the trap of seeing and believing
2020-12-21
We are born agape. Functioning just fine and without a care in the world, open to it all ...
A blank slate. No distinction between self and not-self - neither exist. Operating in a self-less void.
And so off we go ...
We form concepts to describe the things we see.
We develop beliefs to make sense of how things seem to work and understand our apparent place in it.
As we acquire more information -
encountering things and people, including their concepts and beliefs -
our beliefs are "refined."
We layer on the new information, reinforcing our beliefs - A ha! That fits ...
But, the additional information we use to "refine" our beliefs doesn't help to clarify things. It obscures them. Driving separation, distinction - it obscures our true self.
So, the thing about this obscuration ...
It's what we do as human beings.
And, seeing things - imagining things - in new ways (as happens when concepts are being formed and woven into beliefs) propels us to create - producing new things and prompting novel behaviors or adaptations, making our thoughts tangible/observable.
Heck, this seeing IS creation.
And that is marvelous! It may even be our purpose, our role in the larger organism.
It's also a trap.
We start believing our creations are more than they are - that they somehow existed before us and are "real."
We start believing that we are distinct, separate as our made-up selves.
We forget that our creations are made of the thoughts that have occurred to us and the meanings ascribed to them.
Our creations are not who and what we are. Our creations are not how things are.
We come before our creations, not after and into a world filled with them.
We are of the creator and manifest creation.
Remembering this changes every thing.