As humans, we seem to have one common hindrance towards self-realisation – not embracing life in its totality. When talking about self-realisation, in this instance, reference is being made to the realisation of what one truly is or meant to be, individually, and collectively as species.
Generally, however, we still have a long way to go. We still have a long way to go as individuals and collectively as a people. There may be individual realisations here and there that lately may be referred to as the arising awakening. Unfortunately, instead of it evoking keen interest, it is often met with resistance. Those who express it and try to promote it for the common good get labelled and ostracized as conspiracy theorists.
Embracing life in its totality is hard. This is mostly because as humans, our perception of the world and life, in general, is skewed. It has somewhat been intentionally skewed for the sake of profit to be made from our discomfort. Thank you to propaganda beautifully packaged and marketed as public relations. Thank you to television and magazines for intentionally but mischievously altering our perceptions and hence creating our skewed realities.
Besides all that, embracing life in its totality is hard or maybe it is not hard, but we tricked ourselves into finding reasons why it must be hard. To learn to embrace it, we must first face the basic irrefutable facts. One fact is that, just as light cannot exist without darkness or birth without death, the same goes that good cannot exist without bad nor can joy feel good if it was not for pain or sorrow.
This would then help us experience a life of contentment and indifference to circumstances. It may also help us realize that since everything is life, then we should be free to express ourselves fully, emotionally, physically, and spiritually because it is all life and must flow and unfold even within us. Therefore, in light of these facts, it should then be the case that we should live and embrace life in its totality. That when we are in sorrow, joy is also around the corner awaiting its turn and so is sorrow when we are joyful. So, that would mean pleasure too should be experienced with anticipation for pain and vice-versa. This could even be taken a step further to say that all these are mere concepts and limited perceptions.
To embrace life in its totality is to accept that there is no such thing as good or bad or many others mentioned. It is to simply make peace with the fact that everything that happens, and every circumstance is an impermanent unfolding nature of life.
Therefore, it is this premise that should remain as a point of reference in our perception and everyday life experience. It is this one premise and idea that should serve as our pillar of strength as we continue living and drowning in the bottomless pit of self-deception.
By Karlos The Great
E-mail: karlsimbumusic@gmail.com
OSHIMWENYO is published every Friday in the New Era newspaper with contributions from Karlos Naimwhaka.