In part one, "Let's Get Real", I talked about the natural unfolding of self-awareness, as opposed to external influences for change or striving and effort. If this seems to fly in the face of current majority opinion, that's because it's supposed to.
Society never focuses on The Truth.
All societal institutions would crumble to dust under its weight.
I begin part two, Knowing The True Self, with the following question;
If growth is naturally unfolding, why do people often resist or avoid it?
Honestly now, I can't speak for other people.
What I do know is that there was a time when I avoided growth and self-awareness (I.E. change) - even fought with myself inwardly against it.
Mainly, I think, because I didn't know or understand how my life experience would be improved; how living would become much easier.
It's hard work to commit to that kind of growth because the megaphone of societal conditioning is so loud it sort of weaves itself into the fabric of one's psyche.
It also goes against the grain because trying implies effort.
No one tells us - for the most part - that the effort of programmes and prescribed methods or modalities is (or can become) the struggle.
Society is the natural habitat of the modern human.
Becoming self-aware is like moving to a new planet; it's strange, unknown, mysterious, and unpredictable. One could easily be forgiven for thinking that they won't know how to live there.
It's easy to forget that, quite often, it's "not knowing how to live successfully" that brings us to the point of seeking change in the first place.
So, ignorance, innocence, and fear of change - the fear of what we might become - are all contributing factors to resistance.
When I began on this "quest" I didn't know what I was getting into.
I had my reasons and it was suggested to me that "a spiritual way of life" would be the answer to my problems.
The inner battle - the one between the so-called ego and the unfamiliarity of "a higher or different way of thinking" - is a psychological nightmare that can often have one doubting their own sanity.
At least, that's how I experienced it - probably for more years than I care to remember, or admit.
So, you might ask, "Is there a way to be free of that inner conflict?"
There is no "way", no prescriptive method, to free oneself of the inner conflict but it can be experienced.
When one becomes aware enough of the construct and the narrative, which I call "the story of me" (ego) by way of observation, which is not achieved by practice or mental effort, and when one recognises and accepts it as the source of their suffering - it can fall away like a loose garment.
At the same time, it is always there for the vast majority of people. It is part of, if not the very definition of "the human condition".
As I wrote recently,
"The one who seeks the light is on a path to nowhere.
The one who seeks to understand that which casts the shadow will know Truth."
It is both the ego and the inner battle that casts that shadow and causes the suffering.
So, one who has the understanding of the nature of the ego and how it operates within the psyche and also knows that it can never be fully extinguished is able to recognise that it's a fundamental, innate part of who they are as a human entity.
To clarify, I have said this in the past, in various ways:
"One who lives only for and from the so-called spiritual reality of their existence will be subject to psychological ill-health. And, one who lives only for and from the ego perspective and material world will be subject to mental illness.
Both "parts" make up and are "who we really are".
This is not a balancing act, but an absolute Truth whether we know it or not."
Remember, the Truth and Introspection series, "Confronting The Mind" is meant to offer clarity, not comfort.
Any notion of "overcoming" ego is a misunderstanding; an illusion I fell prey to myself for many years.
But to think or feel, in any way, that we must remain imprisoned by it is also a mistake
So, here's the paradox: Ego is both the illusion AND part of our reality; our existence.
Any attempt to escape it entirely becomes its own trap.
This understanding is what it means to be "whole" and healthy of mind.
There is no practical application or utility in understanding this wholeness - or whole self.
Nothing changes outwardly.
Inwardly, everything changes.
Seeing is enough.
That "seeing" becomes "The Knowing" I mentioned in part one, (which is different to "the knowledge" given to us by cultural conditioning).
There is no method, no ritual, no transformation to be had.
It's what I call "A wider viewpoint of knowledge", which basically means, a shift in "awareness".
But, the shift is invisible, unmeasurable, and beyond words.
It's an inward revolution and it's an outward stillness.
Someone asked me recently why I do this, knowing that no one can be shown, and each individual must see for themselves.
That person knows who they are. Here is my response:
I do not know what moves me to share what I have come to understand.
I only know the depth of my own suffering in the past, before the shift in ... whatever shifted for me.
I suppose just knowing that people are suffering needlessly is motivation in itself.
I often wonder why I bother to try, since it can sometimes feel like an act of futility.
My goal, (if I have one), is to try to initiate in others the type of self reflection that I have attempted to describe which transpired for me.
I found that I'd become more reflective after what I call a "profound experience" during the summer of 2012.
If only one person is affected in a positive way by what I do, that might be considered a success.
Besides, by talking about this, I "learn" more about myself simply because it serves as a sort of extension or deepening of my understanding of myself.
I find it edifying.
It deepens the feeling of contentment within me - deep within me.
In short, I don't know why I do this, but it feels good.
I feel compelled to share it, to talk about it, to write about it.
Perhaps it is, essentially, "a right kind of selfishness".
I don't do this because I believe I should.
I'm not trying to "fix" anyone, or even to "wake people up".
It flows from something deep within me; something unforced.
I'm not trying to teach, I'm just holding up the mirror for those who care to look.
I'm not trying to change people, I speak to reflect something others might already sense in themselves.
In my giving, I receive.
What I receive is the continuation of the naturally unfolding growth; the deepening of knowing the true self.
This post is also Available on YouTube (audio)