We find comfort in the familiar—people we know, places we've been, things we've done. This comfort runs deep, influencing the everyday sensations we numb, the routine feelings we conceal, and the intimate emotions we suppress. It becomes difficult for us to awaken and see ourselves when we are fully absorbed in these familiar routines. We leave limited time and space to reflect and grow at the end of the day because we spend our precious time on others and trivial matters. When we indulge in this, we are guilty of neglecting our potential for enlightenment.
There's nothing inherently wrong with seeking familiarity, except that it often leads to repetition, likely driven by the workings of Karma. Although we might believe we're living differently in this life, we are repeating patterns from our past lives, albeit in a new environment and culture. Our thoughts, shaped by recurring feelings and emotions, betray us. We find ourselves grappling with the same mental struggles as before, within the seemingly permanent framework of the mortal realm. In this, we are guilty of indulgence.
If life is a coin with two sides, either side that turns up might still lead us astray.
Most of the time, human notions of right and wrong are overshadowed by self-preservation and personal gain. Yet, we continue to wrestle with our decisions, torn between the desire to belong and the need to compete for recognition from those we seek approval. We mimic success, measuring it in terms of wealth and power, all while nurturing a scarcity mindset that assumes only a few can achieve such heights. We've become accustomed to the daily grind, driven by hopes and desires, surrounded by the inventions and innovations our ancestors helped create but could never have imagined the consequences. And yet, in our moments of mental anguish, we yearn for a life of realisation, a state of being that only a few have stumbled upon. If only we dared, we might achieve it too.
And so, we press on, clinging to the faint hope that tomorrow might bring something different. We embrace the idea of causality, yet we fossilise our thoughts and desires, believing in the permanence of a medium (body) we know we must eventually abandon—always too soon, but never too late.
We may have fooled ourselves about impermanence, but the suffering that comes from this illusion is ours to bear. No one can escape impermanence; it is the only true permanence in our lives.