"(And) this consciousness is the consciousness of the rest of mankind because every human being in the world, everyone from the most primitive, from the most uneducated, to the most highly sophisticated, educated, they go through all thisâfaith, fear, longing, depression, anxiety, sorrow, painâevery human being in the world goes through it, whether he/she is a Communist, Socialist, Capitalist, or Democrat, or doesn't belong to any group. So this consciousness is shared by all human beings. I am afraid you won't accept that. Quite right. Because you have been trained, educated, religiously, and in other ways, that your consciousness is yours and nobody else's. And somebody comes along and says, "look at it carefully"... And so you are not individual at all. I know all this is very difficult to accept. You are the rest of mankind, you are humanity. And when you separate yourself then begins all the problems. The separation causes conflict, fear, isolation... Then one begins to realize the immense responsibility one has. Then one begins to realize the nature of love. Though you may love another, but that love is not restricted to one because you are the entire humanity. You are the world, and the world is you." J. Krishnamurti Public Talk 2, Brockwood Park, 1984
If human beings all experience pain, suffering, and fear... then why does it usually seem like we are on our own? The frustrations and loneliness we experience feel like they are only happening to us. Despite our differences in beliefs, skin color, or level of education, everyone has felt these same things. Krishnamurti emphasized this shared commonalityâgoing as far as to say that human beings actually share consciousness. Does this imply we're not as separate as we think we are? Our entire existence appears to train us to believe our consciousness is uniquely our own, which is why Krishnamurti suggests looking at this much more carefully. Are we really separate from the rest of humanity or could it be that we are humanity? We may not outright see the consequences of continuing to live as if we are separate: fear, violence, conflict, and isolation. A clear understanding of this could usher in a new level of responsibility on our part. Krishnamurti implores the listener to find out for themselves. Share your thoughts and comments.
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