Page 68 - Pearls of Perception (eBook)

outwardly regarded and thus, it became conveniently ignored by the
majority of us.

The problem with caring about what other people think of you is that
eventually you start mistaking those thoughts for your own. You pre-
sume that their opinion is actually what you should think of yourself,
as a standardized way of going about reality. And that, as it may ob-
viously seem so, brings along a lot of suffering and insecurity.

If we are to look closely to this process, it is as though our mind tends
to get its measure of reality more from the outside rather than from
our own internal intuitive center. This means that our power is being
handed over, more or less willfully, to the ones around us. Not only
does this exhaust one's confidence in oneself, but even worse, it re-
places one's own inner directions with the ones of others, which are
definitely not meant to fit.

And so we end up alienated from our true self, which is the only gen-
uine source of strength, confidence, and power. What for? There
doesn't seem to be any gain from this process. On the contrary, it
seems like a highly damaging one. Not just regarding our own being,
but also the way we interact with the world.

Isn't it strange? Aren't we taught to fully rely on our mind as the ideal
problem solver? If we cannot trust our own mind to support us, then
what or who should we trust?

These could all be earth-shattering questions for someone whose
entire existence is defined by a deeply rational behavior. They can all
generate a lot of fear and confusion when addressed directly. And,
unfortunately, in order to fully and clearly understand this process,