It is only our attempts at understanding it that are subjective, that vary from culture to culture, or from one century to another. But as we evolve or grow, that perception becomes more accurate until finally, the ideal, and our understanding of it, is the same. Until then, figuring out how to bring asha to life with our thoughts, words and actions is sometimes fun, and sometimes painful, but always the ultimate creative challenge. There s an old song called The Lonesome Train. It was sung many years ago by Paul Robeson, and was about the train that carried Abraham Lincoln back to Illinois after he had been assassinated.
Freedom s a thing that has no ending.
It needs to be cared for. It needs defending. It s a great big job for many hands, carrying freedom cross the lands. All of the values that we cherish the freedom to speak, to think for ourselves, to make choices, values such as justice, generosity, goodness, lovingkindness, truth, what s right all of these values are implicit in the notion of asha. These are not things that we can take for granted.