Sorting Reality from Illusion
Everything is an illusion according to many forms of philosophy and spiritual enquiry. This line of argument goes along several paths. One is that reality is only a dream and that we are some sort of spiritual entity dreaming a script to learn lessons. Another is along the lines that the whole universe is a hologram and that substance does not exist.
The one I like is the reverse of Descartes' 'I think therefore I am' This version is 'I am because I think.' We are nothing more than an intelligence that thinks up a reality so it can get around. That one has interesting possibilities.
The idea of the world being an illusion goes back thousands of years. It was popular amongst Roman philosophers and seems to be part of the Tao Ti Ching. I say seems to be because the Tao Ti Ching is almost an illusion in itself. Much of it can be whatever you want it to be.
Over the years the meaning of the illusion seems to have been corrupted out of all recognition to the original intent. The original meaning of the illusion was that it is the value we place on reality that is the illusion.
The idea that material possessions equals success and power is the sort of illusion the old writing referred to. A big house is a big house. That is not an illusion. The idea that the owner of the house must be special and important is the illusion.
A President of a country must be special to become President. That is an illusion. There are many of becoming President of a country, and few of them require anything more than being ruthless. A person's job or profession defines their intelligence. That is an illusion. There are plenty of over educated air-heads in charge of very large corporations. Position has nothing to do with intelligence.
One of the most blatant examples of illusion is that a person's physical body in some way defines whether or not they are sexy. And as a result lots of very important people make lots of money selling products that are supposed to make us conform to the illusion. Illusion feeds on illusion.
This is the illusion of reality that a person following a spiritual path will have to confront at some time. It is fundamental that we must go past the illusion.
This does not mean that we have to be poor, ugly, or a door mat. What it means that the idea that physical reality has any more meaning than just being what it is is an illusion. A house is a house, a flower is a flower and a person is a person.
A persons position or wealth in no way defines there value. It is impossible to say a person is worth three billion dollars. A person's worth cannot be defined in money. Money is only a means of exchange so does that mean that this person can be exchanged for three billion little bits of paper? In that case a person can be bought and sold. Worth no more than a slave.
Our worth depends on who we are. Who we are creates the physical world we live in. The world is just the world, what we do with it is what we create. Our worth is defined by our actions. 'By your actions you are known' (Jesus). Do you create love or hate? Do you create Plenty or poverty? Do you look after this planet or pollute it?
These are things that will define who you are, not the illusions created by your physical possessions or lack of them. But as soon as you place importance on yourself because of what you do the illusion returns. Worth come from within, and that is the worth worth having.
David Young.