Pillars and Purpose

There was an old stone bridge crossing a stream supported by two stone pillars. The old man pointed to the pillar and, "this is you." He meant that the bridge cannot stand without the pillar. Remove the pillar, the bridge collapses. Human purpose is like this within a society. Do we all serve as some type of pillar that supports others?

I had a mixed emotional response to the old man. On one hand, I agreed with him. We cannot have the bridge without the pillar. If our purpose is performed out of service to others, then such service itself seems to reinforce purpose. Service is self-reinforcing, ideally in a way that doesn't promote ego. This is the "actionless action" of the Karma Yoga. Whatever our particular pillar represents, it (or can be) a spiritual instrument for the world.

On the other hand, I questioned what happens when people walking across the bridge lose sight of the pillars. This can still be conceived of as service, but without awareness. Do we require awareness for service? And is requiring such recognition genuinely selfless? Possibly not. Esoterically speaking, the latter is arguably tinged with ego. Perhaps then the issue cannot be about recognition or its lack, but pertains to some interference - or starvation - of one's purpose.

The source of the tension is this: I see a world with pillars who are straining to stand while falling apart. These exist in the hollows to which few people pay heed. These are hidden pillars supporting ghostly bridges. We traverse them without even knowing that they're there. They support us despite our unawareness.

If one person dies, perhaps other pillars absorb the weight. But if many people die, the bridge collapses. What remains are spiritual voids and broken instruments. What happens to a society that loses its bridges between the physical and spiritual? It sinks like a dense rock to the bottom of the ocean.

It sometimes said in the corporate sphere that "when the tide rises, all ships rise with it." But then it must equally be true that "when the tide falls, all ships fall with it." The question is whether a "rising tide" is actually occurring at all. Perhaps its a falling tide. Perhaps the ships are sinking deeper as we sail after the age-old illusions of power, greed, and control. Perhaps the weight of such pursuits is bending, breaking, and neglecting the hidden pillars that support their weight.

We cannot lose sight of the pillars supporting our bridges into the spiritual. They are our intermediaries that keep us afloat. This ultimately comes down to what we choose to value, provided that we're aware of making the choice.

JM

West Breath

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