Nearly every day, there are some of us who feel like something is missing in our lives. We have become victimized by our hidden purposes. We don't really know why we're here living the lives we are living.
Although some of the things we are doing make us feel good, even happy on some occasions, we are constantly dogged by nagging thoughts that something is missing in our lives.
In many instances, we have resigned ourselves to believe we are eternal searchers. We are here to search for the meaning of why we're here. So we do different things, experience different things, and struggle to make sense out of the things we do.
Most of us search for things -- money, power, fame, and so on -- to provide us with joy or with a sense of purpose. We are motivated by the darkness of doubts concealing from us the fulfillment we believe is rightfully ours.
So our thoughts and actions are always focused on finding ways to escape from the pain and suffering in our lives. It's not intentional suffering. We don't plan for it. It's just what happens when we do the things we do.
There comes a point in all of our lives when we want to change, to stop the suffering. We get small, periodic thoughts or silent voices reminding us that something needs to be done.
These thoughts are fleeting like the blowing winds. So we don't pay too much attention to them. After all, they're not wake up calls like a hurricane or tornado.
Most of us don't listen to our silent voices because we don't know where they're coming from. They seem fanciful, unreal and untrustworthy. We are too fixed on worshipping our accomplishments or denigrating ourselves to trust some thoughts prodding us to doing something about how we're feeling.
For those of us who do listen, we find it refreshing to learn that we are actually responsible for the actions we are taking to acquire things and the suffering that comes with them.
Even though it's difficult for us to initially accept we are responsible for bringing the suffering into our lives, we eventually reach the point in self-discovery that allows us to face this unpleasant truth.
Whenever we engage in self-discovery, we immediately discover that we are products of our teachings. This begins with the information we were taught by our parents, teachers and society in general. They taught us their beliefs and values.
Let's not be quick to judge them harshly. They gave us what they had at the time. And like them, we gave them to our children as sacrosanct beliefs on how to think and act. Now we use these beliefs and values to confirm our existence and purpose.
Nevertheless, it's our beliefs and values that's causing us to suffer. We act according to our beliefs. If we believe it's right or wrong to steal, murder or lie, we make our decisions based on what we believe is best for us in a given situation.
So if we're hungry, and there's a supermarket with lots of foodstuffs, we might rationalize that's it's okay to steal from them.
Similarly, there are times when we do things to enhance our suffering because we are trying to create harmonious relationships with others. We accept the suffering on behalf of the relationships.
This happens all the time to us with our children, parents, spouses, friends, and so forth. It also happens with our relationships at work, in college or in our church, mosque, temple, and so forth.
Regardless to how we work to make suffering a part of our lives, we are constantly seeking ways to overcome it. One of the most effective ways to overcome suffering is self-discovery.
We begin our self-discovery by our willingness to face the suffering and understand why we're suffering and what's causing it. And then we're able to do something about it by changing how we think and live. In other words, we cannot use the same beliefs and values that's causing the suffering to liberate us from it.
The truth about freedom is that in only appears in our lives when we work for it. And a good place to begin working on self-discovery is "Seeds from the Ashes."
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