Where are you?

Through the help of a book a student loaned me, “The Way of The Peaceful Warrior,” I learned a valuable lesson this week about the ego by which we live, control, and try to plan our lives.

It all started with a simple question, “Where are you?”

We act as if we know something about what creates the future, but in reality we do not even know where we are right now.

With what ignorance do you try to plan and control your life?

The dialogue between the main character and a wise mentor from the book below tells the story and offers some great food for thought for this Friday.

——–

“Where are you?”
“What do you mean, where am I?”
“Where are you?” he repeated softly.
“I’m here.”
“Where is here?”
“In this office, in this gas station!” I was getting impatient with this game.
“Where is this gas station?”
“In Berkeley?”
“Where is Berkeley?”
“In California?”
“Where is California?”
“In the United States?”
“On a landmass, one of the continents in the Western Hemisphere. Socrates, I…”
“Where are the continents?
I sighed. “On the earth. Are we done yet?”
“Where is the earth?”
“In the solar system, third planet from the sun. The sun is a small star in the Milky Way galaxy, all right?”
“Where is the Milky Way?”
“Oh, brother,” I sighed impatiently, rolling my eyes. “In the universe.” I sat back and crossed my arms with finality.
“And where,” Socrates smiled, “is the universe?”
“The universe is well, there are theories about how it’s shaped…”
“That’s not what I asked. Where is it?”
“I don’t know – how can I answer that?”
“That is the point. You cannot answer it, and you never will. There is no knowing about it. You are ignorant of where the universe is, and thus, where you are…
“My ignorance is based on this understanding. Your understanding is based on ignorance.”

——–

– Zach