A Lizard ran out on a rock and looked up, listening
No doubt to the sounding of spheres
And what a dandy fellow! the right toss of chin for you
And swirl of a tail
If men were as much men as lizards are lizards
They’d be worth looking at
D.H. Lawrence
Men can imagine what they were supposed to be
But they are not as much men as lizards are lizards
Because they are not free
They have lost their freedom because their own thought
Has imposed upon them a boundary
Beyond which they cannot move
Beyond which they cannot see
Why are men not as much men as lizards are lizards? Life of a lizard is determined by innate intelligence. This intelligence maintains its existence. Man’s life is mainly controlled by thought. The domination of thought process has pushed intelligence in the background. Because of this overpowering influence of thought on the brain man remains bereft of the joy of life. If there was unconditional joy in man’s life he would not be dependent on so many different kinds of entertainments, he would not get addicted to drugs, alcohol, smoking and so many habits that make the body and the mind dull.
There is lack of love, compassion and care in man’s life. If there was unconditional love in his heart he would not get attached to ideas, people and property and live in perpetual fear. There would be no wars, brutalities, terrorism and senseless killings. If man was living intelligently he would be eating the right food and living in a healthy and harmonious relationship with nature and fellow human beings. Then there would be no need to rush to the greedy experts, counselors, priests and gurus to solve the innumerable problems that get created because of his self-centered and individualistic approach to life.
A lizard does not have conflicting and contradictory wants and desires. Human beings are fragmented inwardly. They have opposing desires, opposing wishes, opposing thoughts. To be humane is to be human. Where there is ambition, greed, competition, jealousy, violence and fear there cannot be love. Men know very well that hate is the root of violence and that violence perpetuates fear and antagonism, yet they continue to meet hate with hate and violence with violence. They do this because of the compulsive conditioned thought which is rooted in the psychological structure created and perpetuated by thought.
A lizard is conditioned to protect itself physically. Man is the only living being who has put his own physical security and physical well being at risk. In so many different ways men are harming themselves and harming the society and the environment in which they live. Instead of being used where it is needed thinking has taken upon itself an added responsibility to protect itself by creating in the mind an illusory idea of the “me”, the “self”. Being merely an idea the “self” by its very nature is not something stable, secure or certain. Thinking tries to maintain its continuity and permanency through the process of identification and attachment.
Identification and attachment to ideas, beliefs, people and property has far reaching consequences. The person becomes the thing he identifies with. The “self” protects the thing it identifies with. The idea and the person become inseparable. If a person protects himself physically that is natural, but when he starts protecting ideas, beliefs, opinions, prejudices he creates all kinds of problems for himself and for the society. Identification with ideas may provide a false sense of psychological security but collectively such identification threatens the physical existence of mankind.
Man moved away from his natural existence when he created in his mind an idea that he is an entity separate from nature and separate from other human beings. Instead of keeping his curiosity and sense of wonder alive he created an image of God and described in words that which is unknown and indescribable. After creating the image he started worshiping that image. Whatever knowledge man may have about God that knowledge is always limited. Knowledge is expressed in words. But the word God or any idea about God is not God. That which has a living quality cannot be expressed in words. Living quality demands awareness and experiencing from moment to moment.
Psychological structure that thought has created is very complex. It is full of conflict, contradictions and confusion. Consciousness contains all the accumulated knowledge of past experiences, past pleasures, pain, suffering, despair, agony, anxiety and feelings of hurt. It contains numerous images that man has formed about himself and about other people. It contains many ideas, beliefs, opinions, prejudices that have been formed. In this consciousness, there is an element of self-concern and fear of the future. This pre-existing condition determines a man’s quality of life and the quality of his relationships. The nature of his responses and reactions to day to day challenges in life are determined by the content of his consciousness.
If you put a lizard in a cage it will do everything possible to get out of the cage. Man has lived in the self created prison for centuries. He has got used to this prison and takes it for granted. He has devised so many different ways to adjust himself to the deplorable condition. Man has, however, the ability to set himself free. This requires seriousness, interest and passion to see the facts as they are. Self knowledge is an absolute necessity.