'One
is never afraid of the unknown;
one is afraid of the known coming to an end.'
Jiddu Krishnamurti
*****
It is true; we
are bound only by what we believe.
Only by what we
‘think’ we know.
This is not to
say that we should undo everything we know; everything that we have ever
learnt. Even if we could do such a thing, it would not be possible and in many
ways, it would be counterproductive.
However, a
certain ease can arise through the recognition of the possibility that we are not as
‘bound up’ by our conventions and our day to day routines as we might have previously supposed and been led to believe.
We have the power
to turn our mind to whatever we choose, whenever we choose. This kind of
freedom is something that we normally take completely for granted and yet so
very much depends upon it and upon the knowing of it.
Imagine if we
were to invest as much energy into the ‘search’ for truth, as we invest in
distractions and all manner of unimportant things?
With focused and
determined Self-Enquiry it would take very little time to unravel the mystery
of our existence. Yet, how many feel motivated to do this? We quite naturally
gravitate to the quicker, easier and more immediate gratifications.
There can be a
deep inner resistance to stretching our boundaries. Often we may not even be
aware of this resistance. It is bred into us from the earliest possible age and
in a thousand different little ways.
Modern societies rule through the
psychology of fear.
Think of how we are monitored in almost every way and we
are constantly told that it is for our good; that it is for our protection.
When we begin to
‘question’ we also begin to unravel the knots that bind us to certain premises
and beliefs that we might previously have taken as a given.
Fear can be an
incredibly inhibiting and stultifying emotion, yet in all sorts of ways, it
constantly sneaks into our lives and challenges us.
Remembering death
and impermanence is a great way for us to cut through our shell of hesitation
and fear. We have insulated ourselves in order to ‘protect’ ourselves and yet
the result is that we end up with nothing. Without an understanding of our
inmost nature we are at the mercy of our fear of death.
In this modern
world the emphasis is on our material existence which insinuates constantly
that our happiness depends upon accumulating more ‘things.’ Yet we all know in
our heart of hearts that this is a load of bollix.
Bring ‘death’
into the picture and everything changes.
The ‘problem’
with ‘death’ is that there is no ‘solution’ for it. There is no ‘fix it’ and
get on with a 'life' program. It has been tried of course, and many may
claim that they have been helped. But most of these approaches offer temporary
solutions; ‘feel good’ excursions which in the end are little more than delaying
tactics. It is not easy to be really honest with ourselves but in the end it is
far, far kinder.
When we do not
know ‘who and what we really are’ we are unable to fully enter into the
unedited story of our lives and of all lives.
We
were born to recognize our innate freedom.
It is as simple
as that.
Herein lies the
whole purpose and meaning of our existence. We can phrase it in countless different
ways, but in the end, all ways lead to the one true thing.
The only
impediment to our finding this out within ourselves is our own ‘mind’ and the
conditioning fears to which it has been subject since the moment of our birth.
It requires
determination and focus to unravel such tightly bound habits as the ones which we have unwittingly formed.
Quoting the words of Jiddu Krishnamurti;
'What
is needed, rather than running away or controlling or suppressing or any other
resistance,
is understanding fear;
that means, watch it, learn about it,
come
directly into contact with it.
We are to learn about fear, not how to escape
from it."
It
is very easy to conform to what your society or your parents and teachers tell
you.
That is a safe and easy way of existing, but that is not living…
To
live is to find out for yourself what is true.'
