Imagine a salt shaker placed on a dinner table, in the shaker there are millions of grains of salt. All the salt grains are crammed in together, the
only grains that aren’t are the ones at the top.
The ones at the top can see above them and around them, because of their privileged position they see that they are in a salt shaker in fact they even
know what a dinner table is. However, those who are not so, and are crammed in right at the bottom, know nothing of a salt shaker or indeed a dinner
table.
The grains at the bottom of the salt shaker know only of the other grains around them and are completely oblivious to the fact that they are in a salt
shaker let alone placed on a dinner table.
You would think that those grains at the top would communicate what they can see to the rest of the grains so that the others can share in the marvels
of what is all around them, alas they do not because they believe that they are superior to the rest of the grains because they know something that
the others do not and that is that they are in a salt shaker placed on a dinner table. To them that’s all they need to feel superior and
‘special’ However, little do they know it is ‘dinner time’
The grains at the top can see that there are strange creatures sitting around the table with what seems to be some kind of strange offering in front
of them. Before they know it, the salt shaker is lifted in to the air turned upside down. The grains of salt are thrown in to chaos and confusion and
those at the top disappear out of the salt shaker on to the offering never to be seen again. The salt shaker is placed back on the table.
The grains in the salt shaker have changed position and some of them can see new surroundings where previously there was nothing, they try to
communicate this to others around them but instead of listening, the grains at the bottom decide that their experience of being turned upside down was
something much bigger than them and that a new form of idolisation must take place so that it doesn’t happen again. A religion is born.
No matter how many times the grains, that can see around them try, the grains at the bottom refuse to except their words. Time passes by and more and
more grains become swept up into the new idolisation of their ‘upside down’ experience, to them something happened that they can’t explain, so
they try their best to understand based on what they know, but because they are all crammed in together and do not listen to others who have had more
experience, and before long the whole ‘upside down’ experience becomes something entirely different. Over a short space of time several layers of
other grains decide that because there experience wasn’t exactly the same they believe that its best to idolise this ‘experience’ in a different
way, another religion is born.
This goes on for a while and before long the ‘upside down’ experience is completely forgotten and a new understanding emerges. This understanding
is that the grains at the top are the ‘naughty grains’ ‘the evil ones’ and that when they are turned upside down the grains that leave the
shaker are punished by the ‘almighty ones’ No matter how many times the privileged grains try to reason, the others still do not listen.
From outside the salt shaker time has passed quickly but because the grains inside the shaker do not know of time they are oblivious as to what is
going to happen next and before long its dinner time again. The grains at the top see the ‘creatures’ sitting around their offering and before
long the shaker is turned upside down and the grains who were at the top are lost on to the offering never to be seen again, new grains take their
place and the entire process starts all over again.
This continues day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, with each dinner time, a new religion is born.
Then one day out of the blue one of the ‘creatures’ knocks over the salt shaker and the entire contents of it is spilt on to the table, all the
grains can see all around them, they are amazed at what they see. The ‘creature’ sweeps up the grains and places them back in the shaker. Now that
each grain of salt has experienced the same thing an agreement is reached on how to precede, a new universal religion is formed.
These grains of salt do not know anything apart from their own experiences and surroundings. They do not know what a table is, what a chair is, or
indeed what or who the ‘creatures’ really are yet they continue to try to explain their experiences as best they can and base their religion
around it. Of course for others outside of the salt shaker it is clear what they are, for they are
just salt grains, in a salt shaker, placed
on a table. However, they have no need to communicate this, because to them they are just grains of salt nothing more.
The salt grains will never know………..
edit on 16-12-2010 by franspeakfree because: (no reason given)