Sunday 23 March 2003

Pic of the day: New-age magazine. The flames that seem to be consuming the person were not in the original picture. They are artifacts of the light ... fittingly enough.

Enlightenment

A few days ago, I bought the latest issue of the Norwegian new-age magazine "Alternativt Nettverk". (Yes, it means "alternative network".) They are writing about enlightenment this month, and I could not let that pass by, could I? I love enlightenment.

The problem was, some of the writing was rather obscure. Abstract. I mean, even for me, and then it is pretty bad. Enlightenment isn't about Pure Being. Perhaps it is about Being Pure, but probably not in the sense that most Republicans would think. Let me explain enlightenment by contrast. Endarkenment?

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Let us imagine a young girl who has a crush on her teacher. It sometimes happens, you know. The teacher is blissfully ignorant of all this, as men tend to be. He is, to the best of his knowledge, treating all the students the same way. But the girl is convinced that everything he says and does is really about her, and their relationship. If he praises her or corrects someone else, it is clearly because he loves her. But if he says something negative to her, or praises another girl, all hell is loose. He does not love her anymore! Life is about to end. She is hurting so terribly inside, and it is all his fault! He is making her miserable! No, happy! No, miserable! No, confused! It is all because of him!

Of course it isn't. He barely remembers her name, and he has no interest in tormenting her or confusing her. She is just another student, and he is paid to do his job.

When the brain grows into its adult form, and we get a bit of life experience, the wildest illusions tend to disappear. But some remain. People still think "It is all about me!". People still think: "He did that to hurt me!" And worst of all, they think: "I do this because of what they did. It cannot be helped. I must necessarily be angry when they talk down to me. I must necessarily be sad when they turn their back on me. I am not in control of my own life, others are."

Enlightenment is to take charge of your life. Enlightenment is to realize that you are the only one who can lift your hand, for good or for bad. You are the one who decides what words to speak, what way your feet will take. You are entrusted control of this body for a brief lifetime. You have the power, but also the responsibility. It is your life. Live it.

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You do not need to be a hermit to live this life. In fact, to a hermit it makes little difference. It is in the family, at the workplace, among your friends ... wherever people interact, that is where you test your enlightenment. You have to keep an eye on yourself. (There are meditation techniques that you can employ to train this, but if not, just keep an eye on yourself. Think back on what you have done today, before you go to sleep. Not what others have made you do ... they don't. What you have done in response to what you saw and heard and imagined.)

People talk down to you, and you feel anger. You stand up and yell at them, then leave and slam the door. They made you do it! No, they did not. They caused a feeling in you. You chose to react poorly to the feeling, or perhaps you did not choose at all because you were not aware. Then you have to train your awareness. To realize what you have done is an important step toward change. This is where the darkness starts talking. "They made me do it! It is not reasonable to be treated like that!" Shut up. You were given the unique opportunity of taking control of your life. A dog has no choice but to live as a dog. You have been given a great gift. Don't play with the wraps, open the box!

It is not about them, it is about you. If you cannot help yourself, how will you help others? If they pull your strings, how can you lift them up? You start to realize that emotions are not commands, they are just messages. You are the boss now. You read the messages and you set the policy. Your actions have consequences, and sometimes you make a mistake. You need to look for more insight, you need to grow. Humility starts to seep in. You have not magically become a god! But you have magically become chairman of your own body, and that is a big big thing. If you want your life to be significantly different from a dog's or a cat's, this is the way to go.

It is not about how you feel. When your life changes, your feelings will gradually change too. Give them time. It is not about what you feel, it is about what you choose. Enlightenment is a road, but it starts right here. Accept responsibility for your life. Accept that you will make mistakes, but they are your mistakes. Don't ever blame anyone again, and if you do, be ashamed. No one else can lift your hand to strike or to caress. It is your life. Now go.

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The first lesson of enlightenment was: "It is all about me." The next lesson is: "It is not about me at all." Do you want more, or what?