Everybody likes happy articles that make us feel good. This isn’t one of them. This one bypasses the part of you that wants to escape, and approaches the subliminal, the mature part that understands that there is no escape. This is the part that wants so badly to be free from all of this, the part that wants to develop that great passion that creates divergence, the divergence that approaches creativity, which in turn approaches eternity. The problem with happy articles is that although they entertain us temporarily and allow us to escape for a moment, they don’t last; something seeps back in that implores us to avariciously search for the next happy article. Another problem is that although we can actually be happy for long periods of time in our lives, something is always underneath it all, whispering to us that someday, sooner or later, it will all change. Take America for example, which has had a great run of luck. Like a gambler who has rolled a few lucky sevens and believes that he will roll them all night, we Americans believe that we are preordained to prosper. We are the chosen. But chasms lie between positive thinking such as this, and reality. The prevalent attitude is that optimism itself is enough of a psychological force to make good things happen endlessly. This is foolishness, no different from thinking that pessimism will in itself cause bad things to happen. When the housing market was in its heyday a little while back, convincing arguments flooded the internet, replete with persuasive statistics to back them up. We were convinced that housing prices would continue to soar forever. This was called optimistic, positive thinking. The same scene played out some years before when the tech rally went bust. Or the gung-ho soldier whose head is filled with politically driven nationalism, only to be faced with the truth; the violent death of his closest friends. And his life is changed forever, even though the nation he fought for forgets about him and his friends. No matter how much we want things to happen our way, we can see that we have no ultimate control over them. Destiny has a mind of its own. This unpredictable phenomenon that occasionally slaps us in the face is called “truth” — the only thing, interestingly enough, that has the power to free us. But truth is scary, and we know that it is scary, that’s why we prefer to remain ignorant of its power, as if truth didn’t exist. Instead of investigating truth and discovering the freedom that lies within it, we put it out of sight by substituting truth with beliefs, which are merely proxies that we mistake as truth. The devastating loss we feel when we lose someone is merely truth — making itself known. Regardless of our efforts to ignore truth by pretending that everything is rosy, eventually good things can turn into bad things; this is how life is. The question is; why do we hide from truth, inviting it to sneak up and hammer us unmercifully when we least expect it? I think the reason we shun truth is because truth initially depresses us. We would rather enjoy ourselves reading about celebrities and their escapades than reading about truth. Let’s face it; hiding from truth, which seems to be our passion, is easier than facing it. When we lose ourselves in another person, or in an ideal, or a belief, we lose track of truth. Truth then has the power to blindside us, and is more than happy to do so. It is just a matter of time. For example, truth says that nothing lasts, including itself. Therefore, what can we count on? Not much. And this is a depressing thought. So instead of investigating this statement; that nothing lasts, to see if it is in fact true, we prefer to believe that everything we love will remain as it is forever! Believing in this manner makes us feel good, and instills confidence, and security, but when a loved one, or even a cherished possession or lifestyle is suddenly taken away, we strangely feel double-crossed. But the fact is; we have double-crossed ourselves. By believing and trusting blindly, instead of verifying and investigating, we set ourselves up for headaches. It’s as if you are five years old again and Santa Claus is real. Remember when you found out that he wasn’t? Did you feel betrayed? This is what happens when we don’t take the time (or have the inclination) to see exactly what is going on. Instead, we believe what others tell us, or what we read, and unfortunately, they tell us whatever we want to hear, just to hold our attention on them. If this is what you prefer — being lulled to sleep so that truth can sneak up and whap you ’side the head when you’re not looking, then fine, but at least understand what you are doing to yourself. To ignore this is childish. Not only is it immature, but there is no ultimate freedom in it, just the same ol’ same ol’. Beyond the initial depression of facing and experimenting with truth, which includes the catharsis of feelings of hopelessness resulting from the dismantling of your self-indulgent beliefs, is true freedom. Freedom begins and ends with truth. How can you ever be free when your beliefs are no more than Santa Clauses dressed in respectable, “adult” clothing, and that will eventually catch up to you? Truth is not beliefs, or feelings, or anything like that. Neither can you ever point to truth and say, “There it is!” Authentic truth moves much too fast for that. The truth isn’t a person, or an institution, so, what is truth? Truth is what’s happening in this exact moment in time, and that’s the only place we can experience it. Truth arises and disappears quicker than you can point your finger and say, “There! That’s the truth!” Actually, while you are busy pointing your finger, the truth of that moment is lost to you forever. The reason you can’t posses the truth is because nothing lasts, not even truth. Anicca is one of the Three Characteristics of Existence proclaimed by the Buddha: Anicca, Anatta, Dukkha E. Raymond Rock of Fort Myers, Florida is cofounder and principal teacher at the. Southwest Florida Insight Center, http://www.SouthwestFloridaInsightCenter.com His twenty-eight years of meditation experience has taken him across four continents, including two stopovers in Thailand where he practiced in the remote northeast forests as an ordained Theravada Buddhist monk. His book Tags: Buddhism, Christianity, metaphysics, newage, psychology, religion, self-Help, Spirituality Related Posts
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, A Year to Enlightenment (Career Press/New Page Books) is now available at major bookstores and