People fall into
three basic categories: those who like things, those who like people, and those
who like ideas. You decide in which group you belong.
We start by liking things.
Trinkets, jewelry, hats, wigs,
dresses, etc., for women—automobiles, speedboats, motorcycles, guns or bits and
pieces of machinery to produce more things etc., for men. Both like stately,
impressive, homes, and martinis served at six. All who are motivated by
accumulating money are in this group. At the highest level of this group would
be the collectors of works of art of living artists—they would be the enablers
of the third group. Alas usually, they only buy names, not works of art. They
have no discernment. Their interest lies in keeping up with the Joneses, or,
preferably, in showing them who is richer. They aspire to impress their
neighbours with things.
The second group manifests their liking for people.
This group might include doctors,
teachers, perhaps priests, even politicians and policemen (before power
corrupts them), and anyone who is motivated by the desire to improve the lot of
people they rub shoulders with. They don’t produce anything new but apply and
help others to apply that which is already known to improve peoples’ lives.
Needless to say not all people in mentioned professions are in this group. Many
doctors/politicians and others do their jobs (badly) just for the money, for
the forthcoming pensions, or other selfish reasons (they are still in the “love
of things” group. In the USA alone there are said to be 150,000 medical
misdiagnoses each year leading to death or debilitating conditions.
Nevertheless, people who love people stand much higher on the evolutionary
scale than those who merely love things.
Finally we come to those who are
motivated by ideas. The byproduct of their efforts benefits not just a few,
but, hopefully, it enriches humanity as a whole. They bring out ideas from the
unconscious to the conscious. This group includes all creative people: artists,
scientists, writers, poets, musicians, often inventors, and people in any other
fields whose efforts might benefit great many, and not just a few. They are the
people who convert the wheel of life into an ever-rising spiral. Once again,
there are ‘artists’ who desire just money. They are also the ‘things’ people.
There is another consequence
characterizing these groups. Things have the shortest shelf-life. People, and
the emotions we bestow upon them last longer. Yet only ideas are virtually
immortal. They become the property of all humanity, they enhance our present by
giving it the foretaste of immortality.
We all advance through all three
groups. We cannot appreciate one without having experienced the other. As for immortality, Thomas of the Nag
Hammadi Library offered us a hint. I translated its symbolic form into plain
English. I called it Key
to Immortality. It might
surprise you.
PS. While I’d never say no to a
good vodka-martini around six, lately I gravitate towards Scotch. I think it is
a great idea!
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