Of Oceans and Waves

When we think of ourselves, do we think individually or do we think collectively? Although not all the time but most of the time, the answer is individually. "I" comes up more often than "We" during our thought proccesses.

Why is that so? It is simply how we are being conditioned over the years and generations. From a very young age, our education has included "I", "You", "He", "She", "We" and "They". Taught in such a way to differentiate individuals but the truth is, the effects are more than just differentiation. To a certain degree, it conditions our mind to separates ourselves from others. Is this good or bad?

When we look deeper, we cannot say if such a thought process is truly good or bad. We can see that it is like a double edged sword, it can be used both ways. It depends on how we used it. We can used it to stop ourselves from destructive actions such as using "I" to separate ourselves from the rest who are dwelling in ways and dealings that do not better our lives or the lives of our loved ones. But when it comes to dwelling on our own misfortunes, the word "I" may not be as useful as it has a tendency to exaggerate the situation. Sometimes bad enough to start a whole chain of reactions that worsen the situation further. This is when the word "We" comes in very useful. It can help us to regain better clarity of the situation, to look beyond "I" and see the full picture with objectivity.

Just as the Buddha has taught, we can be liken to waves and oceans. A wave in its rise and fall is like us individually, the birth (rise) and death (fall) of a person. Some waves are big and strong while some are small and weak. While most of us will be the little waves, leading a most ordinary life but there are some who rises above the rest, seemingly a life that is not so ordinary, be it full of glitter or be it full of turbulence. But we need to look beyond the waves, not to lose sight of the ocean itself.

A wave is ocean. Although a wave itself is a distinct phenomenon it cannot be separated from ocean. When the conditions ripens enough to cause a wave, nothing is added to ocean. When the activity of wave ceases, nothing has been taken away from ocean as well. The ocean is still the ocean.

Maybe that is one of the reasons why people feel calmer when watching the sea. It tends to gives one a sense of belonging to something bigger than self. Oh, if you are the sort that gets sea sick easily, you look at a patch of grassland or a range of moutains or the clouds in the sky, it should work just as well. Sorry if it sounds a little cold.. my sense of warped humour tends to get the better of me =P