Once...There Was A Magic Box

Once upon a time a magic box was created by skillful individuals who wanted to make the world better and happier, using modern technology to bring entertainment to their homes. The idea was to also provide people with information. And people were happy to be able to simply turn on a little knob and enjoy music, comedy, movies, shows, plus, just once a day, a short summary of the main local and world news. That was all, and people were glad to sit on the couch in the living room and enjoy a pleasant evening with their families.

This happened just decades ago. Then, little by little, things in the box started to change. Little by little the time dedicated to the simple, joyful entertainment of yore began to shrink. It was being replaced by stories of crime galore, by commercial breaks that were almost as long as the program itself and then....THE NEWS! 

(to be continued.)

The Present Situation

These days, due to the present dramatic situation, it is not easy to concentrate on topics other than the health crisis the whole world is facing. Beyond political and economic considerations, is there something else we should reflect upon? Yes, there certainly is. Without  further examining the different hypotheses on the possible ways the problem started, let us think instead on "why" all this is happening, "now". I see the world, i.e. society, as scales whose plates are completely unbalanced. Some lack of stability or fairness is acceptable, because total justice will never be achieved. But nowadays the plate of equity and honesty has completely outweighed its counterpart. Therefore a significant change is bound to happen. Natural laws cannot accept extremes for too long. Now, here is the big question: Are human beings ready or - better - capable of/willing to see, perceive, understand this undeniable truth? We can only hope!

Illusions? Simulations?

The present "situation" brings me to reflect - more than ever - upon our "reality", upon who we really are and why we are here.
Since time began, human beings have been interested in knowing where we 'come from'. They want to find out how the existence of Life can we explained, how the Universe has been formed and how it survives in such perfect equilibrium of forces. Some thinkers have reached certain conclusions that, although highly debatable, are nevertheless interesting. Philosophers proposed the idea that, in actuality, we are all 'illusions'. Scientists advanced the hypothesis that we may be all 'simulations'. At this point, you may wonder  - if such illusion is a fantasy of the mind, whose mind is it? If, on the other hand, it is a computer design, who is the programmer? Ask yourself if you can discard any such possibility with absolute certainty. In fact, what do you actually "know"? And...are you a hundred percent sure that what you believe you know is undeniably true?

Which Is Your Role?

Some people like the idea of avoiding boring or unpleasant responsibilities, hoping that others will solve the problem for them. Some would love to work as little as possible, avoid any kind of effort, happy as couch potatoes while someone else toils in their stead. Others prefer to perform the victim role, the poor thing who is taken advantage of, who is unable to say no. There are then those who worry all the time, or make a drama out of every little inconvenience. Such people don't live well because they seem to have no idea of their real value as human beings. They have accepted (or maybe created for themselves?) the role of a cheap mat while they could see themselves as a precious tapestry, admired by the whole world.

  

A New Path

See the present moment as the step that leads you into a new stage of your life. Questions arise immediately, though: Where to go? How to move? Where to look? Where to search? Your mind is soon taken aback. It may even experience fear because it would prefer to take you on the same path, to lead you towards the same direction, in the usual way, without new goals, new ideas, new possible solutions. It is much easier to move forward automatically, on the track of your last choice, without worrying about other 'stuff'. But your true 'self' tells you that it is not so. You can neither stop nor continue blindly, following a non-existing aim that a foggy wish waves in front of your mental eyes. If you really want fulfillment and serenity, you need to shake off laziness, habit, petty conformism, passive acceptance, any kind of conditioning. You need to finally 'wake up'!

Your Thought Factory

In the various departments of a car factory, different parts are built  and assembled in order to obtain a final product perfectly functioning. Imagine now your mind as a factory that manufactures thoughts. Your brain, too, is formed by different compartments that 'build' each thought little by little, by using experiences and conditionings, memories, hopes and - more often - fears. In this way you create your thoughts, according to the experiences, conditioning, memories, hopes and fears that you unconsciously choose to use moment by moment. You are usually unaware of why you make such choice. This is the reason why many thoughts tend to be more negative because fear is stronger than positive feelings. Hence, the need to become more aware of this proceeding, in order to make wiser, more balanced choices.

Aim!

An old saying says, "If you don't aim at anything, you are sure to hit the target." It makes you aware of the importance of setting precise goals to reach throughout your life. Each age, each period, each situation, in fact, has its own. If you hurl a rock in the air without any aim, wherever the rock falls it will have fulfilled its task because it followed the trajectory determined by an arm that did not aim at anything. The same happens when you start walking or driving without knowing where you are going. You say this never happens to you because you always know your destination? Here is the point: you have an address to reach (your office, a friend's house, a restaurant, or just a stroll in the park). Think now about the way you are leading your life. Check your true objectives in: your job (beside the usual tasks), the kind of relationship you have established with your partner, the way you are educating your children (do you know their needs, their problems...?). Worth reflecting upon.