Words, words, everywhere are words about how to be more fulfilled as a human (a.k.a., enlightenment, success, happiness, etc.) Interestingly, most of these words contain quotes from people long-dead; the ancients of philosophy and eastern religions, mostly. These are the people we have ordained as having the keys to enlightenment.
So, we read and re-read their books. We quote them endlessly, analyzing and interpreting their sayings over and over again in the hopes that we will finally realize the peace and joy of which they speak. Yet, that realization never seems to arrive.
We are like the dog chasing its tail, certain that one more time around and just a little faster will finally do the trick.
We revel in the notion that there are “wise ones” out there at whose feet we must sit and wait for the next words to cross their lips; the words that will finally end our struggle. But, it is just a notion. If those ancients really held the truth of fulfillment as a human, wouldn’t we have caught it long ago? Wouldn’t all humanity just be a sea of blissed out people by now?
If you search my writings you will find practically no quotes from the exalted ones; even, and perhaps especially, those that are still alive. Even if they knew the answers we all seek, they have apparently chosen to keep it to themselves. If it were actually buried somewhere within the words they wrote or spoke, we haven’t uncovered it. Or else, why are we still searching?
Some of the easiest money a writer can make are producing articles and books about the “the search” for happiness or enlightenment. There is only one conclusion I can come to from all of this: we must be actively avoiding the answer because we love the quest more than we love the goal. We don’t want this search to end. “Searching” satisfies our need for engaging our logical brains to “work on a problem”, while just enjoying the enlightenment we already possess sounds boring by comparison.
These are symptoms of logic; something humans have an abundance of, for better or worse. You see, logic is the problem, not the solution. Logic seeks a challenge more than an end. So, once more around and a little faster, and don’t distract me with any solution other than grasping that tail firmly in my teeth.
So, the quotes from the so-ordained enlightened ones are about the wrong thing; their “words of wisdom” are not for us who worship logic. Logic knows only ‘problems to solve’, never ‘solutions to enjoy’. Solutions are for those who actually want to be happy instead of just talk about it. How dull is that? A reliance on logic is the difference.
We know that continuing to chase our tails will just produce more of what we already have. I, for one, am ready for what’s next; ready to end the search and enjoy the realization.
We’ve had the answer all along. That fact will likely be met with a collective yawn, because challenge is what we seek, not peace. Our struggle has become a story we tell about ourselves. It has become (what we know of as) who we are.
So, start with a new story that doesn’t include your struggle. That’s harder than it seems, but realize that the real goal is no story at all. We struggle because our logical brains love the struggle, not because we haven’t yet heard the right words that will lead us to freedom from it. Ceasing to love the struggle is all it ever was, and all it will ever be.
