Friday, December 11, 2009

The Search for Security

Most of us want to live as long as we can. We like it here on this planet; the place we call home. We have build ourselves quite a kingdom here and we are reluctant to let go of it. So, without giving much thought to why we're here, we, nevertheless, seek and try all kinds of things in vain attempts to delay our inevitable departures.

Since this planet is the only home we have ever known, we want to control it similar to the way we control our other possessions. For some of us, a permanent place to stay is what life's all about.  Who wants to leave and go to another place,  unless we believe it's much better than where we are now? It's like buying a larger home in a more affluent neighborhood.

Most of us find it difficult to believe our joy for living is ever fulfilled unless we have some stability in our lives.  This type of thinking causes us to believe it's better to live in a place we own rather than one we rent. We don't find our lives very rewarding or fulfilling unless we own something.  And by owning things, we can stay where we are without having to move unexpectedly. Unfortunately, it's this type of behavior that drives us crazy with worry.

We worry about holding on to things. We work valiantly and earnestly to create lifestyles that provide us with the greatest sense of security. To achieve these lifestyles, we're willing to sell our  precious life-hours for money and its ancillary rewards. Many of us believe that with enough money, we can prolong our time here or, at least, make it more enjoyable.

Many of us believe money is more valuable than time; the most valuable commodity given to us. It is the source of security we all crave. We believe it will make us feel secure and create a sense of permanence in our lives. This will allow us to covet illusions of power, courage, wealth, and happiness.  Even though, we know from others that what we are experiencing is only temporary.

Nevertheless, with knowledge aforethought, we continue to sell our life-hours in exchange for money and promises of security and happiness. We do so knowingly by victimizing ourselves. From the prism of our victim beliefs, we perceive the world as rotating around financial, emotional, psychological, and egotistical comforts. The things we believe create the greatest form of security for us.

Meanwhile, even as we pursue our quest for security, we continue to get wake-up calls nudging us to stop and do something different.  We feel, perhaps innately, there's something not quite right about chasing after things. Yet, even with our doubts, we continue to pursue the things we believe will provide us with the greatest security. In other words, while we know that money, houses, careers, fame, and so on cannot provide us with the security we seek, this does not deter us in our pursuits for them. 

As victims, the things we desire seem so real to us. From our perspectives we don't actually believe they're only temporary interludes in our lives. To us, they have a reality and value greater than anything we have ever known.  These qualities are what make us desire to live in world where we have very little control over our existence.  And, without control over our existence, we don't find life enjoyable. 

To illustrate our dependency on things for our existence, whenever we  lose our money, homes, jobs, or close relatives and friends, we are plunged into deep depression and grief over our losses. And regardless to how much spiritual guidance or inspiration we receive, we cannot move forward without coming to grips with our losses. While we attempt to rationalize our independence from the things causing us to suffer, we, nonetheless, remain victimized by our beliefs.
Similarly, it is during this rationalization process that we finally realize we are greater than the things we seek. It is this realization that opens the door to a new awareness of ourselves possessing the power to know we are secure and complete with who we are now.  It is not outside of us in the things, because it's already present in us.

When we understand ourselves, we understand the nature of our existence in this world.  We clearly know we are temporary caretakers of a valuable piece of property, Earth, which is where express who we are. And as caretakers, we must remain mindful of our responsibilities to express enlightenment. This requires us to overcome the victim beliefs causing us great suffering.

It is mindfulness of who we really are that frees us from illusions of security. This illumines our thoughts to understand we are not here to devalue our existence. We are here express enlightenment. And by doing this, we cultivate consciousnesses free from victim beliefs.  This is the security we seek.


The book "Seeds from the Ashes" is available now on http://www.amazon.com/  It's an excellent resource for those who are working on ourselves.

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