Monday, December 15, 2008

Point of Reference


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Some decades ago we did some experiments on the psychology of the eye with some old friends in an isolated island in Greece. We would sit in a totally dark room. There was no light whatsoever, except for a point of light coming from a small box with a pin hole.

What happened next was so surreal that even if I know that I'm awake, I still cannot believe my own eyes - the point of light is moving all over the place. But, how can that point of light be moving when I knew that I was the only one in the room?

Later, it was explained to us that since the room was so dark, one cannot see anything inside the room. In short, there were no references for the eyes, or for the one that is seeing the single point of light. Without any reference the point of light would seem to be moving around, even though it was staying in the same place all the time that I was inside that darkened room.

Then, this morning when I was about to rise up from my bed, it hit me. One needs a point of reference! And if one do not have any reference point, one would be going all over the place - going in all directions, but getting nowhere.

I realized that one needs a point of reference, if one wants to reach one's destination.

I realized that that reference is my purpose; that reference is my center - and that center is my internal work. And all my activities should revolve around that center - much like the planets revolving around that life giving star, that great sphere, our sun.

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