Most often, we can recognize the difference between the actual object and the object being reflected in the mirror. But sometimes, a reflection can look so real or positioned just so, that we think it’s the source of truth. In our culture, we have many things that appear real, but in fact they are a reflection of something unreal: Some history books, news, marketing and personalities. In the spiritual tradition, nearly everything in this material world is recognized as unreal as the only real thing is that which does not change – the Absolute, the changeless and formless. The sky appears to change all of the time, with puffs of gray clouds, intense hues at sunsets or sunrises, blankets of fog or electrical storms. But above the clouds, there is no weather. It is always a calm, blue space. So we dance with this misunderstanding of reality and create a version of being by living as best as our conscience and moral compass allows. Some of us have practices like Yoga, Tai Chi and Buddhist meditation, or the arts, gardening or bicycling and these help us create a different language to express existence other than what is bound by someone else’s reasoning or the sheer limitations of linear time.
Time has a way of shifting our relationship to experiences and sometimes this is simply benign. Think of when you’ve shared a story and it has turned into something bigger or smaller than it truly was. Often, it might not cause harm and even adds some humor to an otherwise simple story. Sometimes, being able to loosen the grip from an event is even helpful when dealing with trauma or painful moments. But when harm is happening (recognized or not) because we aren’t telling a full or true story, that shifting away from truth might mean we are allowing lies to become new truths for the convenience of oppression, and then we are rewriting history for selfish and self-serving reasons. We are reflecting a version of the facts with lies that distort what really happened. And that can take a long time to untangle, like 400+ years. And in many ways, we are still untangling stories since our estimated time of being on this planet!
Sometimes, we turn very meaningful events into another reason to have a party or a day off of work and forget that the event commemorates a profound moment in our history. We may be able to celebrate and see the fun and joy now, but the actual source of where our celebrating comes from is from riots, bloody injustices and the most heinous and cruelest of acts that at one moment seemed completely normal and justifiable.
Asatoma Sad-Gamaya
Tamaso Maa Jyotir-Gamaya
Mrytyor-Maa Amritam Gamaya
Om Shanti, Shanti, Shanti
Lead us from unreal to real.
Lead us from darkness to the light.
Lead us from the fear of death,
to the knowledge of immortality.
Om Peace, Peace, Peace
A motivating discussion is worth comment. I do think that you need to publish more on this subject, it might not be a taboo matter but typically people do not talk about such issues. To the next! Kind regards!!
דירות דיסקרטיות