REMEMBER THE MOVIE ‘CARS’? The star was a little red car named ‘Lightning McQueen’ and his sidekick was a tow truck named ‘Mater’. In the movie there was no driver behind the wheel of these cars and yet they were portrayed on the screen as being intelligent.

Now what if that scenario was true to life? Just imagine if it was reality and cars were curious enough to experiment on other cars and themselves to try and find out how they operated. What made them… them. What made their horn toot! They would lift the bonnet and take apart the head, the block, remove the pistons, etc.

They would learn all about themselves, how they ran, what role each mechanical part played in their mobility and sustainability. They would learn to be able to do repairs, to fix and replace faulty parts that broke down or wore out, to lengthen the life span of all cars, no matter what model, make or colour.

They would also learn why they needed a constant supply of fuel, oil and water. All that stuff that is essential for their survival but, they would be at a loss to find any evidence of their self awareness – their identity – their individuality. How they knew that they knew.

They would be unable to find their ‘Is-ness’ by pulling apart a car body because it is not there. Although the cars have separate personalities and are aware that they exist as individuals – the driver is undetectable behind the wheel – as the movie depicts.

It is the same with us human beings. Our driver is invisible and undetectable. It is not a part of the physical contraption we use to get about in. We can dissect and examine the human body all we like but we won’t find what drives us.

Like a car, our bodies are only a vehicle to get around in – they have a use-by date. Our body will eventually break down, wear out and be discarded – but we will not. As with our old car, we will simply dispose of it and get a new body to replace the old – next lifetime…

(Two Worlds 28)

Dan’s Quote: “Life and death are two sides of the one coin of eternal beingness.”