Grapes and Wine
With all the hoo-hah going on at the moment about religion, free speech and debate, I thought I’d try to open up some more positive discussion about what’s at the root of it all: ie God. Or perhaps more precisely, perceptions of God.
I’ve said this before - and I know people disagree with me because they have been kind enough to mail me and tell me - but imo, all human endeavour is an attempt to ‘find God’.
We can look at this closer but I’ve a feeling we should clarify two points beforehand: firstly, I am not saying that all such enterprises are a conscious effort in this direction, nor that ‘God’ is conceived of (even subconsciously) in a spiritual/religious sense or even as a being. Secondly, I am absolutely not saying that all such endeavours are legitimate ways to this end or capable of succeeding: just that this is the intent behind them.
But let’s look at this idea. We are all thrown into this world without a clue about what is going on. From a very early age we are ‘under pressure’ to make sense of it all. This does not mean necessarily to find the answer to ‘life, the universe and everything’ but to integrate ourselves into a position in relation to the world. In short, to define ourselves.
This ‘defining’ is important because it is a precursor to a vital human need: that of self-expression. Such expression is a primary (possibly THE primary) human psychological need. All thought, art, religion and human creation stems from it. But how can it exist if there is nothing to express? Hence we strive very early to define what we actually are - or take ourselves to be. In order to express it.
The ways of such ‘definition’ are myriad: religious, political, sexual, philosophical. All human life is there and even within these contexts there are infinite sub-divisions that someone can identify with in order to feel ‘at home’ and in place. Of course there are people that do not have such identities (by accident or design) and when this occurs involuntary these may be ‘Outsiders’ (in the sense that Colin Wilson would argue).
But leaving these ‘Outsiders’ aside it is clear that all these attempts at self-definition are essentially an attempt to find ‘the truth’ - and the ‘truth’ is what has been called God by all religions and spiritual masters (or vice versa - God is also the truth).
Take what has been going on in the row over the cartoons for example (as well as the wider picture of the current meme that Islam and extremism are synonymous) as well as people who feel the need to post their opinions on it (myself obviously included).
The opinions may be ostensibly opposed but that is not the deeper picture, as Rumi says “(some) things which appear opposed (may) be working together”. In the recent discussions there have been many comments posted on this blog that I would disagree with. Vehemently in some cases but I would still make this claim.
Why? What is the common denominator? Well, we are all trying to find the truth as we understand it. As none of us have a full understanding (or obviously the situation would not arise in quite this way) then we are equal on that score. And we know that - so we are seeking. Some seek through debate or discussion, some through contemplation, some just by thinking and sitting back and observing it all.
Even someone who says that this is all rubbish (as they surely will) is in exactly the same boat - because to make such a statement implies that there is something that is the opposite of ‘rubbish’, that it is important and that it can be discovered.
All endeavour comes down to this: when someone wants a better life, an end to terrorism, ‘freedom’, more money, better sex, more sex, different sex - drugs even: all this is a search for more and a tacit admission that not only is there ‘more’ needed but that one is actively looking for it. As well of course as, by definition, admitting that this ‘more’ is not currently possessed by the searcher.
So that’s where we are at the moment imo. There is a famous story, again by Rumi (Masnavi: story XVII final paragraph) about just this:
Four people were given a piece of money.
The first was a Persian. He said: ‘I will buy with this some angur.’
The second was an Arab. He said: ‘No, because I want inab.’
The third was Turk. He said: ‘I do not want inab, I want uzum.’
The fourth was a Greek. He said: ‘I want stafil.’Because they did not know what lay behind the names of things, these four started to fight. They had information but no knowledge.
One man of wisdom present could have reconciled them all, saying: ‘I can fulfil the needs of all of you, with one and the same piece of money. If you honestly give me your trust, your one coin will become as four; and four at odds will become as one united.’
Such a man would know that each in his own language wanted the same thing: grapes.
In one sense this story refers to religion (although it has many other parallels too) - ‘grapes’ is a Sufi code for religion, just as ‘wine’, being a further refinement of religion (or inner content) is a metaphor often used by Sufis such as Rumi, Hafez and Khayyam to signify Sufism. The grapes are not ‘wine’ though they could become so - but they don’t necessarily need to: what the travelers wanted were grapes not wine. And this is what the wise man provided for them.
The beautiful carving pictured in this post is inspired by the Rumi grapes story and carved by master calligrapher David Holgate.
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