Erwin Laszlo, an exceptional thinker for our time, gives us the following quote:
"The oracle at Delphi advised, "Know thyself." We should complete this by saying "Know thyself as part of an interconnected rapidly changing world."
As much as anything that comment seems to sum up the changes between then and now. Every thing is smaller and closer. Krishnamurti expressed a similar idea when he said that "we all exist only in relationship." Knowing ourselves also means understanding our relationships.
Perhaps those two ideas are key to understanding the world that we live in.
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Krishnamurti was re-stating the second verse of the 1st chapter of Kashmir Shaivism's crest jewel "Shiv Sutra" which states "Knowledge consists of associations". In the modern context, when data is organized it becomes information and when relationships are developed in that information it becomes knowledge. What Krishnamurti said, could also imply that at the most basic level human beings are pieces of information endeavouring to be dveleoping a relationship to be converted into knowledge.
Howard Bloom in his 2000 publication "The Global Brain", echoes this idea where he argues that the evolution of human DNA has been possible through its ability to network (develop relationships). So, The Delphic Oracle of "Knowing Thyself" could truly mean "Knowing everyone else" or connect with others (network, develop relationships etc.) which is reflective of ancient sanskrit teaching of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam - The whole world is a family", the central theme of Theosophy.
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