Wednesday, March 21, 2007

inside

A human being has so many skins inside, covering the depths of the heart. We know so many things, but we don't know ourselves! Why, thirty or forty skins or hides, as thick and hard as an ox's or a bear's, cover the soul. Go into your own ground and learn to know yourself there.

-Meister Eckhart

The thing is that when we go about showing how much we know about everything else, it gives a sense of authority over others. The thought of "I know more than you." makes one feel secure and in control. A deciple of security, I too suffer the same faith. The temptation is great to want to declare my opinions and intellectual capacities. The sharing of knowledge and the intention to assert power is totally different. The foremer is a fruitful discussion while the latter is an attack leading to chaos.

We see each other as not being the same. Of course, when a caucasion meets an African, they don't see themselves having a single thing in common. Because in the eyes they see hatred, the nose smells jealousy and the mouth tastes revenge. The skin reflects layers of prejudice. But if we peel away these layers of false seperation; in times of emergency, in the face of death and at times of birth, we feel a uniting force that penetrates every skin colour and ideologies. This force is uncondional love for man and nature.
If a white American girl falls in love with an African, why can't we see through her eyes of love, feel through her heart of compassion?