Thread by @Kpaxs

While reasonable success has been achieved in science and technology, has this success made us all into happy individuals?

The answer is: only partly so. Why?

A thread about the uncontrolled human mind,

The mind is often unsatisfied, no matter how much has been acquired, gained and possessed.

More often than not, the mind worries, and worries without reason.

While on the one hand the mind and body are truly speaking existent only in the present moment (the Here and New),

The noise of irrational thoughts relentlessly and continuously forces the mind into thinking and worrying about the past and the future (the There and Then).

This flight of the mind to the There and Then, when it should be here and now, is predominantly the birthplace of:

— Unhappiness
— Anger
— Hatred
— Greed
— Sorrow
— Depression
— Anxiety
— Fear.

On most occasions the Here and Now is in reality peaceful, but the worrying mind turns it into an unhappy present moment.

In short, the mind is unhappy because it is afflicted with thought noise, and because it comprehends the flow of time.

Consciousness is some human timeless feature.

The cells of the body regularly die and new cells are born.

And yet there is one constant in a human being: the conscious I.

It stays with us throughout life — I am the same I irrespective of how young or old I am.

If the mind is not thinking, there is no worry, no anxiety, no fear.

There is only a powerful deep-rooted identification with the present moment, which moment is infinitely simpler than the gigantic burden of one’s past, and simpler than the uncertainty of one’s future.

A thought may come, but Consciousness decides whether to follow it.

It is like becoming someone who watches oneself from the outside,

deliberately controlling one’s thoughts and actions,

rather than letting them happen of their own accord.

It is all very well to achieve this beautiful Enlightened state, lying down meditative with closed eyes in one’s bedroom.

But we all very well know that is not real life.

Welcome to the world of people, interactions, confrontations, disagreements, dangers.

What happens now?

Two principles that were learnt in the bedroom with closed eyes must be adhered to:

1. Operate and act from the timeless Conscious I.

2. Stay deeply rooted in the present moment, it simplifies life extraordinarily.

Deliberate decisions are taken by the Conscious I, not by the wandering conditioned mind.

With practice and training, this is possible.

If everyone of us were to be like this, would the world not be a happier place to be in?

We are all born enlightened, in the sense of being rooted in the Here and Now.

That is evident from the happy playful infant who engages only in its immediate surroundings.

Where does the enlightenment vanish?

A simplistic answer is the growth of intelligence as the child grows.

With intelligence comes thinking, with thinking come understanding and academic growth, and unfortunately also anxiety, worry and fear.

The biggest compounding factor is interpersonal rivalry and conflict.

Classroom performance and success in education becomes competitive and judgemental.

Coming first in classroom exams is a matter of great pride and performing badly brings negative self-image.

We need to teach life skills, build a high emotional IQ, help people learn to cope with life situations.

History, physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, languages, computers are a part of our essential knowledge base.

But why did no one ever teach us life skills in school?

What we teach, how we teach, and the intent with which we teach, and what we do not teach, has a lot to do with creating adult troubled minds.

The timeless Conscious I is naturally at peace with oneself.

Peace is only ever to be found right here, right now.