Theos-Talk Archives (November 1997 Message tl00125)

MKR:

>Usually when I am introduced to someone, I am introduced as M K Ramadoss
>with the appendage of my profession from which I make livelihood. I usually
>correct it to say that I am in that profession only when I am sitting at my
>desk and working on a task related to the profession. All other times, I am
>just an ordinary human being like everyone else in the world. This has
>helped me to better communicate with others because we are all on a "level".

In a way, we're often functioning in two modes. One is in terms of
role playing. You could be a postal clerk selling me stamps. I could
be dad to a little girl, reading her a book. Someone else could be
an barber, giving someone a hair cut. Yet another person could be a
book critic, writing a review of a popular work.

In each role, we're playing a game according to certain rules. These
games are part of the drama of human life. Life can become challenging
due to the complexity of some of the games, combined with the number 
we may be playing at any moment!

You're saying that apart from any role that we may be playing, we
are just people, and need to appreciate each other as such. I'd
agree and say that this awareness that we're dealing with real,
flesh-and-blood people, is a dual mode of functioning. This is
really a special case of seeing the divinity in all things, including
animals, plants, and the rest of mother nature.

Even though we are all people, and need to keep aware of this, this
does not invalidate the games or roles or functions in life. They
aren't, I think, simply something to be left behind as people
become spiritual and learn better ways to interact. On the contrary,
I'd expect the things we do, the  roles, games, and activities to
become increasingly differentiated, challenging, and sophisticated.

True, a Guru may keep things very simple in teaching others. This
is the way that *that* role, the role of Guru, may effectively be
played. And I also realize that Chuck will happily let us know how
rules are meant to be broken -- by him. But even he is following
rules, playing a certain game, that of the trickster or heckler,
and quite predictable when playing that role.

-- Eldon