Relative Subjectivity

Tue 28 December 2021 Tags thoughts perspectives

Imagine a glass on the table, half filled with water. Now ask yourself, is the glass half full? OR is THAT particular glass half full? It may seem like I am repeating myself but I assure you that I am not.

I have written about varying perspectives while presenting the concept of The Holy Kaliedoscope <https://www.scriptureofman.com/hok.html>_. Even a full a glass somewhere can be half of another one in another place. Likewise a half glass somewhere can be full(er) compared to another somewhere else. So is it right for us to compare these glasses across the respective surroundings/systems? Maybe classifying this comparison as right or wrong is not appropriate. Maybe the right question is whether it matters?

A person sleeps on a huge bed in a giant castle and another sleeps on a straw matt under a shade of a tree in open air in a garden. While both are sleeping, is the level of comfort experienced different between both of them different? Debatable! A fish in a pond is as happy as a fish in the ocean. Although neither environment is problem free. They have their own sets of problems. The fish in the ocean may have to worry about larger predators unlike the fish from a small pond which in turn may have to worry about maliciously curious pet dogs of dog walkers pawing the surface of the pond. Is the level of anxiety different? Debatable once more. Sure if fish could speak, the one from the pond could naively complain about the security in the ocean vice versa the fish from the ocean could complain about the cramped space of the pond.

These analogies are of course simplifications. I can easily come up with many that are more complex, but I don't think the increased level of complexity is going to add anything. Taking the example of the glasses, the point being made is that for one to classify what is full or half is entirely dependent upon the capacity of the glass. To say that a slightly bigger glass is better because its holding more water maybe good or better or whatever but it is irrelevant because there may exist a slightly smaller glass with less water and yet both of these would be full. It is important to realise that the only reason those glasses exist in their respective systems is because people find them sufficient if not more. Sure it is a valid argument, that if one wants more water they move to a system and whether they need more is debatable.

The human experience is such that our capacity grows with experience and a human fault is that most of us are not cognisant of this. We let our expectation grow with our capacity which grows with our experiences. The more people have, the more they want. Plainly, we see examples of this manifested as some sort of greed. I will not judge whether wanting more or wanting better is good or bad. No. My point is that we should be aware of the difference between our wants and our needs. And our goal should always be to fulfil the needs rather worry about the wants.

Contentment can only come from within. One is either satisfied or they aren't. A person focusing on their needs has a fixed boundary they need to get to to achieve contentment. Comparatively trying to achieve contentment when one if focused on wants is an impossible task. Because the boundary keeps shifting. These people see more, experience more and then consequently want more. It may be natural or habitual, but it is a difficult way of living just to achieve the same result.

Maybe ignorance is bliss.