I believe life is a teeter-totter whose center line divides two basic types of people, each type being placed on his side of the teeter-totter in a relative position from the centerline to the end of the side. On one side are those who look outward for answers, and on the other side are those who look inward for answers. Now each individual's looking is relative to that individual's level of Consciousness, which also determines the individual's position relative to the center line. One side [the inward looking side] knows its side and the other side as well. But the outward looking side knows only its side [until one is able to acquire a position on or near the exact center line]. In other words, the teeter-totter is life, and thus, will always be as it is. It is the individual upon it that changes, and such change is from within, not from without. The philosophical search for the meaning of life is most often a search without [intellectual as opposed to experiential], and elightenment [or the discovery of the meaning of life] comes from within, and cannot be taught to those who seek outwardly. One's role in life is therefore that of an observer for most of life, and a discoverer for a brief exiting glimpse.

Minder,

Think how few people are truly "centered", and even if they claim to be, such as some Gurus do, there is always room for improvement. The external vs internal worlds is what we all have to face, since without one we cannot survive, and without the other we cannot be who we are. How interesting that it takes decades of a lifetime to understand this, since it seems so elementary... yet, it is also so illusive.

How can this be taught to others? Can it be done without invoking religion, yoga, meditation? In other words, is there a more direct path to being centered? Thoughts?

Thanks, Ivan

Minder,

I have another thought, regarding our "teeter-totter" in life. It is this: "Does the internal consciousness have effect on the external being?"

In other words, is there some proportional relationship between our inner and outer being, meaning that we are not only influenced by outside forces, which is fact, but that we are actually their authors? Is there some mechanism in us, beyond the obvious effects we have in the choices we make, that somehow relates to our existence?

I kind of think of this as being a part of our mind beyond the mind, reason beyond reason, that affects how we behave in ways that are opaque to us, but which are transparent in what manifests around us in our personal environment, events, in effect all reality. Any thoughts on this?

Ivan