Self
Can a bee think about itself?
No because it is not a bee, it is bees. It is part of the hive. And a lost bee is nobody. That's why they stick together. Yes, they are sticky, and not just because of honey!
In other animals you can find that individuals are more capable of acting on their own. There can be safety in numbers. A wolf doesn't attack the whole herd, it looks for the weak ones who could become separated from the others.
Then again, herding is not always good. There is a thing called panic. When animals flee for their lives, you can't ask one to stop and give you its opinion on the current fleeing (just for the cameras). This is not called panic, it is called survival. However something similar can happen to animals that normally have a high degree of self-awareness and rationality. Such as humans. Sometimes a panic can start and spread to many people. When it does, it is not very pretty. The way it spreads may be related to herding instinct.
Today we don't live as we did. We live in ones, twos, threes, or fours. You can find more, but this is the general situation, particularly in the West. And let's be honest, a herd of four is not much good against wolves. Let's just say, five could be better.
Now think of the wolf. He has to eat. It is hard for him - probably harder than for the big herd. And think of the herd. A herd of sick animals is not much use to anybody, so what the wolf does is promoting a healthy system - the predator and the prey are antagonistic but add up to make a whole that keeps going.
Of course we don't like it if people get eaten. On the whole, they don't. We have better technology than the predators, and they keep away.
So what's the problem? The problem is that we are not working as a team. You can see this from the news. You can see it everywhere, especially in a city. How many cars driving with a single occupant? How many people trying to make money for themselves? How many arguing or cursing each other at the slightest provocation? How many cursing each other under their breath automatically just for being the wrong sort of person? And then sometimes people don't like themselves either. Can you imagine?
But still it is possible to see good behaviour. A lot of people look out for each other. In an accident people will want to help, just as some will want to get away to safety, and a few might think to take advantage os the situation and pick a pocket or two. Or worse. On the whole we know that humans want to help. That's why we have the word "humanity". Yet we also know that it is possible for the humanity to disappear.
It's a mixed bag of opportunities. But we can see that the best case is the one where we retain a feeling of being part of a wider whole (herding) yet do not surrender our self-control in the event of panics or rumours. You see, the bee has strength because she is part of the hive. But a weak bee weakens the hive. To humans, that's the value of individuality or the idea of self. Strong parts make a strong whole. But we have to consider what would be the best case for each part. Too much concentration on self and the "hive" is compromised as people start to fight for themselves. No self-will and there is no "herd" to make any progress - there is anarchy.
No, it is true, it's good to develop your ability to be part of the team. If you can identify with others then you will have more of a sense of identity, not identity as an individual but as part of a bigger family. And you will find that this is helpful to everyone. If you throw a rock at someone and every time it hits you in the back - you might stop throwing rocks. And every time you made something nice happen for someone else, something nice happens for you? Yes, that might encourage you too. Every person who identifies with someone else and does something positive for them is giving that person a little bit of freedom and power to help others as well. In a hostile environment people get hostile. But when we see no weapons the humanity starts to come back.
The idea of identification appears in many religions and spiritual systems. You can find out about that, but today it is not important. Today we just need to know that thinking of things and people outside yourself can start the ball rolling for them and benefit all of us.
The word for that is "love" and the problem is that people think they know what it means but have forgotten that they used just to do it without thinking about it. Now love means something from a TV soap opera - I love you so marry me or I'll burn your house down etc etc. It's not real love, is it. It's just self-interest.
But what is self? It is something between each little bee and each little hive on the way to all the bees together and the honey too. The little parts were made to love each other and work together. Can that be why honey is so sweet?
So now you know what self means. It means we can be less selfish and start lookng after ourselves. Speaking for myself, I think we will agree!
Be good to yourself, my dears.
No because it is not a bee, it is bees. It is part of the hive. And a lost bee is nobody. That's why they stick together. Yes, they are sticky, and not just because of honey!
In other animals you can find that individuals are more capable of acting on their own. There can be safety in numbers. A wolf doesn't attack the whole herd, it looks for the weak ones who could become separated from the others.
Then again, herding is not always good. There is a thing called panic. When animals flee for their lives, you can't ask one to stop and give you its opinion on the current fleeing (just for the cameras). This is not called panic, it is called survival. However something similar can happen to animals that normally have a high degree of self-awareness and rationality. Such as humans. Sometimes a panic can start and spread to many people. When it does, it is not very pretty. The way it spreads may be related to herding instinct.
Today we don't live as we did. We live in ones, twos, threes, or fours. You can find more, but this is the general situation, particularly in the West. And let's be honest, a herd of four is not much good against wolves. Let's just say, five could be better.
Now think of the wolf. He has to eat. It is hard for him - probably harder than for the big herd. And think of the herd. A herd of sick animals is not much use to anybody, so what the wolf does is promoting a healthy system - the predator and the prey are antagonistic but add up to make a whole that keeps going.
Of course we don't like it if people get eaten. On the whole, they don't. We have better technology than the predators, and they keep away.
So what's the problem? The problem is that we are not working as a team. You can see this from the news. You can see it everywhere, especially in a city. How many cars driving with a single occupant? How many people trying to make money for themselves? How many arguing or cursing each other at the slightest provocation? How many cursing each other under their breath automatically just for being the wrong sort of person? And then sometimes people don't like themselves either. Can you imagine?
But still it is possible to see good behaviour. A lot of people look out for each other. In an accident people will want to help, just as some will want to get away to safety, and a few might think to take advantage os the situation and pick a pocket or two. Or worse. On the whole we know that humans want to help. That's why we have the word "humanity". Yet we also know that it is possible for the humanity to disappear.
It's a mixed bag of opportunities. But we can see that the best case is the one where we retain a feeling of being part of a wider whole (herding) yet do not surrender our self-control in the event of panics or rumours. You see, the bee has strength because she is part of the hive. But a weak bee weakens the hive. To humans, that's the value of individuality or the idea of self. Strong parts make a strong whole. But we have to consider what would be the best case for each part. Too much concentration on self and the "hive" is compromised as people start to fight for themselves. No self-will and there is no "herd" to make any progress - there is anarchy.
No, it is true, it's good to develop your ability to be part of the team. If you can identify with others then you will have more of a sense of identity, not identity as an individual but as part of a bigger family. And you will find that this is helpful to everyone. If you throw a rock at someone and every time it hits you in the back - you might stop throwing rocks. And every time you made something nice happen for someone else, something nice happens for you? Yes, that might encourage you too. Every person who identifies with someone else and does something positive for them is giving that person a little bit of freedom and power to help others as well. In a hostile environment people get hostile. But when we see no weapons the humanity starts to come back.
The idea of identification appears in many religions and spiritual systems. You can find out about that, but today it is not important. Today we just need to know that thinking of things and people outside yourself can start the ball rolling for them and benefit all of us.
The word for that is "love" and the problem is that people think they know what it means but have forgotten that they used just to do it without thinking about it. Now love means something from a TV soap opera - I love you so marry me or I'll burn your house down etc etc. It's not real love, is it. It's just self-interest.
But what is self? It is something between each little bee and each little hive on the way to all the bees together and the honey too. The little parts were made to love each other and work together. Can that be why honey is so sweet?
So now you know what self means. It means we can be less selfish and start lookng after ourselves. Speaking for myself, I think we will agree!
Be good to yourself, my dears.
Labels: development, spiritual
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