Vipul Agarwal, Delhi, 20 March 2025
This world is full of beliefs. We believe that we will be alive tomorrow when we wake up. We believe that our relatives and friends will stand by our side in the moments of difficulties. We believe that we will continue to be the owner of the piece of land we own. We believe that we will reach a destination when we start the journey. We believe in God. We believe that there is a purpose of life. We believe that life exists beyond death. We believe in “Gurus”. We believe in heaven and hell.
But what is the reality? Reality may be very different from our beliefs. Reality is quite impersonal. It may or may not confirm our beliefs. Most of us do not intend to know the reality and we want to live with our belief systems. We make our mental stories about right and wrong. We make our own mental stories of the meaning of life and death, the purpose of life, meaning of relationships, meaning of love, and so on. These mental stories generally conform to the popular stories around these concepts and, therefore, are repeated quite often, making our beliefs even stronger. These beliefs are, therefore, very comfortable to us. They are not challenged by the people surrounding us. If everybody believes that we are never going to die and conforms to these beliefs of each other, then life is quite comfortable, however unrealistic that may be.
However, reality is reality at the end of the day. We may be lost in the screen for hours watching beautiful movies, and the entire world may feel like heaven, and yet when we feel hungry, we have to go back to the world to have food. The most famous “Gurus” also can not keep their disciples engaged for hours without food. They have to feed them. The “good company” of “Gurus” can’t keep hunger away. COVID-19 was a mirror to many and we could see the most “enlightened” being suffer the most.
What is wrong with the beliefs when they give us the purpose of living and comfort to our mind? What’s wrong if some “Baba” makes a cancer patient believe that there is no problem and by drinking some “blessed water” he will be alright. What is the problem if some “baba” make somebody believe that he has experienced enlightenment? What is the problem if somebody believes that he has seen God?
I feel that there is no problem with “alcohol” if that may keep us permanently in a state of high. The problem is the hangover and the pain you have to undergo next morning. Every belief is like that. Comfortable for a short period, and painful for a longer period, and since we do not dare to face consequences, we become mad to have the same experience again, and that’s how we become permanent customers of the “Babas.” We become vulnerable, and there are so many vultures ready to eat away each cell of our body when we become vulnerable. The world is full of “pretension of confidence” where people pretend to know and appear to be more confident than the people who actually know. They would not mind even killing people in the name of good and bad. They become “self-appointed judges” of the society.
Staying aware can be both the easiest and the most challenging task at the same time. It involves observing and distinguishing between truth and false without any bias or preconceived beliefs. It becomes difficult due to the habitual patterns we’ve developed over our lifetimes, which lead us to jump to conclusions, avoid examination, and form comfortable opinions and beliefs that society reinforces. This does not require much effort, and that’s why we easily fall back into these patterns. Each time we attempt to challenge our beliefs, it can be quite painful, contributing to the difficulty of remaining aware. Yet, it is also the easiest thing to do, as all I need is to be authentic, and anything unreal will naturally fade away. Therefore, it just requires a commitment to truth. Seeking anything else, whether it’s striving to be “larger than life,” altering society, or pursuing “enlightenment,” is unnecessary. Once there is “light,” darkness automatically subsides. The instant there is “awareness,” all “beliefs” dissolve. When someone asked Carl Jung if he believed in God, he responded that he doesn’t need to believe; he knows.
