(If you wish to read this article in its original, Hungarian version, click here)
We live in a dying world. The space of Life is continually decreasing on Earth. A growing proportion of people doesn’t support Life, but instead destroys it with its actions, thoughts and soul. From this aspect, if by chance we decide to make an account of our lives, it’s best if we look at the resultant of our actions. It’s clear that throughout our lives we have to do many life-destroying things. We cut down trees for example to build houses in their stead, we drive around in our cars and emit combustion gases into the atmosphere, or by even buying a car as we (albeit indirectly) generate the destruction of tens of tons of natural resources. Hundreds or thousands of examples could be mentioned. Our lives, however, also have a side that supports Life. We bring a child into the world, we plant trees in the garden, we participate in communal collection of garbage and litter, we put solar panels on the house, etc…. If we were to put all our actions individually on the scale, in which group do you think you would belong? Very likely the bigger proportion of people would belong in the group of Life-destroyers. This can be seen easily as natural resources and ecological systems on Earth are drastically being destroyed, and biodiversity is decreasing at high speeds. If a larger amount of people had a Life-supporting resultant, this tendency would turn around. One of the basic principles of the fight against climate change is that we have to become Life-supporters again. (If you're interested in reading another writing detailing this, you can find it here.)
We are living creatures and as such it is fundamental that the resultant of our lives be positive. After all we are part of Life itself. By destroying Life, in a way we’re committing treason, and we change to the side of the lifeless world. What supports this thesis from Your perspective is that people who support Life, and live in such a way, are much happier than those who are on the other side. The strongest force of Life-destruction is selfishness. I know it has come to your mind, dear Reader, that in this world being selfish is a must, and you are right. But You are the one that gets to decide the extent of this selfishness. You can strive to achieve the absolute minimum of selfishness, the same way you can strive to achieve the maximum. Sadly, today’s trends show the way to the maximization of selfishness. With the increase of selfishness the Life-opposission, Life-destructiveness of humanity proportionally grows. It’s not that in certain situations its not necessary to be selfish. Because in a race where our own physical integrity is at stake the basic evolutional code is selfishness, self-defense. Nevertheless, too many overdeveloped manifestations of it have become the norm (especially in modern societies), like the excessive seeking of money, of power, of pleasure, and of many other similar things. The strenght of the ego is so great that less and less moral, ethical or religious rules affect the individual. They care less and less about other people or their own environment; they only see their own interests and would run over anything and anyone for their goals. This is the fundamental driving force of Life-destruction which, in its essence, is an endless and insatiable desire to satisfy self-interest. The problem, basically, is that the ego knows no satisfaction. When we achieve or acquire something the ego ,,rests” for a short time, thus the soul arrives at a state similar to happiness for a short time. Before long the ego thinks up new goals and desires, making happiness short-lasting and really only a mirage. If 8 billion insatiable egos live on the Earth, how much chance do you see for the survival of Life?
The consequence is an accelerating world, in which humanity chases after the production and consumption of goods like a mirage. The mayority of chased goods is not actually about the satisfaction of real human needs, and hasn’t been for a long time. I could list many examples. I know several women whose wardrobes are bigger in size than an average person’s bedroom, and stores several hundred pieces of clothing and pairs of shoes that haven’t ever been worn or maybe once in the dressing rooms. Shopping has become a kind of addiction. We want to own more and more things because we don’t pay enough attention to the real problems of our soul. This increasing greediness on the surface is actually an attempt to fill a bottomless well within our soul. Of course, most of the time we’re unconscious of this process as the only thing we notice is that buying new things makes us feel happy. But because this happiness is fleeting and superficial, it will never be enough on its own. Or if it is then the feeling only lasts for a short period of time. Those who can’t afford this lifestyle become blinded by the sparkling surface and yearn for a similar life. As such, almost everyone is addicted in a way to shopping or the associated feelings of comfort and safety. Meanwhile people’s lives fly away and they only realize on their deathbed how wrong they lived it and how many things they should have done differently. How they should have listened to their soul (their inner voice/intuition), devoted more time to their loved ones, and how positive spritituality and spiritual self-development should have been the major driving force of their lives.
The media makes us believe that we can get anything, be anything if only we want it enough and fight hard enough for it. This is further aplified by the clever advertisements of profit-oriented companies, that effect us mentally and spiritually to enhance our natural needs. They make us believe that whatever they’re advertising is something we actually need, (which is, of course, not true). So we end up chasing many mirages in life, in the hopes of finding happiness. The truth is that we can’t achieve everything we want because we have limits. (For example, one can’t become Mr Olympia if he has a genetically slim body type, or one can’t become a chess Grand Master of one has an IQ of 90). Because of this contradiction, the biggest proportion of people today is frustrated and is yearning for the lives of an incredibly small amount of people, that can never be their own. Despite this, they still spend their lives doing everything to have their lives go in the dreamed of direction. To reach their goals one maximizes their selfishness, often even putting their conscience aside, to strive on more effectively toward their goals. What’s the consequence of this? Even more people who are even more frustrated and selfish. This vicious circle is consuming nature and all cultural and other values with an increasing ferocity and speed, all the while human selfishness increases and in parallel with it, so does human unhappiness.
Most people live their lives without realizing that they are standing on the wrong side. This is because selfishness has increased so much in our society that it has become the norm. People don’t realize that we have become life-destroyers. It’s possible that the thought that maybe what we’re doing isn’t right crosses their mind, but thoughts like this are usually dismissed by the ego and its selfishness. The ego’s reasoning may sound like this:
o
“Why should I be the one who doesn’t do it, when everyone else
does?”
o
“I’m just a small drop in the ocean, changing what I do won’t change
anything.”
o
“I deserve it, because I’ve worked so hard for it.”
o
“I am entitled to this. If others can do it, why couldn’t I?”
I could list dozens of such self-defensive reasonings with the help of which we can hide from our conscience and sweep facts under the rug. Why do we do this? For multiple reasons. Firstly, because doing this is easier than taking responsibility, and secondly because it’s not difficult to believe the brilliant political and multinational company propagandas. The truth is most people don’t have the time, the energy, or the will the look between the lines. Naturally they’re not to be blamed for this since the average person wants nothing more than to live in peace and tranquility. So, they accept the current worldview trends and accept whatever the wielders of power put in front of them. It’s the same way today, and it has been the same way all throughout history…
The goal is to hit the brakes on selfishness and strengthen the feelings of belonging and selflessness within communities (and within and in between different societies), and to support Life wherever possible. If we change the direction in which we’re going, it will have a positive impact in the next decades. If You do it, you’ll become happier, and you’ll help increase the general happiness level of society. The degree of the destruction we implement on nature will gradually decrease. And the best thing is that doing this doesn’t cost money. All that’s needed is you and a change of perspective.
DRDE
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can find a short guide here.
If you’d be interested in reading a book which talks even
further about the topic above as well as many other life changing concepts
click here. But don’t forget that the answers to Life’s great questions
can only truly be found in yourself! This book as well as this blog can only
help you find your own way there...
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