Daily Quote, Tuesday September 1, 2009

Good morning everyone,

It looks like it might be nice later on!

Here is today's quote:

Thought must inevitably divide.

Thought is matter; it is in the very structure, in the very cells of the brain, so when the brain operates—whether psychologically, socially or religiously—it must invariably operate in terms of its past conditioning. We see that thought is essential and must function absolutely logically, objectively, impersonally; and yet we see how thought divides.

I am not pushing you to agree, but do you see that thought must inevitably divide? Look what has happened: thought says that nationalism has led to all kinds of war and mischief, so it says, “Let us all be united, form a League of Nations.” But thought is still operating, still maintaining the separation—you , as an Italian, keeping your Italian sovereignty and so on. There is talk about brotherhood and yet the maintaining of separation, which is hypocrisy. It is characteristic of thought to play double games with itself.

The Impossible Question, pp 40-41

Here is my reflection.

In dividing us, thought maintans itself. By looking up and aspiring to more, it preserves what it is. Just as the practice of tolerance, a higher virtue, looks up, it preserves the capacity to be intolerant; and so it is with violence and insensitivity and attention, and so many other things. The practice of self-observation is to see this, which is hard because, as K points out, it's hypocrisy, and that is uncomfortable, intense, and puts us in a poor light. But this is the way through; only the study of the self will take us beyond the self. As we can see, thought of what is not the self - what we are not - merely preserves it. All the highly moral talk looks like a magician's trick.

Best wishes

Robert