Written by Mathew Naismith
I was recently invited to join a group of
people, predominantly of Indian origin, on a social media network site who, to
me, show a good deal of balance between the eastern and western mind. There
caring loving gestures in interaction to each other seemed quite different to
when the predominant western mind in people try to interact in the same way. I
have interacted on a number of forums where the western minded people don't
quite seem as genuine within their caring loving interactions. The difference
for this I found quite interesting.
As the following link will illustrate, the
western mind sees itself the dominant force of nature, where the eastern mind
see itself in harmony between man and nature, of equal equality and value
between man and nature. Why do, for example, Hindus express a sacredness to
certain animals where the western mind only sees animals as something to use
abuse. In saying this, how many pet owners of a western mind show a sacredness
to their own beloved pets? Is this the eastern mind in all of us, the eastern
harmonious mind seeing other creatures on Earth as no lesser value than
themselves?
How many western minded spiritual people
put the spiritual world above all other worlds? To the eastern mind, spiritual
values are of no lesser value than material values and visa-versa, make no
mistake though, a lot of easterners are becoming more western in mind than
eastern thus an imbalance is created. As I have spoken to a number of people
from India, the concern of their own people becoming more of the western mind
is concerning, in that knowing how the western mind puts itself above nature
and all else not of itself.
You might then look at the Hindus for
example, in how they have so many spiritual festivals. To the western mind, and
understandably so, the Hindus seem to be prominently of the spiritual world,
there is no balance between the material world and the spiritual world!! The
many God's and Goddesses are simply a representation of the many facets of life
as a whole. Many deities represent man's own character and psychology. In
actuality, Hindu deities represent the material world as well as the spiritual
world. You will find this in most eastern spiritual teachings, only if you are
not predominantly of the western mind that is.
