157. Barren Of Possibility

We sometimes do things that are wrong and harmful. We do these things not because we are lacking in knowledge or intelligence, or because we are especially malicious or evil. The real problem is that we are lacking in awareness. We cannot see the reality of our experience, and so we cannot act well.

We see instead a world of distinctions, where everything is divided up into neat categories. And we are divided too, not just from other people, but also within ourselves. We want to think we are one person but we are many, with parts for each of our desires, aversions, and beliefs. Our parts are in perpetual conflict, each fighting for dominance over the others. We simultaneously want to get everything we desire, escape from everything we hate, and confirm all of our beliefs.

When we act wrongly we are not oblivious to what is happening. Deep down we sense that what we are doing is wrong, but this intuition is suppressed. It is suppressed by our attachment to the things we want, hate, and believe, which dangerously narrows our attention. Our attachment leads us to think there are actions we must take to reach happiness that are not only unnecessary but also harmful. We end up producing further suffering, not just for other people but for ourselves, as well.

But it would be surprising for us to act in any other way. For there is no harmony in our binary world of distinctions, there is no possible unity, and no possible compassion. There is, in fact, no genuine possibility of any kind. The sensitivity needed to see possibility is not present, and thus compassion is blocked. With such limited awareness of ourselves and the world, we are unable to see what we need, unable to empathize with others, and unable to create joy.

To call our harmful actions merely stupid or evil would only be to diminish our responsibility. We must see our reality more clearly and develop the capacity to recognize attachment and the suffering it produces. We must learn that open and free attention to all facets of experience is necessary to reach the compassion and joy we desperately need.