Unraveling reality

 

 

Reality is in essence a mixture of both noble and selfish intentions.

 

To put it succinctly, we are a mix between our ego’s desire to get our way (at any cost, for the desire of the ego is nothing more than to fulfill my desire!! – so it is not the desire to get my desire i.e. the pleasure say from the coke, rather, the very fact that I want a coke and you tell me no, makes me angry or irritable, if I feel I am entitled to the coke.) The second is our desire which we share in common with all animals which is the desire to feel pleasure (and there are many sources, be it coke, intercourse, even music, discovery etc.) and to never feel pain (unfortunately, due to this desire, we often instead of seeking pleasure are seeking to not feel or get into pain/shame, called anxiety-disorders, phobia etc.) Lastly, we have a mind – an objective ability to discern: what is good and what is bad?

 

We begin life in the ego-camp (which is why toddlers will throw tantrums for not getting their way, for as they have become accustomed to getting their way, this enrages / ires their ego, until they realize that relative to adults they simply must follow, but their ego hasn’t died, only relative to one group; for if another kid hits them there is an instinct to take revenge) certainly, we always will have the innate feeling of pleasure and pain from stimuli, hence develop likewise addictions and phobias (yes, these are automatically induced) but as we go through life, in the background (as the Rebbe says) the mind is always observing, hence it is continuously updating its sense of reality.

 

And this is the challenge and destiny of life (for life is not random, we didn’t give ourselves our egos, nor our instincts, much as a dog or cat didn’t decide to be born or how it will look or it’s instinctual nature) and as our desire to change (for changes can only be implemented when the desire to do so is present) is present; then gradually, slowly and with incredible effort do we achieve – the gaol of life according to Jewish mysticism – that our minds become our masters.