From Bliss to Chaos: How Our True Nature Gets Lost in Strife, Wars, and Revolutions

–

From Dream Cars to Disappointments

Here’s an amusing fact about our lives. The intent behind every act of ours is either in anticipation of permanent relief or temporary alleviation of some sorrow. It’s funny, isn’t it?

At a personal level when something or someone is giving us grief, it’s easy for us to avoid, alienate or dissociate with that. If we don’t agree with someone, we simply can move on. Of course, there are some on the internet who seem to make it their business to call on those who don’t share the same values as them. Well, that’s for another day. 😂

But, at the society’s level, when a group of people can’t get along with another group, it can lead to strifes, wars, and revolutions.

And then there’s the pursuit of material wealth in the hopes that it will give us everlasting joy. How will a temporary object lead to eternal bliss? Let’s take the example of that car you’ve been on the waitlist for the last 2 years. You finally get it, and the first night you take it for a spin, you feel an elevated sense of joy.

And you come home park it, and look at it with pride, and go to sleep. The next morning, you don’t really feel “meh” about it, but you also don’t feel what you felt the night before while taking it for a drive.

Now imagine you’re driving to work that same car two days later, and someone fails to slam their brakes soon enough and rear ends you. That same precious dream car is now a source of disappointment and sadness for you.

Ok, I get it, we can’t all become yogis at the drop off a hat. But, we can pursue small joys to make life sustainable.

We can find temporary joys in

1. the words and stories our kids share with us.
2. the feeling of that lotion on your tired feet.
3. in the beautiful sunset we can see without running off to finish another chore.

The Richness of Needing Less

The thing is that joy was never meant to be outside in the first place. It’s to be found within us. We were born in a blissful state with no worries, and then as we grew up, we found ourselves in a state of envy, anger, hate and so many unsavory emotions that steal our joy.

We compare ourselves with others, especially how successful or how much more money they have than us. So, when our mind is not tranquil, it makes it difficult to find the bliss inside of us.

The bottom line is, we can’t forget these simple ideas. It’s never about how much we have, but how less we need that’s going to make us “rich”. And it’s not about what we don’t have, but how much we must be grateful for everything we already have.

Now, put a smile on that face and cement this idea in your heart. “I am bliss.”

Yes, you are.

– 0 –