In re: THE UNDERSTANDING: The key is poverty. Only the stupid own anything; those who-know are stripped-bare, fresh-out-of-everything.
Ownership is the purview of the ordinary:
the dull hold views;
the torpid possess opinions;
the inane keep preferences;
the stagnant sit on facts;
the oafish carry anger;
the listless clutch fear,
and the stupid have their precious knowledge.
The Tree of Knowing is stripped clean;
not a leaf in sight – not a single distraction.
When Jacks set off for the lights-of-the-city they take along beans, (a supine man says): “I cannot go about in life with empty pockets; a man must be adequately armed in the human adventure.” Jacks are slumberous, and internally live in dreams; their potential for daylight-sight has become inescapably encumbered by their possessions – ownership in the inner world blinds them.
When Adams are driven away, and an individualistic comprehension of life momentarily becomes a real possibility, they blow the opportunity by taking the fig leaf with them. Men apparently feel embarrassed when they recognize the extraordinary potential that internal nakedness offers. (After all, who’s really up to giving god’s understanding a run for its money?!)
J.