Abstract

Ever since we started growing up, understanding things, believing things, we knew that everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) could be divided into two – material and abstract. Things that we could feel by senses and calculate, was to be put into the first category (with shape or otherwise). And, the rest that we could feel by heart, believe, have faith in, were considered to be the second category – the abstract.

To possess the first kind, we invented MONEY. As we could always measure the MATERIAL things, we decided upon the price for each. That’s where we created the rift between people – ones who could possess enough, the RICH and the others who couldn’t, the POOR. Money could buy a house, food of all tastes, clothes of all styles, machines of all kinds.

But, we always wondered about the other kind – the ABSTRACT. Happiness, love, contentment, peace, God, etc. were the things that fell into this category. The cause and effect of each of them always remained inexplicable. The most we could achieve was that most of the things in this category were controlled by mind, which in turn could be controlled (nothing more than a mere assumption!).

We tried to measure these things, but failed mostly. This wasn’t a difficult realization that generic rules couldn’t be applied. All these things might have depended upon the mind, but were different for each of us. The foolish game had already started!

We tried to buy them – pay any price we could. We started manipulating the ABSTRACT using money. But, did we really succeed? We tried to buy Honesty of people by paying bribes, the honesty that never existed. We manipulated people on their religious beliefs by our words and actions, the beliefs that were never firm. We invented drugs that could trigger hormones, but not the feelings. We could laugh, but not be happy. We could cure, but not be healthy. We fought wars, but never created peace. We could savor every taste, but couldn’t kill hunger. We paid for sex, but couldn’t buy love. We prayed endlessly, but couldn’t find God. We could possess, but never be contented. All we could increase was Anger, fear, chaos, misery, restlessness and the never-quenching desire.

We sought, what’s always been within us. The mind, the soul, the self is all we need to understand the abstract. It’s only the UNDERSTANDING that’s required, because something which can’t be measured, can’t be increased or decreased or created or destroyed. It can just be FELT. All we have to do is FEEL. That’s what makes us human.