| This is a very important question; what interests you | | | | the whole process of control and loss, even though |
| most, because your answer to this question | | | | we indulge in it every day of our lives. And we |
| determines your destiny. So before you answer, look | | | | wonder why we are not happy. This happens to all |
| carefully at all the options and decide which is truly | | | | of the categories above. Things change, and when |
| the one thing that interests you more than any | | | | they do, what we have relied upon for our interest |
| other. | | | | and happiness, maybe for many years, disappears. |
| The obvious ones - relationship, career, family, health, | | | | A final stage of our loss would be accepting our |
| religion, love, success, money, possessions, power, | | | | situation, but few accomplish this stage. Most still |
| fame - they all fall a little short of insuring any kind of | | | | have the energy and intelligence to attempt an |
| a solid destiny for you. This is because they are all | | | | escape route through a back door of activity, |
| outside of yourself, and anything outside of yourself | | | | because that's all we know. When we get older, |
| is subject to change. In other words, you cannot | | | | however, this becomes a little more problematic, a |
| control it, and that means you will end up losing it, | | | | little more dire. Then we may begin to realize what |
| without a doubt. | | | | our real interest fundamentally is and always has |
| If you count on any of these things for your | | | | been, which is truth. |
| security, strange emotional/psychological states | | | | Truth has nothing to do with any of the above |
| develop when you lose them. This is because when | | | | categories because truth is not susceptible to the |
| we try to control things and keep such things | | | | first characteristic of material existence. Truth never |
| together, such as a relationship, family, religious | | | | changes. The above categories are merely what we |
| beliefs, career, etc., and then out of left field, the | | | | do to escape truth, |
| first characteristic of material existence kicks in; (that | | | | Truth is probably the most interesting thing that we |
| everything changes and is in flux), we can't help but | | | | can pursue, and we actually pursue it all the time, but |
| lose control. This is the reason we fear death so | | | | we are seldom aware that this is what we are |
| much... losing control of everything. | | | | pursuing, because we are forever looking in the |
| When we lose control, a loss occurs, and at first, we | | | | wrong places for it. Since truth never changes, how |
| don't believe it. But after we see that the loss is real, | | | | can we look for it amongst those things that can't |
| then we might begin bargaining with ourselves. All we | | | | help but change? That is our fundamental problem, |
| know is that the feeling of loneliness and | | | | and why we are never happy for long. We are |
| worthlessness is not fun, and we do whatever we | | | | simply looking in all the wrong places all of the time. |
| can to change that feeling. It can happen with any of | | | | So how does one pursue truth? This is an important |
| the above categories, i.e., when rock stars get old, | | | | question because truth is the only hope for a happy |
| when relationships go sour, when our health goes | | | | destiny, both in this world and the next. Do we read |
| south, or when our religion doesn't work any more. | | | | about truth? That would be someone else's truth, |
| The rock star might gamble with embarrassment and | | | | wouldn't it? That would mean that we are looking |
| try one more tour, or we might try a new | | | | outside of ourselves for truth, just as we did with all |
| relationship, or maybe a health kick. Or we might | | | | the above categories. |
| start shopping for spirituality. | | | | Our truth can only be inside of us, it can never be |
| As human beings, we are pretty smart cookies. | | | | outside. If it were outside, it would changeable and in |
| When we lose control of something and realize that | | | | flux like everything else in material existence. We |
| we can't get it back, we find ways to stave off the | | | | could read one thing today, and something better |
| depression that is sure to follow. We do something | | | | tomorrow. How would we know what is the |
| new. Because if we don't find something new to do, | | | | unchangeable truth? We can only know that by |
| then the depression from losing control of our | | | | experiencing it for ourselves. And this is the key for |
| dependency can overwhelm us. | | | | pursuing truth; looking inside, because this is truth's |
| We are intelligent enough to know that we have to | | | | bible; the interior search by each one of us. |
| keep moving, but not smart enough to understand | | | | |