It is a constant
struggle, and a challenge as well to first understand our true self and then to
follow it up by being our true self. Often, people live out their lives without
much clarity about who they are – thus it is unfair to expect that these people
will successfully manage to live & act in a manner that is true to them.
Consistency of thought and action defines strong character, and lack of
consistency is just the opposite.
This post is for
those who believe they have achieved consistency in life – through thought and
action both. The questions for them are: is this consistency enough to continue
to live with? What’s their next challenge? How are they developing themselves
further? Unless the
world, in general, or the society, at large, depends on the consistency of
these individuals – my view is, everyone needs to continue to develop and move
ahead – in simplistic terms, not become stale and outdated.
It is not
difficult to understand the challenge with respect to change – further
development is change – most have worked hard to reach where they are at
present (and feel consistency will be enough to carry them on), it isn’t easy
to start working again towards the unknown. It is especially difficult to
convince self, about the reasons for not letting up, for not resting, for not
being at ease, for wanting to be fluid-like. From personal experiences, I can
say all of this doesn’t even sound easy – living it is far from easy!
There is a
flawed concept of “knowing” – we as people change, with time, with
circumstances, with pressures, with will (and at times without). There are few
aspects of our nature / character that remains consistent – however, our
ability to use these aspects consistently is doubtful. Thus – consistency is
not a concept that should give any pride or joy. Further – we should accept
that we are not getting to know much about ourselves, because we are neither constant
nor static. In order to want to know ourselves – we have to become seekers,
someone who is in constant pursuit of knowing oneself.
If the concept
of knowing is flawed, at the very least it is not dependable, there can’t be
much value to be put on “being true to self”. Essentially, one person can be
true to the person he / she is at that point in time – with changes due to
factors mentioned above (and any other), people have to realise that being true
means they change – leaving not much room for consistency.
In general, it
is easier to (wrongly) convince ourselves that we are being consistent because
that is our true self – when in reality all this can be simply due to fear of
stepping out of our comfort zone. Doing the same things, the same way, helps us
live out a routine, which gives us an illusion of control.
Is life simpler
if we continue living the illusion? Yes, I would think so. I am constantly
reminded of George Orwell’s words: “ignorance is strength”. The less we know,
the less we question, the more the illusion continues to grow and the more we
feel comfortable living the illusion.
Is life better
if we continue living the illusion? I can’t say…for some, probably yes if they
feel that is the best for them. However, for those who believe and claim to
know themselves, and those who believe their consistency is based on this
self-knowledge – this illusion of control, or even self-knowledge cannot be
good. Unfortunately, these people are living in fool’s paradise.
Not
long ago I heard Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudeva talk about India – as land of seekers,
not necessarily of believers. Although in his thought, these “seekers” seek
“mukti” – the ultimate freedom from existence – being an Indian, I too am a
seeker, with a rather (much) simpler view. I seek to know myself, which is my
ability to control myself, reduce my conscious and unconscious wrongs, and thus
become a better human. After all, I control only my actions – beyond that,
control is nothing but an illusion.
x
