Society is always trying to group us to make us feel separate... and we all support this society because the ego can then feel like it has some type of home. We live to categorize ourselves because humans beings crave identity, in order to feel distinguished and worthy in the world. I believe it is ok and good to embrace identity, as long as it is authentic to the true self. This given, take a moment to stop and think about how many socially constructed groups exist today. This culture tells you that you are either of ethnic background, or you are white; you are liberal or conservative; republican or democrat; poor or wealthy; crazy or sane; gay or straight, etc… but who are you really?
Given a greater focal point, it almost seems like you could simply break down human existence into 2 groups, the connected and the disconnected. This means there is the real world and fake world, which is a paradigm of thought I dig into often. Although society has a multi-ocular perception of life, my theory is that in the grand scheme of things, because we are classified into two groups, there must be two ways to live life, given that there are areas of grey in the middle.
When we are endowed this life, we can accept it, or we can avoid it. This means we can live because we have to, which is a path of egoism and disconnection, or we can live because we want to…which means taking this life as a gift, a mission in which we must fulfill the best we can.
In the first way of living, with the perspective that we must simply put up with this life and do what we must to get by, our worldly vision is already blurred, therefore we do not recognize where true joy comes from. We then get caught up in menial things, including our own thoughts because we believe joy comes from growing our ego, which leads us to loose authenticity. It is especially easy to fall into this trap with the influence of society today. We often confuse happiness with the momentary highs we get that are purely ego boosts. Perhaps it is the attention we receive based on the way we look, how many followers or likes we get on social media, how much money we have, or maybe how popular or well liked we are. Many people are under the illusion that once they achieve high standards of materialism, wealth, and beauty, their life will be fulfilled, but they do not realize that once you actually receive those things, it will never be enough, and you go on searching for more. This greed is a vicious cycle that continues to grow…it becomes addicting, as anything that almost works to make you happy, but not quite yet. It is said that the more you possess, the sadder you become, because more materialism separates you from the true self. When you have nothing, all you have is your self, and you come to the realization that yourself is all you really need.
In this day in age, many people are not focussing their energy on the reality of the world, and instead, chase high that makes us feel separate, important and somehow above everyone else. We fail to recognize that we are all connected, all one, and in fact the only thing that separates us as humans is our thoughts and our bodies as a limiting vessel of consciousness.
When we live because we feel forced to, we take life for granted. I have realized along my journey that many of us take life for granted because we know it is long, and we are subconsciously thinking that there is so much time to enjoy life, that we decide we don’t need to soak it all in now, and eventually we have gone our whole lives in this mindset, consumed like zombies by our thoughts, and the next thing we need to do.. physically active, yet not present in the task of what we were planning to do moments before. Many people only realize how asleep they have been while lying on their death beds.
Imagine this mindset similar to the way you may view the pool in your backyard. Many people who have pools say they barley use them because they know it will always be there for them waiting, yet when you go to somebody’s house with a pool and you do not have one yourself, you might have the urge to go for a swim. It is the same principle while looking at life. We all want what we can’t have…it is human psychology. How can we have a desire for something we already possess? We have so much to be grateful for, yet we always want more because we haven’t decided to see it , and all the beauty that life is offering us. We haven’t taken a swim in the pool that is right outside in our backyard. Happiness and enjoyment is diminished with the presence of want and greed. Happiness and enjoyment blossoms by shifting the focus away from the desire and onto the feeling of abundance and appreciation. This shift in energy is truly what changes your life.
In the second way of living, with the perspective of seeing each day as a gift, we realize what we do have. We look around and smell the flowers, and recognize the importance of being in the moment and having gratitude. In this perspective we realize that we are here for a reason, and that reason is to grow, learn, and enjoy each moment of life. We each are born with our own purpose and mission, but the ultimate mission is global peace and happiness. Global peace and happiness will only be fulfilled once we all can come to our own personal bliss and enlightenment. This inner bliss and enlightenment from a meditative stand point stems from a multistep process which first allows the realization of the fake world, and the real world.
The fake world consists of superficiality, materialism, status, and separation. The fake world is ego and it is so powerful because it is all we have known as humans. Humanism is egoism. Our thoughts are powerful as well in the way that it channels the ego, like an entity or animal that constantly needs to be fed, always trying to win because it thrives on feeling separate. It is sneaky, it will creep up on you, it will make you question your self-worth and spirituality. It is so easy to fall into the trap, but if you simply realize when ego world is trying to persuade you, you can gracefully command it to leave. This is the first step in meditation. Although I talk a lot about how negative the ego can be, it is important to realize that the goal here is to not completely diminish the ego, because without it, we would have no personality. You must simply recognize the ego and check that it is aligning with your soul. Literally make the ego your bitch. Let your highest self control it, don't let it control you. It can be a tool if you use it for good.
The real world is a multifaceted conscious experience of the now, a collection of what is currently happening in the absence of thoughts surrounding the past and future.
Ekhart Tollee, a renown spiritual leader and author once said “People don’t realize that now is all there ever is. There is no past or future except as memory or anticipation in your mind.”
The real world is free from illusion that distorted thoughts may bring. The real world consists of everything you are feeling…what sounds you are hearing, the people or energy in your presence, your physical sensations, and the sights you see. Once we are aware of fake world vs the real world, we can be in a higher vibration, and in a mindset where we can decide. You choose the way you want to live when you choose the world you want to live in.