|
He turned to me, "You must realize that unity by itself is an incomplete concept. It can only exist as a part of a much larger concept that also includes generosity, respect, honor, and affection, all of which are kindred aspects of our humanity. If one takes away any one of these, the rest has no meaning. The discovery of this fact may have been the original foundation of the marriage bond, and Egypt may have been the place where it unfolded first, because Egypt was simply the richest place on Earth at the earliest stages of civilization. Egypt was rich in food, because of the Nile, so that the people had time and energy to spare for the development of the mind. This opened the door to all kinds of scientific discoveries, and also to vast stores of knowledge in all kinds of fields. The early Egyptians may have been the first to discover some aspects of the underlying idea that God and man are one in being, that there is but one I, or Us. Their discoveries along this line might have come to light in the same manner as an archeologist uncovers the faint outlines of a priceless hidden treasure. This usually occurs when the surface dust is brushed away. The kind of unity that the early Egyptians appear to have established was evidently rich with life, respect, honor, generosity, and affection. We find this reflected in their art and in the way they honored their pharaohs. We can also see evidence of it inscribed into the stones of the great temples and pyramids that they created."
Then the man spoke about the ownership rights that circumscribe marriage today, which were probably instituted for the protection of the gentle bond that was formed in the face of competition. He suggested that this might also have been necessary in the early ages when the principle of the natural universal unity was not sufficiently recognized. Even in Jesus' time that larger principle was far from being understood. The man beside me suggested that this might have been the reason for Jesus' comment on marriage, 'suffer it to be thus now.' He also suggested that Jesus had made it clear that this compromise has nothing to do with the fundamental principle of unity, and promised that the compromise would fall away when the reality of one's being becomes more fully understood.
"Don't you think the time has come for society as a whole to deal with this reality more fully?" I asked at one point.
"People have dealt with this for centuries and have not understood it. They have only felt it," said the man after a long period of silence. "That is why prostitution is one of the oldest professions, and why people have affairs. But they only deal with the superficial aspects of the principle of unity. They move with some gut feeling instead of the imperative of an understood principle. Still, this gut feeling moves them powerfully than we want to acknowledge."
Moments later the man asked me if I have ever danced the tango. I said yes. "Then you have been touched by the power of this principle of unity," he said, "of which sexual intimacy is a valid expression."
He explained that the tango has its roots in the immigrant society of Argentina where men had once outnumbered the women forty-five to one. The only intimacy that many men could experience was that which they paid for in the bordellos of Buenos Aires and in other cities. And even there, the competition was stiff. The man explained that a 'client' was expected to dance at least three times with a prostitute before the intimacies could begin. During these dances her client must prove his worthiness. "So you see, even there," he added, "we have a certain acknowledgment manifested that unity cannot truly exist without respect, honor, and affection; acknowledging to some degree that all three are one. In fact, generosity appears to be a part of it too, and perhaps even a major part."
"Out of the competition for intimacy with a woman in the bordellos, for which the tango was developed," he said, "driven by the force of a deeply underlying principle, the tango emerged as an art form. It became a unique and sexually enticing style of dancing. It is said that the competition became so intense between the men that the men could be seen dancing in the streets, practicing their steps, often alone or against each other, and everybody knew what it was for. Apparently there was no shame in it because the whole process was built around respect, honor, and affection. And yes, I believe there was a great deal of generosity interwoven into the process."
Next Page
|| - page index -
|| - chapter index -
|| - Exit -
||
|
