Snappy Snaps | How to Empower Yourself Through Personal Development | It is a basic right of every human being to seek happiness and to free themselves from all of life’s tribulations. The state of being happy is the norm; it is as inevitable as the changing of the landscapes and the times of year. It is not in our nature to suffer, and the fact that we do so is due entirely to the fact that we are ignorant. Wisdom is the product that leads to happiness. To put an end to all suffering and to free oneself from every ailment and flaw that befalls us, it is necessary to achieve complete wisdom, to fully understand the meaning of one’s life, and to get a comprehensive understanding of the connection that exists between human beings. Joy without reservation is the hallmark of perfect insight.
Why do we suffer in life? Because, according to the plan of nature, we are being pushed forward in the process of evolution, and because we lack the spiritual illumination that is the only thing that can illuminate the way and allow us to navigate the challenges that lie in our path, we are unable to do so. The majority of the time, we do not even recognize or suspect that there is a problem until it suddenly pounces upon us like a hidden tiger. One day, our immediate and extended family will be together and joyful. One week later, after death has already occurred, the joy that was once felt has been replaced by agony. A new friend has joined us today. In the morning, he won’t be our friend anymore, and we have no idea why. A short while ago, we were prosperous and enjoyed all of life’s material comforts. There was an abrupt shift, and now we are solely faced with poverty and misery; nevertheless, our search for an explanation as to why this should be has been fruitless. There was a period when both our health and our strength were in good condition, but now neither one of those things exists, and there is no indication as to why. Aside from these larger misfortunes of life, many more things of less concern continue to bring us little afflictions and minor heartaches on a daily basis. We do our hardest to stay away from them, but we never notice them until it’s too late and they’ve already hurt us, or until, in the dim light of our ignorance, we stumble upon them by accident. The thing that we lack is the spiritual illumination that will enable us to look far and wide, finding the hidden causes of human suffering and revealing the method by which they may be avoided; and if we can but reach illumination, the journey toward evolution can be made both comfortably and swiftly. [Case in point] It’s almost as if we had to go through a lengthy, gloomy room that’s packed with furniture that’s been carelessly thrown all over the place. In the darkness, our movement would be sluggish and excruciating, and we would sustain a significant number of injuries. If, however, we had a button that, when pressed, turned on the electric light, we would be able to complete the same journey in the same amount of time while also being completely safe and comfortable.
The traditional approach to education consisted of filling one’s head with as many facts (or what were thought to be facts) as one could possibly learn and giving one’s personality a particular level of surface-level polish. According to this theory, a man’s completion as a human being occurred at the moment of his birth, and all that could be done for him after that was to provide him with information that he would use with varying degrees of proficiency, depending on the innate capabilities he had been endowed with at birth. The theosophical idea is that the physical man and all that constitutes his life in the physical world is but a very partial expression of the self; that in the ego of each there is practically unlimited power and wisdom; that these may be brought through into expression in the physical world as the physical body and its invisible counterparts, which together constitute the complex vehicle of the ego’s manifestation, are evolved and adapted to the purpose; and that in the process of this evolution and adaptation of the physical body and its invisible counterparts Thus, the light that leads to happiness is lighted from within, and the suffering that is associated with the evolutionary path that we are all on may be eliminated.
Why does death cause about such suffering? Mostly because it keeps us apart from the people we care about the most. The fact that we do not fully comprehend death and the role it plays in the development of humans is the only other factor that contributes to our feelings of loss and dread in relation to death. But as soon as our ignorance is replaced by comprehension, such terror evaporates, and in its place comes a calm contentment that cannot be shaken.
Why do we have enemies whose words or deeds cause us to endure suffering? Because our limited physical consciousness prevents us from perceiving the interconnectedness of all life and from realizing that the consequences of our negative thoughts and actions must be visited upon us by other people, we are trapped in a situation from which there is no way out except to stop thinking negatively and then to be patient while we wait for the time when the effects of the causes we have already generated have had their full effect. When the spiritual illumination arrives, and we are no longer stumbling around in the darkness of our ignorance, the very last foe will vanish, and we will never, ever create another one again.
Why do so many individuals have to deal with the hardships of disease and poverty? Because of our blundering ignorance, not only do we not realize their meaning and the lessons they have for us, but we also do not know what kind of attitude to take toward them. This is the only reason why their presence is even feasible for us. If only we had the wisdom to grasp why they occur to people and why they are essential components in the development of people, then we wouldn’t have to worry about them anymore. When the human race has fully internalized nature’s lesson, these silent teachers will be no more.
It is the same way with all of the many kinds of misery that we go through. They are both reactions to our foolish blunders and teachers that show us the better way to do things. Once we have reached the point where we can apply the knowledge they provide, we will no longer require them and they will vanish. Men do not become intelligent and great by merely amassing a collection of data from the world around them. It is accomplished by cultivating the spirit from the inside out until it shines a brilliant light on the mind, which is referred to as genius.
