How are you going to scratch that itch? No not that itch on your arm, I’m talking about the itch in your core. That thing inside you that drives you to embark on all the projects and goals you set yourself. Every time the target is different: a promotion, a new job, more status, more success, more fun, a better social life, a better love life etc. but the motivation is always the same. You want to scratch that itch, fulfil your desire, and get that good feeling.
Of all the things you’ve chosen to occupy yourself with, has anything really worked? Has anything really gotten rid of that feeling of inadequacy and incompleteness?
There is an inbuilt desire within all of us for something deeper, real and permanent. We want an end to our stresses, anxieties and suffering – to feel like there is no need to fret and fear and that everything will be ok. We want to finally be able to fully enjoy and live our lives in an unrestrained way.
But this seems to be always just out of reach – we chase after something, only to find we eventually feel just as unsatisfied as when we started, and then begin chasing after something else. We endlessly hustle and strive and try, but we never really seem to move anywhere. What can we do to get off this treadmill?
This is what spirituality is all about.
Meditation, Yoga, Mindfulness, Journalling, Self-inquiry … these are all just tools, but the real essence of spirituality is something we can all relate to – how do we deal with that damn itch?
This is not only the central question in each of our lives, but also one of the most important things to sort out for the future well-being of humanity. The nature and direction of society is ultimately a reflection of people’s internal states. We cause a lot of harm to each other on both big and small scales as a result of the compulsive obsession with dominance, power and profit – because we are slaves to our internal itches.
To me, spirituality is the same as seeking truth. It’s about learning to see our conscious experience for what it really is, which allows us to navigate life peacefully, gracefully and joyfully. See, we all grow up developing assumptions about the nature of life that are just wrong. Things may seem a certain way, but that’s only because our ability to observe our own experience starts off very blurry. Of all the illusions that trick us, the one that takes the cake is who we think we are. Most of us identify with our thoughts i.e. we believe that we are the ones speaking inside our heads. This is not the case: it’s not the reality of who we are.
I can’t try and convince you that this is true, or put in to words what we really are. Firstly because I have only glimpsed this reality myself, but also because this realisation is beyond words and beyond thoughts. The only way to see it is to experience it yourself, and I think that is one of the most beautiful things about the spiritual journey. There is no need to believe what anyone else says, you and you alone must see the truth for yourself.