7 Delusions that can hold you back

We’ve seen what resistance is in blog 37. Today’s blog builds on the wisdom that – It’s only when one lacks clarity ( awareness) that there’s inaction. When and Where there’s clarity, there’s action. Also, we’ve already discussed the role of assumption in creating delusion in Blog:94. Assumptions are the core bodies of delusions. One should be mindful of assumptions and avoid them as much as possible. All the mentioned delusions are nothing but assumptions, not facts. 

Some common delusions or at least some notions you should check whether you’ve deliberately chosen them out of awareness, or compulsively out of being afraid:

1. I’m not good enough or I’m not him/her. This is just the classic from the book of excuses. When you’re saying you can’t be great, you’re trying to evade the work & dedication it requires to achieve whatever that is. But the worse byproduct of it is that you’re just affirming the kind of person you want to be. It is delusional because greatness is within everyone. Nature does not discriminate. Have you ever seen mother earth providing all that the soil provides to one tree and not for the other? Have you ever noticed air breathing in one living animal and not in another? If you were born out of nature, you are alike the rest. If one of us were able to become great, you can find greatness within you too. However, it can happen only through deliberate, aligned actions. 
2. I get to do that after this. I’ve already mentioned this in my blog: The Tragic Drama. And that wouldn’t be the notion if one realized the mortal nature of our loaned lives here on Earth. This delusion is another excuse for inaction. This can be in various forms, some might say, I’ll do this after I get good at it, others might say, I’ll do this after I have this tool, or I’ll do this after I reach my financial goals or goals of any other domain. 
3. I’m living in the now – day by day. Again, this is not a delusion in all cases. There are two aspects with which we can test ourselves if we’re in this delusion or not. Action is the one aspect that makes the difference. If you’re living in the now, with actions, then fine. But if there’s no action, and you’re living in the now, you’re either a realized being (which is rarely the case), or you’re just a lazy, professional, procrastinator. The second aspect is if the actions you do are aligned with your life’s intent. You know you need to be moving in X direction and if you’re moving in -X direction, that is the direction opposite to X, then, you’re being delusional when you say you’re living in the present. So if you see it further, there are no two aspects, it is just one, and that is Aligned Actions.
4. WRAM (World Revolves Around Me) syndrome as Robin Sharma calls it. It’s basically that, their vision of the world is very little. One suffering from this delusion, at the least, cannot see other person’s perspective nor can they respect other person’s choices. Ex: If they’re a foodie, they see anyone who doesn’t live to eat as a misfit. Also, they think they’re the only ones with life, with people who love them, a job that they love, etc. In fact, they might not be aware of the mediocrity they’re letting into their lives. Nevertheless, they like to comment on others. If you haven’t heard of a celebrity they admire, they’ll look at you as if you’re alien, even worse, as if there’s something wrong with you. Again, it is Aligned Action, which is the aspect that makes this distinction easier. If that person is taking action, and contributing to the community, the larger the better, then he/she is not under the influence of this delusion.
5. I’m what I am because of that. This is another silly excuse. “I couldn’t do that because this happened, I’m like this because that happened”. There are so many aspects of life that are not in our control. But the choice of the way we live our life is entirely within our control. Every moment. One might not choose to be stolen, but one can choose to protect and earn. One might not choose to be born or be dead, but one can choose to live. One might not choose to be ill-treated, but one can choose to not react or the way he/she responds. One might not have chosen to be in the dark (ignorant), but one can choose to seek the light (awareness), always. One might not have chosen to be ill, but one can choose to be healthy. One might not have been chosen to be talented, but one can choose to CREATE & SHARE. One might not have chosen to be imprisoned, but one can choose to be unbounded. One might not have chosen to be poor, but one can choose to be truly wealthy.
6. He is this, she is that. I’m not trying to convey anything about gender here. Nor is this about race. It’s about categorizing people into anything. People are not black and white, they are shades of grey. That’s why we must not judge people. A spiritual person is trying to move toward the light. He is gradually moving towards the light, removing his ignorance. People with very less self-awareness are confused about who they are. That is why they swing between darker & lighter shades of grey. And this applies to categorizing animals too. I love dogs, but I hate cats. How can that be? If you’re truly an animal lover, you’ll find your way into loving all of them. Forget about love, but at least, one should not have hatred toward any creature on this planet. If we are hating, it is simply that we are ignorant of our common origin. 
7. It’s not my piece of cake. This is not always a delusion as it is, but it can be if it’s originating from a point of incompetence, fear, or ignorance. Reading books, meditating, yoga, creating, and sharing, are absolutes. That means, they must be everyone’s piece of cake. (Unless you’re a realized being who may choose not to read books). But forget about these absolutes, even when and while deciding to do what they want to do in life, people try to shake off some part of their self saying “This is not my piece of cake”. When you don’t know who you are, isn’t that a not-so-good decision to make? Whenever you find yourself saying this, ask deeper questions. What part of this, that I don’t like? Is the part that I don’t like absolute? Or is it just some metric? Am I resigning from this because I can’t do it, or because I badly need to do something else? Am I resigning from this because it is tough or is it because you chose the hard you intend to work with?

One more delusion I would like to point out, which is very crucial to know and which can lie underneath, at the core of all the delusions mentioned above. And that is When you are assuming (again, it is the assumption that is the root cause) based on “what people think/see you as”.

All of this is erased, once one is focused on the pursuit of knowing oneself. Awareness eliminates assumptions and hence the delusions that are born from it. That’s where – Be a Bug, Viveka, LIFE Alignment, and ultimately even Understanding Advaita, come into the picture. Get started from wherever you are to start moving on the awareness timeline.

Thank You

Sanath Kumar Naibhi