(Image & Source: The School of Athens @ Aleteia)
…Man is a slave of the society that he created by himself. And as he passes through the desert of his materialist-oriented life, his life is increasingly transformed into a monotonous program of a vicious android robot. To change such a destructive course of his existence, he must turn himself and recognize his essence and role in this life, in this dimension.
The key to leaving this self-produced slavery is self-knowledge. Man must become his own teacher and not rely too much on other people and their sometimes malicious provocations and (non)deliberate intrusions.
But how does a person achieve self-knowledge, that is to learn in its own way; without interfering with the various false teachers of suspicious intellectual backgrounds, whose aim is not to teach their students to think with their own head but to adapt to their imposed instructions and the often distorted norms of our everyday society.
In order for a single self-aware individual to choose the right way, several preconditions must be met:
* a certain degree of intelligence (a non-intelligent being will struggle to overcome all the obstacles on his path)
* high doses of creativity (without the ability to imagine and create ideas, man is just a simple machine with a brain)
* a positive and constructive spirit (if a man is not looking in the world in a positive way, he will never achieve the ultimate knowledge, no matter how high a degree of intelligence and creativity he possess)
* basic knowledge (if one does not know how to read, write or count as to verify the truth of hypotheses and theories from various media sources used in his research)
When a man is armed with all the necessary positive virtues, then he can freely climb the stairs of self-knowledge. But the question is how to choose the right path. Namely, there are many correct and even more incorrect paths. All of them lead to one goal, but the time to reach goals is different. Each initiator (beginner pursuing higher goals) basically wants to reach the goal of his own life path as soon as possible. And despite the fact that each time it is difficult and time consuming (there is no instant success) there are some shortcuts that can ease the choices that each initiator has to make when he finds himself at the intersection of its predetermined path.
The best and safest way is to seek the advice of true teachers (those who have already passed that path), those who will not impose their will on their students and talk to them or show them what is right and what is not. Their help consists of counselling rather than instructions; and as counsellors there are to direct students to their own intended direction. The counsellor advises and does not impose his own rules. That is why I think every student is also his own teacher.
How best a true preacher could transform the opinion of the general masses is known but when they themselves do not disseminate the true meaning of the scriptural knowledge that is the tragedy. I think they do not want our people to rise up from their religious slumber and want them to prisoners of their (preacher) opinions.
Your write-up is really on dot.
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I hope that we still have enough time to try to convert some part of the humanity to try to think with their own heads, to check out all the facts and information that they can read, listen or watch in the medias, to understand the true meaning of this world, and the most important, to really live a life like they wanted, in true pleasure, happiness and satisfaction. To become what their destiny predestined, ’cause destiny never lies (I know this in my own experience)…
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Firstly, my pleasure in having your commentary. Although it is a fact that we need to become simple, but it is not that simple to become simple because we’ve to first of all leave so many things. It is to forfeit so many things which are done for showcasing our power which ultimately will be mixed into dust. It is not that we leave everything and become hermits or sadhus but performing our duties. Failures and successes should not disappoint us.
I am of the view that we should never forget our ultimate destiny – our death. Those who remember death as ultimate will not commit any wrong, will not follow corrupt practices for worldly possessions, will not try to hoodwink others, will not kill or maim others as has been done in many parts of world.
Therefore, simplicity is a simple world but its actual meaning goes beyond its literal meaning.
THANKS AND REGARDS
HARBANS
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…To be simple is maybe the best way to initiate yourself on the path of spiritual enlightenment. Thank for your precious and valuable comments…
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Affirmative. We prevent most of our problem to be complex ones if we adopt simplicity as a trait in our life.
THANKS AND REGARDS.
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And we would be less nervous and stressful if we could live our modern lives a little bit simpler and easier (I knew I would), and sometimes just go with the flow, relax and see what the next day will bring us. And solve our little problems as they come, not to worry about them in advance, as we usually do…
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Yes sir, I too do the same. I take partnership of my Creator in solving anything which is intractable, if even then it is not solved, then I surmise that my Lord does not want me to succeed in that particular endeavour. May be that is good for me ultimately since my Creator too did not want me to go through that particular situation. This way, many of the heart-burns are avoided.
THANKS AND REGARDED
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Yes, sometimes it’s hard to chose the right path. I know, I tried many different paths, mostly wrong ones. But if you don’t try them, you will never know what life really is about…
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In life, we get different types of experiences, each experience provides us some know-how. If we do not get anything then also there is something to learn for failed attempt. “Right Path’ is the one which gives us right direction. Having found this right direction, we can tread on this path without any second thought since life is not that long. It may end any time and a other chapter starts. A clarity in what we do is essential. This clarity comes by just delving inside us and become self-aware. this self-awareness is root cause of everything.
THANKS AND REGARDS
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I have travelled on this harsh thorny path a few years ago when I was a low life and a homeless, so I experienced the life in its entirety. Thanks for your comments…
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I too have experienced that whenever we are in dire strait, the more near we are to our Lord. Only belief in Him and ourselves is needed. :))
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