Monday, March 5, 2012

Can there be resolution without conflict?

This explanation is far from perfect. But it allows me to appreciate Krishna. Some of this is speculation but it helps me to appreciate how the whole system (Krishna) is perfect in relation to the parts (the living entities).

In society today we are enamored by the notion of equality. But what about appreciating that we are all different from each other as well? Appreciating our differences is known as Varnashrama. 

There is one spiritual perspective to appreciate how all living entities are equal in the eyes of God but there are many ways to categorize the differences in human beings. One system is the MBTI: there are 16 personality types. Each of these 16 personality types X 3 modes of nature = 48 archetypes.

But I am going to focus on the 16 personality types without considering the 3 modes of nature. Let us say theoretically that the 16 personality types are perfect and complete. And because they are perfect and complete they are in tune with Krishna's laws. And let us pretend that they are acting perfectly. Do you think that means that there won't be conflict? Of course not.

If Krishna is the whole, let us say that he is the globe. Well the 16 personality types are all going to see Krishna differently. There are many different perspectives to see the same onion. Different people cut an onion in different ways in order to appreciate its taste. But it doesn't change the taste of the onion.
They will all appreciate Krishna differently. There is difference in the universe.  What it means for each of these 16 personality types to follow Krishna means something different.

Each of these 16 personality types should follow Krishna in their own way without imitating how another personality type might be appreciating Krishna. It is far better to do one's own duty born of one's own nature imperfectly than to imitate another's perfectly, Krishna says.

There is balance in the universe. Krishna has put these checks and balances in the functioning of the universe because we are not God. We never become God in quantity, only in quality. Krishna is the whole and we are the part. We are parcelled in the form of Krishna because God created us in His image. 

There is the physics of every action having an equal and opposite reaction involved even in human interaction. Some know of this as karma. And though we can act with good intention, we cannot perfectly calculate the impact of our actions. Only mathematics can do that. And Einstein said that life is far from being math. 

What we cannot do is perfectly reciprocate with anyone with the idea that we can always control their response. Because we are imperfect, there is always loss in "signal." We can never perfectly manipulate anyone for long. There is always miscommunication of some type or another no matter how good our intentions are and how empathic we are to people. Things fall within the crack. We have to tolerate the cravings and aversions in all these human interaction without being disturbed. 

We have to take a professional approach in our interactions. Professional doesn't mean being hot or cold. It means being neutral. It means doing your external duty in a detached way while offering the results of the action to Vishnu.

The 16 personality types interacting in the material world are constantly conflicting and resolving. The 16 personality types provide a check and balance system. But one has to understand the 16 personality types in relation with Krishna. 

Apparently the demigods influence the physical planets and the physical planets influence astrological influence. I have not realized all of this. But it makes sense to me because I have faith in Krishna's laws. Krishna says that He is perfect and complete. If He is completely perfect then the human society that he has created is perfect as well. And though I don't understand Varnashrama well, I can appreciate the system of checks and balances that Krishna has created in human society by observing the 16 personality types interact. The conflict of opposites is in physics and in human interaction. Both seek balance. Dynamic equilibrium.




I don't expect perfect harmony from them in this world. World peace is an impossibility without individual peace. And lasting individual peace is impossible without self-realization. If anyone has realized differently, I congratulate them. I have not. 


Krishna is operating in Krishna time. Krishna is the ultimate GPS system in the universe. If everyone in the universe were to catch the Krishna signal, there would be no conflict. Or if there was conflict, it would be according to Krishna's wishes, so while being in external conflict, we would not feel conflicted. I feel that all the other conflict because we are not in tune to the signals from the GPS that is Krishna is a symptom of Kaliyuga.

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