The One-Straw Revolution - Multiworld India

eality to anything which is constructed by human intellect, but he wasalso declaring that human emotions are illusions.“You mean all is illusion? There’s nothing left?”“Nothing left? The concept of ‘void’ still remains in your mindapparently,” I said to the youth. “If you don’t know where you camefrom or where you’re going, then how can you be sure you’re here,standing in front of me? Is existence meaningless?”The other morning I heard a four-year-old girl ask her mother, “Why wasI born into this world? To go to nursery school?”Naturally her mother could not honestly say, “Yes, that’s right, so offyou go.” And yet, you could say that people these days are born to go tonursery school.Right up through college people study diligently to learn why theywere born. Scholars and philosophers, even if they ruin their lives in theattempt, say they will be satisfied to understand this one thing.Originally human beings had no purpose. Now, dreaming up somepurpose or other, they struggle away trying to find the meaning of life. Itis a one man wrestling match. There is no purpose one has to think about,or go out in search of. You would do well to ask the children whether ornot a life without purpose is meaningless.From the time they enter nursery school, people’s sorrows begin.The human being was a happy creature, but he created a hard world andnow struggles trying to break out of it. In nature there is life and death,and nature is joyful.In human society there is life and death, and people live in sorrow.163