If then you do not make yourself equal to God, you cannot apprehend God; for like is known by like.
Leap clear of all that is corporeal, and make yourself grown to a like expanse with that greatness which is beyond all measure; rise above all time and become eternal; then you will apprehend God. Think that for you too nothing is impossible; deem that you too are immortal, and that you are able to grasp all things in your thought, to know every craft and science; find your home in the haunts of every living creature; make yourself higher than all heights and lower than all depths; bring together in yourself all opposites of quality, heat and cold, dryness and fluidity; think that you are everywhere at once, on land, at sea, in heaven; think that you are not yet begotten, that you are in the womb, that you are young, that you are old, that you have died, that you are in the world beyond the grave; grasp in your thought all of this at once, all times and places, all substances and qualities and magnitudes together; then you can apprehend God.But if you shut up your soul in your body, and abase yourself, and say “I know nothing, I can do nothing; I am afraid of earth and sea, I cannot mount to heaven; I know not what I was, nor what I shall be,” then what have you to do with God?
– Hermes Trismegistus
28-6-15 Red Fort, Delhi, India
I sit before the Red Fort, scribbling away, trying to make sense of all that I have seen and experienced. Earlier today, I visited the Lotus Temple and pleaded for guidance more than ever before. I am ready to take on whatever responsibility or official title it takes to inspire change and bring about a better world for all. As I encounter new faces, I am struck by the fact that we all desire the same thing: validation.
But it is time for us to change our perception and stop making superficial distinctions between humans. We are all equal, and the social constructs that divide us are nothing more than uniformed men quivering in their boots, trying to maintain control. It is time for a new order, a changing of the guard, one that recognizes that we are all part of the same human race and that this country belongs to all of us who share this earth.
As I witness the ability to inspire change and find fault only in senseless, unnatural behavior, I am filled with hope. I shake hands, snap photos, and share smiles with everyone I meet. Even the Utopia I envision within the walls of the Lotus Temple seems possible.
This generation will no longer stand for discriminatory ways. We will stand together, united. “Move along,” the security guard says as I share this lesson. Still, I remain seated, calm in my resolve and dedicated to my quest. We have inherited an earth that is not suitable for those of us who share this globalized feeling, this concept of oneness.
As I watch the man behind the counter count his money stack, a group of children form a circle around me, curious about my scribbles, and a doctor introduces himself. I ask for guidance on the right path and the strength to see my battles through. We are all human beings, simply being human.
