, happiness,
Prosperity and Love,
They all come naturally in abundance…
Such is the song of life,
Heard at break of dawn,
Hummed through the day,
And at dusk,
Is the lullaby in my sleep
(March 15, 1979)
Why is it that no matter how we may have achieved in our chosen aims and objectives, there is still a sense of anti-climax? It is like arriving at the end of a book much sooner and wondering if we somehow missed out a hundred pages in the middle.
The book of life follows a pattern. A baby makes its first cry to signify that it is a separate life form. Then it grows up into the world of humankind, only to leave the world of the living either naturally as an old person or a sick one, or unnaturally either by accident, by murder, or by personal choice. Somehow, there is more to living than existence in a physical world. Where are the missing pages?
Human beings, unlike other life forms, have a natural desire to expand their powers, to experience greater freedom and vitality, to have life more abundantly. However, also unlike other living things, which are guided by their instincts, humans are born into a cultural milieu, which sets norms for conduct. They therefore tend to take refuge in established social, political, religious and cultural institutions, which are patterns that either bind and limit, or, in a deeper context, provide the venue for the ultimate expression of human nature.
There are no missing pages. But one must read between the lines. That is, read not with the lenses one is accustomed to, which reflects a particular cultural tradition penned by humans; but feel with the heart, which is molded by nature.
Contrary to popular belief, culture is not the one that shapes the human being; it is the opposite: culture is...