Wednesday 20 November 2019

Clarity of insight - something attainable (albeit not hold-able)

If this mortal life is fit for purpose; it must be about experiencing and learning rather than attaining and holding.

So we can achieve clarity of insight, but can't live in a state of clarity and insight - not least because there is disease and death.

Part of this is that mortal memory is distorted and prone to loss - so that learning cannot be rooted in our memories. After all, our memories are dependent on our brains, and brains degenerate and die.

So what is the meaning of learning if it is not a matter of memories? The implication is that our learning - even in this mortal life - happens in some place of permanence, of eternity.

This must be the case, even if (even though) we do not usually know where this place may be located, nor how the process works.

It is a matter of faith, trust - therefore hope. 

(Probably we learn 'in' our real, divine selves - which are non-physical and potentially immortal. But another aspect of mortality is that we are - at best - only very imperfectly and infrequently aware of our real selves. )


2 comments:

Rich said...

That's a beautiful and comforting explanation. Thanks for continuing on with this blog and sharing your thoughts. I don't comment much because I'm not very insightful on these matters but I very much appreciate reading about them. You have had such an impact on my life and I hope you continue on writing. Thank you.

Bruce Charlton said...

@ads - Very kind, thanks.