Behind every behaviour, there is an emotion We feel good, bad, happy, anxious.. When that behaviour shows up In us and in others Behind those emotions is a need Need for love, healing, power, pleasure… When we access that need We access the true root cause. Then – Instead of focusing on behaviour change We focus on need fulfilment We focus on the cause and not the symptom. Wisdom Is – To Ask: What is the need that is driving this behaviour?
I don’t want to be fearful of fear I don’t want to be happy about happiness I don’t want to be sad about sadness I don’t want to be joyous about joy I don’t want to regret regret Buddha spoke about two arrows – The first that life throws at us The second which we inflict on ourselves There is experience. Then there is “thinking” about it. The second arrow is avoidable. Wisdom is – Living through the crests & troughs In equanimity.
The adversity paradox proposes that We are not seeking out adversity in our lives But when we meet it, we tend to grow from it. Victor Frankl in his book Man’s Search for Meaning argues that: Its not libido that gives us meaning, as Freud states Its not power that gives us meaning, as Alder states It’s suffering that brings us meaning. We get stronger from the stressors of our lives. Suffering can break us. Suffering can build us. How we face suffering is perhaps one measure of how spiritual we are. Wisdom Is – To grow through our suffering.
“Home is not where you were born. Home is where all your attempts to escape cease.” – Naguib Mahfouz, Egyptian writer We escape all the time To addictions To our fantasies To hedonistic escapes To spirituality sometimes To gurus and cults Is there a place, a being Where we cease escaping Feel Content. Tranquil. That’s Home. Wisdom is – To know where home is.
Wisdom and foolishness are practically the same. Both are indifferent to the opinions of the world. – Joseph Campbell The Self that is anchored in the Self Doesn’t seek validation from the world. The Self that is aware of the Self Seeks its manifestation playfully. The Self that is manifesting itself as art Doesn’t seek power or popularity. It is the Sufi Dervish Dancing to his music. Joyous, Transcendent, Devoted. Wisdom Is – To know that there is no ‘Other.’
Where should I start? At the Beginning What is the Beginning? A place of Seeking How should I start? As a Student Knowing Nothing Without the Ego What’s ahead? The Journey Learnings, Insights, Wisdom Awareness. Wisdom Is – To be a Beginner.
Philosopher Pico Iyer asked a profound question — Where is Home? “Home has less to do with a piece of soil than with a piece of soul,” he added Some possible answers might be – Home is a place where: We feel like a native We can live by our core values We are nurtured to grow We find comfort in times of suffering We feel cocooned in safety We are accepted, as we are We find joy in everyday life We find stillness Wisdom Is – To know here [home] is.
Scientist Marie Curie said – Nothing in life is to be feared; It is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less. What is death? What is suffering? What will AI bring to the world? Why is there violence around us? The more aware we are, The less ignorant we are. The less ignorant we are, The less fearful we are. Wisdom Is – The journey from ignorance to understanding.
Philosopher Naval Ravikant said – Desire is a contract that you make with yourself to be unhappy until you get what you want. Why do we seek pleasure so much? Perhaps because – In experiencing pleasure, for a fleeting bit we become desire-free. Osho asked people not to repress desire But to go through it. To transcend it. The desire to be desire-free is a desire in itself. Wisdom Is – Effortless Living
There are just a few questions worth exploring – Such as – How do I deal with suffering? How do I find meaning amid it all? How do I lovingly tell my ego to let go? How do I learn to love unconditionally? How do I become a better version of myself? What is the problem I am best suited to solve? What’s the longest game I should play? What brings me true joy beyond happiness? Why am I here? Who Am I? Wisdom Is – To ask the right questions.
