I have been looking for a long time to replace the pair — low and high — used to describe traditional states of development of the human mind. The reason I wanted to do this is because it comes with a condescending point of view. One who has progressed to a higher step has no right to say that others who are on lower levels are wrong or less right. He must recognize them as necessary stages of development.
At this point, there seems to be hope in the pair — near-far. If God or self-realization is the highest (now the Centre) of all ways and means, all states and stages of development, it is also a common goal which we all approach from different positions through different paths.
After all, the pair 'heaven and hell' is one dualistic way to teach less developed minds (now farther minds) to ascend (now move) a step higher (now closer) as they try to reach the highest (now the Central) state of development.
I think that by referring to the Centre as our common goal, and evaluating one's own current state of development by means of a 'distance' from the centre, we can avoid the traditional drawback of condescension and also the ill disgrace that comes from thinking of oneself as 'superior' or 'inferior'.
