The universe works on the principle of cause and effect. Thus it is that every act has an effect.
There is beauty; love and happiness in the world and these are also effects.
[From the previous post you will note that] as the effect emerges from an act so does an act emerge from a choice.
To get beauty, love and happiness a choice must be made.
In the movie Matrix Revolutions a dialogue between Neo and Agent Smith – metaphorically a dialogue between Good and Evil proceeds as follows:
Agent Smith’s Question: “Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more that your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?”
Neo’s reply: “Because I choose to.”
If you make the wrong choices [consciously and persistently] you will experience the effects of hell for the relationship between cause and effect will make it so.
[And so it is that we are in a test.]
But the choice is up to us to make. We have freedom to make these choices. We can make deliberate choices to enjoy beauty like the beauty of the rising Sun. If the choices are powerful enough we become like the Sun.
These effects are what Rumi must speak of when he mentions the wine from the cup of the Beloved.
There is beauty; love and happiness in the world and these are also effects.
[From the previous post you will note that] as the effect emerges from an act so does an act emerge from a choice.
To get beauty, love and happiness a choice must be made.
In the movie Matrix Revolutions a dialogue between Neo and Agent Smith – metaphorically a dialogue between Good and Evil proceeds as follows:
Agent Smith’s Question: “Why, Mr. Anderson? Why do you do it? Why get up? Why keep fighting? Do you believe you're fighting for something? For more that your survival? Can you tell me what it is? Do you even know? Is it freedom? Or truth? Perhaps peace? Yes? No? Could it be for love? Illusions, Mr. Anderson. Vagaries of perception. The temporary constructs of a feeble human intellect trying desperately to justify an existence that is without meaning or purpose. And all of them as artificial as the Matrix itself, although only a human mind could invent something as insipid as love. You must be able to see it, Mr. Anderson. You must know it by now. You can't win. It's pointless to keep fighting. Why, Mr. Anderson? Why? Why do you persist?”
Neo’s reply: “Because I choose to.”
If you make the wrong choices [consciously and persistently] you will experience the effects of hell for the relationship between cause and effect will make it so.
[And so it is that we are in a test.]
But the choice is up to us to make. We have freedom to make these choices. We can make deliberate choices to enjoy beauty like the beauty of the rising Sun. If the choices are powerful enough we become like the Sun.
These effects are what Rumi must speak of when he mentions the wine from the cup of the Beloved.
If you were to make a deliberate choice that would make this day more beautiful. What would that choice be?
ReplyDeleteRemember that you have the freedom to make a choice!
Today my choice is simple, to make this day more beautiful:I love this and I love you.
ReplyDeleteIn choosing good over evil...I've been wondering lately how choice of films and books relate?
ReplyDeleteI'm curious how blogger and others make these choices?
Also, do you mind telling why you put "Shawshank Redemption" as favorite?
Thanks for your ongoing beautiful blogposts!
Somebody commented on facebook saying:
ReplyDeleteI like your analysis but the effects of a cause are never so pure, sometimes there is a cause which in our mind goes for beauty, love and happiness but there might be the real hell, so effect aren't expectable in all ways. I try to say the freedom of a choice is not a real one because of hesitation.
The reply:
I often hesitate and this because of the doubts I have, these doubts because I don't fully understand the choice.
I think if we pray to God and ask Him to guide us, by doing so if we are granted with a purity of intention we will be able to see things more clearly.
That said if I think something is right and I am hesitating out of cowardice I dare to make the choice. At times I don't and that is my failing for which I am sure I suffer a cost.
Somebody once said that because we are not perfect so our decision will always be inadequate. And this inadequacy is in contrast to God's perfection who takes care of us.
So we should trust in Him and make the choice. If we try a little He will help a lot.
@Connie:
ReplyDeleteArt can represent experiences and by extension a certain state of mind.
I think the choice in books and movies is similar to a choice we make in our everyday lives between something that can better our lives in some way, wastes our time or is an unhealthy indulgence. These choices will influence our state of mind which art itself is a product of.
Of Shawshank Redemption I have written a few thoughts - but I must see the movie again, have it fresh in my mind to truly do justice of its review.
Here is the link to a post I wrote about the movie: My thoughts on the movie ShawShank Redemption
Comment BY KI:
ReplyDeleteI am a strong believer in cause choice and effect though but about the notion of test you mentioned in your note, I believe that we are a creation that is created by God and that too very well intended, well programmed and well designed with no such (human ideation or) concept of trial and error. Then after all test for what? There are no trials and errors in the universe. (I refuse to believe that our existence is a result of some error or some trial for that matter…or a part of trial and error in a manner of testing). In nature, things exist by virtue of effortless existence and the marvel of creation lies in this kind of existence, its when creation is living its true niche. Like birds don’t try to fly, they just fly….cuz flying is in their nature. Like water doesn’t try to flow it just flows hence it is in the nature of all liquid to make their way, hence river flows and crosses thousands of miles to meet the ocean and ocean never cross all those great distances to meet the river.
Reply by me:
"virtue of effortless existence and the marvel of creation lies in this kind of existence, its when creation is living its TRUE NICHE."
A human being is in a trial simply because it has the freedom to live its 'true niche' or not live it. If it purses self-destruction it will suffer [thus Hitler] if it purses its 'true niche' you may have the saints.
Reply by KI:
What results do you expect from this trial? Trial for what? Why trial on first place? What is just so wrong with who we already are? why is that our imperfection in understanding ourselves be conveniently rationalized and dressed as 'trial'?....
Reply by me:
From trial I expect caution [as Hitler should from the pit of Hell] and conclude a struggle. This can be the struggle to give birth to a baby or to jump into the fire [as H.Ibrahim AS did]. We can always focus towards the 'next best thing' but to get the 'next best' always requires a struggle. If it were not so H.Ibrahim [AS] would not have to jump into the fire, there would have been an easier option!
Second reply by me:
A contemporary metaphor is the choices Neo makes in the Matrix. They lead him to a state of consciousness higher than the 'architect' of the matrix and thus he makes truce with the machines and there is peace.
From taking the red pill to entering the heart of the machine city on his own [and trinity] he made one tough choice after the other. He could have taken these choices very casually but each choice was a life altering decision.