Argument 2: Establishing the Principle

By exposing the different types of appearances in the world

Next in our search for the knowledge that builds into itself with our light in Word, we are going to examine the nature of spiritual blindness. It is not the absence of light as is physical blindness. It is the misuse of physical appearances themselves and false beliefs about them. A friend told me once that no one wants to learn about things like this. It makes us too accountable to what is real. But now, no one wants to be accountable for what is being created by what is not real.

What Not to Resist

Word tells us not to resist evil, which is not to resist blindness in ourselves or anyone else. But being blind and not listening, we often believe that this about the person being evil and how we must resist them AS SUCH, or resisting addiction in our blindness. This is about our inner perception, which, when blind, stays blind when we resist it. The light that is in us is darkness, making us foolishly resist blindness again and again, all the more foolish when we think we are resisting evil.

Blindness is the real enemy

Spiritual blindness is not the inability to see light. It is the inability to see beyond the surface of light, the appearance of things, and experience co-conscientious awareness of all things. The principle, which is making all others more important in our conscience (suneidesis)¹ by first being able to see through all appearances, without being against ourselves, is demonstrated in good democracy. However, nations around the world have only recently begun to achieve this state of suneidesis,² starting with the US just a few centuries ago. Today, with some 120 democracies out of 192 nations in the world, we are still only beginning to achieve the principle.

The threat of autocracy should not be viewed as a setback as much as a necessary reaction to democracy’s challenge to the corrupt world powers. But we are also faced with democracy’s challenge to itself—to develop beyond the fundamentals of conscientious government in democracy and achieve the maturity produced by the principle.

If we look at the big picture, we are experiencing the two evolutions of the heart in civilization clashing in slow motion—the heart that is blinded by the animalistic drive for power and sex versus the heart learning the higher nature of empathy and self-control. We can cross over to either side simply by choice, but we need to learn the principle if we choose the latter. First, it helps us understand the animalistic drive in the human body. Nations cannot achieve democratic progress if their citizens are collectively blind to the appearances created by their own bodies.

The Three Types of Surface Appearances: Physicality, Morals and Beliefs

Establishing the principle in our suneidesis requires knowledge of appearances. We have heard astronauts tell us how beautiful the earth is when viewed personally from space—but how devastating it is to remember how much suffering is present here. Consider the beauty of the inhabitants of the ocean but how the fight for survival is all they know. Blindness in the suneidesis is not the inability to see light. It is the inability to see beyond the surface of light, the appearance of things, and experience co-conscientious awareness of all things.

Blinding ourselves, we cannot see beyond the appearance of light reflecting off the surface differences of gender and ethnicity. Cut off from co-conscientious awareness of the beauty that such differences bring, we use them to designate enemies. This, however, makes us the enemies of suneidesis, our own suneidesis and those trying to achieve the principle in theirs and their nation.

We may get beyond that type of outer surface appearance only to face the surface created in the appearances we form in our minds. First, there are the ones based on others’ moral standards. We reason with these superficial surfaces that they are simply unworthy to be made more important in our suneidesis, for that would set up the appearances we have formed of them and their moral standards in us.

And if we get beyond this inner surface appearance, we are faced with the inner surface we create in appearances based on their beliefs. This is a surface we form behind the surface we form of their moral standards. Belief in and practice of the principle alone reveals the co-conscientious nature of democracy in our suneidesis. Together, the outer surface appearance of gender and race and the two inner surface appearances of moral standards and beliefs are the three surface appearances that blind citizens collectively to the workings of heir own bodies.

When beginning to see with the principle, we see outwardly and inwardly where we and others have blinded ourselves by these surfaces. We know that those who choose to continue to stay in their blindness are not the direct enemies of our suneidesis, their blindness is. Next, we need to recognize time in appearances.

The Three Types of Duration in Appearances: Lifetime, Generational and Ancestral

With the principle, we can start looking across the duration of our own lifetime and acknowledge blindness where it has existed due to surface appearances. We can begin to consider what an enemy of our suneidesis has suffered in their lifetime—that which has made them blind. Then, we need to look across generational duration to consider what has been passed down to make us blind in the surface appearances.

Lastly, we need to see ancestral duration. Take the worst case, the hatred between Israel and Palestine. Systemically in the teaching of history, it began around 4,000 years ago with Israel taking possession of the land of the Philistines. Every generation since then on both sides has passed down their learned perception of the past, taught through blindness of the principle.

Today, their actions are witnessed through media by every nation. It puts the appearances of their actions at the forefront of humanity’s blind suneidesis, working against our individual and collective co-conscientious awareness.

None of us are born to hate on any level, but once we choose to, we lock our suneidesis within the multilevel appearances created by our bodies. They work on the three types of surfaces, which work across the three types of durations of time. Our suneidesis cannot be released without the principle.

The challenges of autocracy and democratic development are upon our shoulders. But thanks to the evolution of empathy and self-control that came before us, we are driven to take up these challenges and establish the principle in the democracy of our national suneidesis.

Suggested articles:

The Eyes of Democracy (Introduction and Index of Articles)

1. Suneidesis, pronounced soon-eye-day-sis, is a Greek word that joins our natural awareness with our sense of conscience. Click on the link for a detailed explanation. It is central to this teaching. Using this foreign word regularly in discussions helps us get accustomed to experiencing something new and positive working in our awareness itself. When the word conscience is used, it will refer to the aspect of suneidesis that involves right and wrong, but this aspect cannot be separated from our co-conscientious awareness of all things.

If I understand that my awareness of something as simple as a cup includes co-conscientiousness, I do not allow myself to get blinded by the cup alone but know it as part of all creation at the hands of the Creator or the universe, depending on one’s beliefs. Spiritual maturity does this naturally.

2. The repetition of suneidesis is meant to challenge you to consider this dimension in your awareness. Apologies, but it will only be a necessary annoyance until it becomes natural.