Looking Within to Reach Out

It is a paradox that what lies known as real outside of us, is not real. It is like Socrates' paradox: “All I know is that I know nothing.”

- DEEPA PADHI

Human beings live in two worlds, visible and invisible, the outer and inner. But unfortunately, most of us are aware only of the world i.e. the vast “visible” gross material world experienced by our sense organs which are outward. Importance is given to things, beings and happenings in the outer world and we are too simple to notice what the solutions to all problems and challenges lie outside of ourselves. We expect joy, happiness, peace of mind from the outside by acquiring, possessing, indulging and enjoying the objects of the outer world. Most of us are contented with our life and identify ourselves with our outer personalities, that is name, form, position, qualifications, wealth, fame and so on. But when we are faced with challenges, when something adverse happens in our lives, when we find that Science, wisdom, rituals cannot solve our problems, we feel depressed, dejected, frustrated and cheated by the outer world.

Our unhappiness and insecurity in the world are due to our erroneous and limited perception of ourselves and the world outside. But there is something within, that does not like the boundary and yearns to go beyond. The physical body, which is finite and limited, belongs to nature and is not real i.e. The intense desire to know the real T makes us look within, into the inner world to search for our real identity. In fact, it is the naive urge we are not aware of to know our true identity, for which no education, no qualification, no religious identity is required. We need to peel within.