Paul: Imagine you have two jars filled with colorful stones.
One jar represents the Western way
of thinking about the self, and the other jar represents the Eastern way.
In the Western jar, each stone represents an individual person, and the focus is on each stone
being unique and standing out from the others. People in the Western jar think a lot about
themselves as individuals, like how they can become better or more successful compared to
others. They might even compete with each other to see who can be the best stone in the jar.
Each stone wants to shine brightly on its own.
In ancient Greece, there was a philosopher named Heraclitus who lived around 500 BCE. He
believed that everything in the world is constantly changing, and he famously said, "You cannot
step into the same river twice," meaning that the river is always changing, and so are we. This
idea can help us understand that in Western philosophy, the concept of the self is not fixed or
unchanging but is always evolving, just like the world around us.
Narlyn: In the Eastern jar, the stones are all connected to each other like a puzzle. Each stone
still has its own color and shape, but they fit together to create a bigger picture. In this jar,
people think more about how they fit into the whole picture rather than just standing out on
their own. They believe in harmony and balance among the stones, so they focus on working
together and supporting each other. They understand that even though they're different
stones, they're all part of the same jar and they need each other to make the jar beautiful.
Even though the Western and Eastern jars are different, they still have some things in common.
Both jars think it's important to know who they are and where they fit in the world. They both
understand that every colorful stone in the jar is special and adds to how pretty the jar looks.
Also, they both believe that there's a special power that takes care of all the stones in the jar,
showing that they believe in something bigger than just themselves. So, even though they're
different, they still share some important ideas.
