Letter # 52: "Am I You? And Vice Versa?"

Niccolo Machiavelli (1469-1527) said that in order to maintain political power, it’s safer for a ruler to be feared than loved. A political philosopher, poet, and musician, Machiavelli played a significant role in the government of Florence. He lived in a tumultuous era of fragile alliances, when Popes led armies, and the Holy Roman Empire, France, Spain were taking over the wealthy city-states of Italy. Governments rose and fell within weeks. The powerful Medici family of Florence accused Machiavelli of conspiracy, which he denied. Nevertheless, he was tortured on the rack. Such is the life of rulers and their entourage. It continues to be played out in the sad politics of today, where fear trumps love.
The material concept of life is the dominant philosophy of the day. We’re so overly familiar with it that it’s seems odd and illogical even to question it. Srila Prabhupada writes: “The other day we were discussing a prominent philosopher, Thomas Huxley, who was proud of being an Englishman. This means he was in the bodily conception of life. Everywhere we find this same misunderstanding … the most dangerous of the dirty things within our hearts is this misidentification of the body as the self. Under the influence of this misunderstanding, one thinks, ‘I am this body. I am an Englishman. I am an Indian. I am an American. I am Hindu. I am Muslim.’ This misconception is the strongest impediment, and it must be removed.”
It is this misconception of the self that pits one against another, families against families, citizens against citizens, and nation against nation. The cure for this illness is in removing the qualifications after the phrase “I am …” and leaving the phrase as simply “I am”. This is the ancient Indian philosophy of Jnana Yoga, recently brought again to the fore by Nisargadatta_Maharaj.
This philosophy of the self is not confined to the east. It has it’s counterpart in the west. In the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition, the prophet Moses asked God, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?" God replied, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites.” God also told Moses to inform his troubled people, “'I AM has sent me to you.' Exodus 3:11-14.
This "I am" philosophy of the self could also be considered via mathematical theory of fractals. The philosopher Leibniz introduced the concept of recursive self-similarity that is now known as fractals. Considering the self from the fractal viewpoint, Moses' “I am” is a fractal of God’s “I AM”. You might find that looking at the self in this way helps to better understand the Biblical statement that man is made in the image of God. If we are fractals of the ONE, then we are ONE, for a fractal is by definition part of the whole. Therein, lies the basis of compassion, love, and acceptance. However, the material ego fractures these divine concepts with its desire to lord it over others. Therein, lies the basis of misery. Guru Nanak sings the cure: “Man sukh paveh har har jis kahat …” which verse means “O mind (ego), get peace and happiness by uttering His praises” Asht 6:2 p65.

God Bless; Allah Hu Akbar; May The Forces Of The Universe Bring You Harmony; Hare Krishna; Radha-Swami; and Nanak Naam Chardi Kala Tere Bhane Sarbat Dha Bhalla.

I wish to express my gratitude for your comments, which inspire me to carry on writing. Please forgive my fallibilities in presenting this material. Also, feel free to send this message on to someone that you might think would like to receive it. If you do send it on, my only request of you is that you send it as it is, in its entirety, and to not alter or modify any of the text, references or authorship information. Thus you will help to give credit or liability to where they are properly due.
Jas Bhopal
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“Practicing goodwill makes for a good life."

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References: "The Holy Bible" Online version; "The Koran" (As translated by SV Mir Ahmed Ali 2005 ISBN 0-9761870-0-0); "The Bhagavad Gita As it Is" by Srila Prabhupada (ISBN 0-89213-268-X); "I Am That" Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj ISBN 0-89386-022-0; The Dhammapada ISBN-10:1-84483-344-5; The Sacred Sukhmani ISBN 81-7205-098-4; Wikipedia.