You're standing there, probably with some desire in your heart and mind. So what's stopping you from obtaining that desire?
The first order of business is understanding what your desire is. We all think we know what we want, but in reality, most of us are wrong.
Secondly, you must understand who are you, the one who has a desire? We take it for granted that we walk around this planet going about our business trying to accomplish things. Who are we that does this?
Finally, what's getting in your way? Why don't you have what you think you want? Or better yet, why don't you have what you really want?
It's these fundamental questions that we must explore when trying to understand what's getting in the way of us and our goals.
What is your desire?
Most of us grow up thinking we know what we want. Some want to travel the world, others want to own rental property, while some want to serve under-privileged communities. The list goes on and on. Our outward desires vary greatly from person to person, and yet, so many of us are stuck in the loop of desire, never actually getting what we want.
The problem is that we're wrong in what we think we want.
When all is said and done, we're all looking for the same thing. We're looking to feel alive. We're looking to feel peace, joy, a sense of uplifting energy, from the moment we wake up, to the moment we go to sleep.
In short, we're looking for inner fulfillment. And for some doggone reason, we've subscribed to the belief that fulfillment is found in other people and things. Very few of us have woken up to the fact that while other people, places, and things can be beautiful, they're not the source of our well-being, but merely triggers to a source we already have within.
The trick isn't to build a life around finding the triggers that turn us on and avoiding those that turn us off. The trick is to tap into that well, deep within yourself, so that the joy never stops, so that the fulfillment is always here with you, wherever you are.
Who are you?
Now that we've established that we all really want the same thing deep down, we have to state just who we are exactly.
Who are you, the being who has a desire, and why are you not whole already? Were you really made in such a way that you're not okay right now, and you need to spend your life figuring out how to be okay? Have you not seen the billions of people who've died without figuring out how to be okay?
Perhaps the answer doesn't lie out there in the world. Perhaps the answer is within you. Perhaps you are the answer.
Like a dog chasing its tail, why are you expecting to find yourself out there in the world? After all, isn't it you that's looking?
At some point or another, we must come to grips with the fact that we're in here, bearing witness to the unfolding of creation in front of us. It's our choice whether or not we want to participate in that unfolding, or resist it every step of the way.
What's getting in the way?
You're now clear on what it is you really want, and you're closer to the truth of who you are, the one with the desire.
Now, what's getting in the way? If it's true that unconditional joy and fulfillment is found within, and that no other person, place, or thing is necessary to experience bliss, then why aren't we already blissed out? What's preventing us from feeling ecstasy all the time?
The answer, in all seriousness, was already stated above. Our misguided attention on worldly affairs, and worse, our belief in them as the source of our happiness, ironically results in the source of our misery.
The very act of turning towards certain things in order to be okay is what prevents us from being okay.
So if that's the case, where do we turn?
I think you know the answer.
You turn within. You turn onto yourself. You, the witness, witness yourself. You become aware of your awareness. You watch your predicament as a soul in a human body with a neurotic mind. You sit back into the knowing that you are, behind the chaos of everyday life, all you ever could be.
Live with substance!
Gabe Orlowitz
