Understanding Reality
Thousands of years ago, the world was simple: hunting, gath- ering, and surviving. Slowly inventions came along, some to better people’s lives, others as a product of greed, and some as a result of chance. Ultimately the goal has always been to advance human life, bring solutions, and make life easier.
Imagine traveling by flight a million years ago; our ances- tors would have labeled us as crazy. And fast-forward to today. We have now built flying cars.
We are advancing towards a high-growth society at full speed, and people are developing the ability to solve more complex problems every day. In this process, however, it is crucial not to lose the essence of being human and the sole purpose of life. To find happiness and tranquility.
Humanity’s goal from the very beginning has never been to find the next big company, to become a billionaire, to rule an area of land, or to entertain. These are values people grow up listening to and accepting because of opinions of the masses.
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S. Karki
Eventually, the single goal everyone strives towards is to find happiness within their own purpose. However, most people seem to lose sight of it because they believe that their motiva- tions must be the same as the rest, leading to dissatisfaction, depression, and anxiety.
Some argue that the human race will never advance if peo- ple are content with what they do, that great inventions are a product of ambition, and that society will be inferior if we continue to be at peace with our situations.
Yes, but in peace with “our” situation and not of others. Great inventions are products of each individual’s unique motivations, emotions, skills, and reasons. People are most productive when they are happy doing what they wish to do without being forced against their will. When people truly understand their innermost nature and the source of its satisfaction.
Peace is a misconstrued word today because it is seen as unattainable and the immediate visual that comes to the mind is that of a saint, a career choice that probably shouldn’t be told to people in public. Especially after reading this book, because no one will read it after that. In reality, peace comes from a combination of knowledge of the self and the universe.
Another visual that comes to mind is of someone who is in a deep state of meditation, waking up every morning with the birds, sitting down in a certain manner, shutting the eyes and counting their breath.
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Distorted Perception
In reality, that would be a great way to achieve peace, but only for as long as the meditation is being practiced and done right; otherwise, it only causes more frustration. Therefore, it is not sustainable. Peace will be there for a limited time until an obstacle comes along. Then the practice of meditation becomes futile.
Then how can one achieve peace?
Through actions that complement our innermost nature which is something that we must actively strive for.
It comes with constant questioning of motivations and acceptance of the reasons for our motivations. Knowledge will give one the power to anticipate actions, making it easier to take better decisions. There will soon be an interest in one- self and no time for comparisons with others ; thus, preserv- ing our innermost uniqueness.
There are two types of nature: the first of the universe and the second of the self.
The nature of the universe involves certain laws that do not change or favour anyone. Anxiety is formed most of the time because people believe circumstances do not favour them as much as they do to others. Especially, in the digital age, there is a constant culture of competition. A platform based on con- cepts of promoting and comparing. Although social media has several benefits, it is always important to understand the nature of it in order to maintain a distance and not invest in it too emotionally.
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S. Karki
Most of the time people base expectations and hopes on completely distorted truths. While hopes can bring pleasure and happiness for a moment, a good sense of reality can bring inner peace forever.
The second nature is that of the self. It is exclusive to each one of us, a combination of one’s upbringing, emotions, and social situations.
Negativity of emotions simply put is a result of irrational- ity of the mind in perceiving the self and nature.
This led me to write Distorted Perception, a series of dia- logues written to myself in the form of poetry and prose to explore my emotions, advise myself on experiences, and understand the source of the irrationality of the mind in per- ceiving the world.