What Can Be Done

The fraud committed on us is our own egos. The system may exacerbate the problem, but the problem is egotism.

How to get rid of our egos is what true meditation is all about.

So what are we to do?

The best way to study the problem is to study yourself. Through the study of ourselves, we discover the the true way of living.

Follower

A religious teacher, a guru, or even a self-proclaimed messiah who says “Follow me” and who does not lead you back to yourself is a false prophet.

The Preacher

My preaching days are over. The good news is that no one listened to me.

In The True Believer, Eric Hoffer quotes Michel de Montaigne and I can do no better here:

"All I say is by way of discourse, and nothing by way of advice. I should not speak so boldly if it were my due to be believed."

Escapism

You should not confuse true happiness with a momentary respite from misery. Escapism leads you away from happiness.

There is no escaping yourself and it is only when you discover your true self that you find happiness.

Ignorant

The word "ignorant" means "to be unaware." To become aware is to slowly awaken to the reality of who you actually are.

It does not mean to increase your awareness by gaining knowledge. Knowledge is information. Your true being cannot be comprehended in conceptual terms.

So be aware.

Beware! Danger is all around you. It is easy to lose your way on your voyage of discovery. As Thoreau writes in Walden, a man has to live by dead reckoning "if he would not founder and go to the bottom and not make his port at all."

Dwell.

You are the Light.

Rely on yourself.

Do not depend on others.