We all like to believe that the world is a nice place to live in, even if deep down we know that it is not as nice as it appears. We want to believe that life is a great journey through paths strewn with roses of joy and celebration alone, while the truth is that life is a journey through paths meandering between pleasure and pain. We choose to believe whatever that appears logical to us, although there are many things that are beyond the comprehension of our rational mind. We choose to believe things that would make us ever joyful and happy and never sad and remorseful, even though we know that it is all a lie.
Many times we choose to believe anything but the truth and then one fine morning reality hits us hard on our face. We finally realize the truth and then blame everything on it. We call truth ugly.
But are we right?
Looking back at what I had said in the beginning, you will notice that I have begun my sentences with 'We like to believe', 'We want to believe' and 'We choose to believe'. This shows that we have a choice whether and what to believe. We are always given a choice on what to believe and what not to. And often we make the mistake of making a choice on the basis of what we like or want and not on our perception of what is right and wrong (which again depends on whether your perception is right).
If we had chosen to believe the truth, the reality wouldn't have hit us that hard. The truth is and will always remain the same, it will never go wrong. So who is to be blamed - The truth or ourselves? Is truth ugly?
The truth is not ugly. It is profound, it is timeless and beautiful. It is but our mind, filled with illusions, that perceives truth as ugly. It is because we do not understand it.
By now, you must be wondering what this ‘truth’ that I’ve been talking about really is. Here it is –
The world is illusion in which change is the only permanent thing. The world will not give us the happiness we seek. True happiness can only be achieved by attaining self-realization or Godhead, which is the ultimate purpose of human life.
Time and again, this truth has been taught to us through our holy books. Sadly, mankind has forgotten this truth and has remained ignorant towards these teachings. Very few actually realize this truth today.
‘The purpose of human life’ is a topic that most people find uninteresting because they are all busy in ‘the more important duties of life’ like focusing on their family, studies, career, ways to make more money, trying to lead a luxurious life, etc. – in other words, they are all busy in the pursuit of happiness.
Unfortunately, what they do not realize is that true happiness – which is what everybody is indeed seeking for knowingly or unknowingly – lies not in the materialistic world, but within oneself. They do not realize this important truth and try to get away from it.
Most often we choose to simply not pay much heed to the fact that our real purpose on earth is to attain Godhead. We often speak of liberation, but we rarely give it a serious thought. Even as I speak of it, the goal of attaining self-realization might seem far away. However, that is no excuse for not reaching for the goal. Maybe it is time we give it a serious thought.
The humankind is blinded by illusion. The truth is immortal, profound and beautiful. However, we are unable to perceive it that way; we find it hard to comprehend. This is because of the mind. The mind is the illusionist; however, it is not to be seen as an enemy. The mind acts as a veil in between the soul and The Supreme. If only we are able to remove this veil, if only we drop the mind, we might find what we seek so desperately within.
Maybe we should all just contemplate on this for a while.
