Life's Philosophy: Reason and Feeling in a Deeper World

5. A Feeling for All Living Beings

5 A Feelingfor AHLiving Beings It is not only our attitude to other human beings that reveals our deepest values and highest priorities. It is also our relation to all other living things. I believe that which unites allforms of life is more important than that which divides. I will try to illustrate how feelings for places and feelings for other creatures can develop us as people. We can learn to regard ourselves as something more than merely ego. Better still, few are able to stay aloof and wholly disregard the social self. During a climb on a difficult section of a mountain, two friends enter into a discussion of the aims and means of the enterprise. Bad weather seems to be threatening. One wants to turn back, the other to continue. Peter: I feel that it is the right thing to turn back. I feel that something is not quite right here. Elsa: What on earth makes you feel that way? I don't feel like that. And the aim of our expedition is the same as before. It can be a great experience for us to reach the summit together. Peter: Well, you see, our aim is to get to the top, but only under acceptable circumstances. Elsa: Wehave told our sponsors that our aim is to reach the top. Peter: It is also a defeat to continue in an irresponsibleway. Something 92 in me says that it would not be sensible to carry on. We're approaching the limit of what is sensible. It's irrational to continue! Elsa: But I seem to remember that you said that you felt that something was not quite right. What has that got to do with being sensible?Youheard the weather report, and the prospects seem good. And with all our equipment, I can't see that it isn't sensible to carry on. Peter: I agree that it would be sensible to carry on, on the basis of what you say.But where the mountain is concerned, my inner voice says something different. The weather is not bad, but the wind has veered, and it promises to continue doing so in an ominous direction—there's going to be a storm. If the mist keeps rising up the valley, we will have snow. Yes, the weather is good now, but I have a feeling that we will risk our lives on the descent even if we reach the top. Elsa: But isn't your feeling subjective, and aren't you projecting it into the situation? It's not at all certain that it is the objective truth. I feel something completely different. Peter: No, finding the objective truth is not the point. You yourself mention a feeling that you have. What are you basing your feelings on? Elsa: I base them on our preparations, and the good weather that we actually have now, not on speculation about what horrible weather we might have later. Peter: Youmay be right. In fact there is something within me that also wants to carry on, but I am going to turn back. That feeling is strongest. And in my book, to turn back doesn't mean the same as going back to the beginning of the expedition. Wehave been together with this mountain day and night. Aim and object are not the same. The object lies in the experience as a whole. Even if our sponsors believe that we ought to have carried on, it would not alter the fact that we made a responsible A Feeling for All Living Beings 93 decision. It is not certain that reaching the physical summit of the mountain is "the top" in relation to my object in going on this expedition. But I believe it's sensible to go down. Elsa: But I have decided to go on. Seeyou in the camp. Peter: Seeyou then. Good-bye. So one of them continued on for some time, while the other went down. In the event, the weather held for another day, and she who went on took some fantastic pictures. He who turned back discovered a rare insect that until then had never been found at such a great altitude. This incident is a reminder that in a conflict, saying "I feel that. . ."is relevant and not irrational, and subsequent events may show that action based on that feeling may lead to a beneficial outcome...