Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Daily Quote, Wednesday September 9, 2009.

Good morning everyone,

Yet again, it looks like a lovely day ahead!

Here is today's quote:

Is knowledge necessary in relationship?

Knowledge is absolutely essential. You can add to it, take away from it, but the immensity of knowledge is a human necessity. Now, is knowledge necessary in relationship between human beings? We are related to each other, we are human beings, we live on the same earth, it is our earth, not the Christian or English or Indian earth, it is our earth, the beauty of it, the marvellous riches of it, it is our earth to be lived on.

And what place has thought in relationship? Relationship means to be related, relationship means to respond to each other in freedom, with its responsibility. So what place has thought in relationship? Thought, which is capable of remembering, imagining, contriving, designing, calculating: What place has it in human relationship? Has it any place at all?

On Mind and Thought, pp 44-45

Here is my reflection.

Is knowledge necessary for human beings to live, to cultivate food, build houses, ride bikes? Yes of course, just as it's needed to build bridges and everything else; but is it needed in my relationship with you? And is it possible that having that same knowledge that we use to build a house might be the anti-thesis of that relationship? That in applying the same approach, of working from what is known already, building upon past experience, accummulating precedents, establishing codes, we turn each other into objects, and, even more, turn each other into instruments for some end or result, some objective that improves our position. Even if we are nice to each other, is that not still improving our position, our self-image, as a nice person? Isn't power and ambition part of knowledge? To be in relationship with you, there must be none of "me" there in that relationship; only then can we relate; only then can I look at you without my ambition. Where there is me there is ambition and not relationship.

Best wishes

Robert