I think that many misunderstandings are created by the assumption that our thoughts are the truth. Our thoughts merely reflect our beliefs which mirror how we have interpreted what we have experienced.
It isn't easy to be always aware of and to question our thoughts, and, yet, it is very rewarding. Eckhart Tolle describes this as being "present", listening, watching, sensing the true inner self within you.
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Humans believe so many lies because we aren't aware. We ignore the truth or we just don't see the truth. When we are educated, we accumulate a lot of knowledge, and all that knowledge is just like a wall of fog that doesn't allow us to perceive the truth, what really is. We only see what we want to see; we only hear what we want to hear.
In our development, as we grow throughout our lives, the structure of our beliefs becomes very complicated, and we make it even more complicated because we make the assumption that what we believe is the absolute truth. We never stop to consider that our beliefs are only a relative truth that's always going to be distorted by all the knowledge we have stored in our memory.
Centuries ago, people believed that the earth was flat. Some said that elephants were supporting the earth, and that made them feel safe. The belief that the earth was flat was considered the truth, and almost everybody agreed, but did that make it true? It was nothing but a superstition, and I can assure you that we still live in a world of superstition. The question is: Are we aware of it?
Wherever you go, you will hear all kinds of opinions and stories from other people. Don't believe them. Be skeptical, but learn to listen and then make your choices. Be responsible for every choice you make in your life.
Wherever you go, you will hear all kinds of opinions and stories from other people. Don't believe them. Be skeptical, but learn to listen and then make your choices. Be responsible for every choice you make in your life.
~~Don Miguel Ruiz~~
