Once upon a time there was a great body of water.
Well, it appeared to be one great body, but actually it was made up of countless little drops of water that flowed into each other so that you couldn't tell where one started and the other one stopped.
There was one drop that had been in the great body for some time and he had heard talk. He had heard that every drop dies eventually. It was said that drops die when they reach the surface and that the closer they gets.
When he is getting closer to the surface he will see more and more light
This drop started noticing more light in the water as he would flow from day to day with the great body, the way drops do.
Finally, he reached the water's surface where he could see even the source of the light and then it happened - he died.
.......Or so it appeared to all of his friends.
Actually, the drop felt himself rising above the water and floating. As he floated to and for, he could see the great body of water, and he saw things he didn't even know existed. It was such an amazingly feeling and he was aware of so much more.
Especially, he was aware that he was still himself. He didn't die. He did leave his body though for he felt weightless and could float.
One day, he became curious of how he could be himself without his body and started taking notice of his surroundings. He suddenly realized that right next to him, on every side was another being, just like it was in the Great Body of Water.
He said hello to one next to him and mentioned that he hadn't noticed him before.
That one replied, "That's natural because we just flow together here in the Great Body of Air. It is impossible to tell where one of us starts and the next one stops."
Now that he knew where he was and what was going on, he started to relax. He really enjoyed floating in this Great Body. The wind would send them all flying first in one direction and then another. He could see so much. He learned that what he saw below,other than the Great Body of Water was called land. And those fluffy masses in the air were called clouds.
He became so comfortable in his air body that he identified with it. That in his mind, was who he was now, a particle of air in the Great Body of Air. He could hardly even remember when he'd been a drop of water.
Everything was just grand, at least until he started hearing the talk.
It was said that some of their friends had died. And that they might die too. In fact some said that all of them would eventually die.
One day, he and some of his closest friends drifted into a big black cloud and then it happened - he died!
Or at least so his friends thought.
Actually, he found himself encased in a body of water about the size of a rain drop and free falling quickly toward the land.
He landed on a leaf and sat there as frightened as he could be. What had just happened to him??? He could even see his body and it brought to mind a time long ago when he'd had a body once in the Great Body of Water.
But this was different. He looked to his right and to looked to his left. there was really no one else there. He looked up and he looked down. There was really no one there.
For the very first time he was alone. What a scary experience!
Just then, across the leaf, another drop landed.
That drop was hooting and hollering like he was happy or something. The drop saw him and called out to him, "Isn't this Great?!!!"
"I have waited so long for this day! I remember when I lived in the Great Body of Water, I would talk to the old wise men and they would tell me of their adventures. they said anyone could have an adventure too if they just managed to get to the top of the Great Body of Water where the light was.
"They instructed me to swim my way to the top where the sun evaporated drops of water and set them free to fly in the air. Then they told me if I would fly into a dark cloud, the forces of nature would change the air bodies back into water bodies and send them each to the earth where they could each experience their individuality.
"I can hardly believe I finally made it! This is so great!
"Just look at us. Look at our bodies. For the first time I can tell where I start and even where I stop. We have our own bodies now. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it.
"Just think of it...we get to live apart from all the others. We are individuals. We are separate from all the rest. We can do whatever we want and we don't have to go with the flow of all the others. We can have things our way. We can be ourselves. We can find out who we really are."
The first drop stared at him in disbelief. He still didn't share in the excitement."I don't like this at all. I don't like being apart from the Great Body. I really like the closeness. I like the feeling of being apart of the Whole rather than a part from the Whole. I can do things as part of the whole that I can't do as a single drop of water."
The second drop answered, "Maybe, but there's so much I can do and experience alone that I couldn't experience when I was connected to the rest."
About that time, a wind came up and moved the leaf. The two drops rolled together and became one bigger drop.
The first drop was relieved. "Oh that feels better. Now I feel connected again."
The second drop was upset. "I have waited so long for this chance to be separate, to do whatever I want to do and now here you are stuck to me."
So the second tried pulling away from the first drop, but of course it wasn't possible because he couldn't really tell where his body stopped and the other drop started.
So the first drop came up with a solution. "I really don't mind going where ever you want to go. I can be happy anywhere. I'll be so quiet, you won't even know I'm here unless you talk to me. I'll just stay connected and go with the flow and you can even tell yourself you are all alone here. I won't contradict you, but if you ever need me, I'll be right here next to you, connected to you, apart of you."
That was the closest the second drop could come to autonomy, so he agreed and continued his life as though the first drop didn't even exist.
And that's the story of the right brain and the left brain.
The part of the right brain was played by the first drop.
The part of the left brain was portrayed by the second drop. |