| |
Almost anyone realizes that he can be better than he is, that he can do things better than he has been doing them.
Life in its highest state is understanding. Life in its lower states is at a lower level of understanding, and where life has ceased to function and has arrived at what one might call total incapability, there is no understanding at all. Understanding has very specific component parts. These component parts are affinity, reality and communication.
Affinity, reality and communication form an interdependent triangle. It is easily discovered on some inspection that one cannot communicate in the absence of reality and affinity. Further, one cannot have a reality with something with which he cannot communicate and for which he feels no affinity. And similarly, one has no affinity for something on which he has no reality and on which he cannot communicate. Even more narrowly, one does not have affinity for those things on which he has no reality and which he cannot communicate upon, and one has no reality on things which he has no affinity for and cannot communicate upon, and one cannot communicate upon things which have no reality to him and for which he has no affinity.
A graphic example of this would be anger. One becomes angry and what one says does not then communicate to the person at whom one might be angry. Even more crudely, the fastest way to go out of communication with a machine would be to cease to feel any affinity for it, and to refuse to have any reality upon it.
We call this triangle the AffinityRealityCommunication (ARC) triangle. The precision definitions of these three items are as follows:
Communication is the interchange of ideas or particles between two points. More precisely, the definition of communication is: cause, distance, effect with intention and attention and a duplication at effect of what emanates from cause.
Reality is the degree of agreement reached by two ends of a communication line. In essence, it is the degree of duplication achieved between cause and effect. That which is real is real simply because it is agreed upon, and for no other reason.
Affinity is the relative distance and similarity of the two ends of a communication line. Affinity has in it a mass connotation. The word itself implies that the greatest affinity there could be would be the occupation of the same space, and this, by experiment, has become demonstrated. When things do not occupy the same space their affinity is delineated by the relative distance and the degree of duplication.
These three items, affinity, reality and communication, can be demonstrated to equate into understanding. It is a truism that if we could understand all life we would then tolerate all life. Further, and more germane to ability, if one could occupy the position of any part of life, one would feel a sufficient affinity for life to be able to merge with it or separate from it at will.
When we say life all of us know more or less what we are talking about, but when we use this word life practically, we must examine its purposes and behavior, and in particular the formulas evolved by life in order to have a game called life.
When we say life we mean understanding, and when we say understanding we mean affinity, reality and communication. To understand all would be to live at the highest level of potential action and ability. The quality of life exists in the presence of understanding—in the presence, then, of affinity, reality and communication.
One can always understand that his ability can increase, because in the direction of an increase of ability is further understanding. Ability is dependent entirely upon a greater and better understanding of that field or area in which one cares to be more able.
Having an accent on ability and being capable of doing what you do best influences and helps those around you.
May you flourish and prosper
in the New Year
|
Help
Sign In
RSS Feed
Permalink
Print
Email
