On tools and weapons..
Wandering around the web in an absolutely aimless search, I came across a blog post with a photo of a hammer under the caption..” Thoughts on thoughts…. tools and weapons” [ http://bearbicycle.blogspot.com/2008/12/thoughts-on-thoughts-tools-and-weapons.html ] – and a respondent made a telling comment –
Actually a tool is just a tool. IT’S THE MIND THAT IS THE “WEAPON”.
– Frank W. James
And now, Kabir Day 25:
The couplet transliterated:
Kabira loha ek hai, gadhne mein hai fair |
Tahika bakhtar bana, taahika samsher ||
Translation:
Says Kabir, the same iron is used to make many things |
Armor to protect, and the sword to smash the armor and wearer ||
My understanding:
Think about it for a while – the only weapons around are the minds milling around. What we refer to as weapons are truly only tools the brain creates to facilitate the mind’s demands.
As Kabir points out, it is not the iron that is to be faulted for the destruction around us – nor the weapons forged from it. It is not the iron-smith either – he is performing his job and trade. It is the person directing the wielder of the weaponry that is the true perpetrator of the crime – and all around who condone it or support it share the blame equally.
Yet, at some point in the entire cycle of crime and punishment, we have to also accommodate self-preservation and protection of the weak and innocent – and this by definition means taking up arms for a righteous cause. So it requires a proper understanding of the cause, the drive and the purpose. In anything as relative as human life, there can be no absolutes (to paraphrase something I read written by Hugh Prather). As in everything else, understanding and moderation are the key to a successful and meaningful life.