Eternal life and delusion of grandiosity
History, art, and science have shoved the altar amongst people, and raised our consciousness to better explanations for our existence. The truth now surrounds us like the many oceans by observing empirical cues, hugging evidences, and canceling single authority on morality. The information, mimicking the intricacies of the likes of mind and body, is now found all around us, and we pirouette under the delusion of grandiosity.
The endless cycle of idea and action,
Endless invention, endless experiment,
Brings knowledge of motion, but not of stillness;
Knowledge of speech, but not of silence;
Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?
T.S. Eliot, The Rock
In the absence of clarity between wisdom, knowledge, and information, what appears grand beats a deafening drum, and remains as hollow as the instrument. Without clarity, events and ideas instil a purpose that is equally unclear. A desire for lavish space travel or inhabiting other planets while the one we are in continues to struggle with diseases and hunger is an aftermath of unclarity-its grandiosity is delusional because it has turned reason and purpose deaf.
In a moment of stillness and silence, we might observe: sheltering delusions, some of our powerful emotions are directed at absolutely nothing. Why they arise is unknown, and what they hope to accomplish is unclear. This claim of lack of clarity can foster unaccountability, or raise our awareness to its existence. It can instil helplessness; or it can be humbling.
What hides behind the delusion of grandiosity?
Most truths that govern our world are not dependent on the minds that understand them-an apple fell from the tree before Newton could make sense of its falling, and it is likely to continue to fall even after we lose that sense of understanding. Our triumph lies not only in discovering these truths but also in navigating through them to a sustainable future. Alteration of our social and political fabric informed by the hard truths like climate change, social and economic inequalities, dogmas of religion etc. is imperative, but inaction hides behind the delusion of its grandiosity.
This pantomime is a manifestation of what goes on within us. The complexities of our lives cajole the self to take on a grand appearance, and as the grandiosity of the self solidifies within, the appeal of clarity gets compromised. And what remains hidden away behind our grandeur is the charm of simple solutions.
Delusion of grandiosity, and delusion of nihilism are nothing short of disorders. They are beliefs that fail to align with what is true, and our mind’s capacity to entertain such false beliefs tells us that we are not incharge of what we think and believe therefore we are not our thoughts- we are the audiences of our thoughts. As we make an effort to witness our thoughts we weaken the authority of delusions through awareness. The moment we pull the chair to sit and observe our thoughts, clarity reigns.
“The moment you become aware of the ego in you, it is strictly speaking no longer the ego, but just an old, conditioned mind-pattern. Ego implies unawareness.”
Eckhart Tolle
Outcomes of eternal life and grandeur
Atul Gawande who is a surgeon narrates a solemn story in his book, Being Mortal, about a pregnant couple who had discovered that the mother-to-be was suffering from terminal lung cancer. The oncologist incharge was aware that the cancer was inoperable, and there was no cure for lung cancer at that stage. Notwithstanding, a chemotherapy was prescribed soon after the baby was born.
The new mom was put on a regimen of drugs. The first drug, expected to target the mutation, failed. So the doctors prescribed two new drugs…the combination didn’t work either, as one of the drugs caused severe allergies…and by prescribing yet another drug it was declared that the chemotherapy had failed. Before these belligerent attempts, an effort was made to show survival statistics to the couple, but the patient denied to see them, and insisted on aggressive management of the terminal illness.
Journal of General Internal Medicine published a study in 2019, which examined effects of treatment on quality of life in patients with terminal conditions. The results showed that terminally ill patients on medications carried heavy burden of symptoms, and experienced a poor quality of life compared to patients who did not receive such medications.
Overarching treatments and diagnostic strategies arm the medical fraternity to attack any illness, but offer little knowledge on emotional preparation for death, or letting go. Through the grandeur of medical solutions, coupled with the desire for eternal life, doctors and patients on occasions run amok in scavenging for immortality; inviting despair.
“As people’s capacities wane, whether through age or ill health, making their lives better often requires curbing their purely medical imperatives-resisting the urge to fiddle and fix and control.”
Atul Gawande, Being Mortal
Getting lost
The romantic idea that life is short is an iconic sunglasses often worn to block the vision of life’s mundane and repetitive activities that are necessary for living. We readily agree with the idea that life is short but fail to live it for longer than a few days (or hours), as the unsought idea that life is also long and repetitive sinks in.
Tickled by the short-life and long-life ideas, we are drawn to chaos, but hold onto mundane aspects of life because those are the sources of stability and order. We crave adventure, but know not to get lost. The world, seduced by chaos, tries hard to make the pathway to stability and order more appealing-we prosper by subscribing to conventional and mundane activities than to chaos. And yet we allow the chaos of our lives to define us-a doctor is not a mender but a saviour of life; a mother is not a carer but a goddess and wife who is kept locked in a house that is not a home but a temple of avarice.
Primed by delusion of grandiosity, even simple falsities thrive, like most religious claims: one god; two genders; seven virgins; ten commandments (even Google.com promotes headlines starting with numbers). Everything, made grand and eternal, tries to rob the reality of the present moment from us.
The idea of what is normal is rooted in the idea of the self. And when the self grows corrupt, in the absence of awareness, by the delusion of grandiosity, we fall prey to chaos and our false convictions. All this is transient, so in this moment let’s close our eyes, focus on our breath; observe how our thoughts tip-toe along the pluralism of order and chaos against our will…and let’s remind ourselves that we are not our thoughts.
Originally published at https://isflowing.com.
