The Insidious Side to Enlightenment No One Talks About
It’s always a very good thing to be enlightened. I mean, what could go wrong with finally realizing something either good for you and sticking with it, or wasn’t good for you and evading it? Right? You’re probably grinning now thinking it’s for the better to be discerned all the time.
I won’t wipe away those grins “just yet” because you’re right. Enlightenment is a divine gift as well as a gift from the Universe to figure out our paths in life and hopefully follow them. It is a gift that comes in handy with self-awareness and a strong sense of self, therefore.
But there’s a catch. There’s something amiss people forget to mention when they “pray” for the spirit of enlightenment or discernment — and that is the ability to deal with the truths as they unravel. Sometimes when we want to discover who we are and live right by our true nature (if it is), we often think that’s where it ends. We think by knowing, we’ve gained. This is true, except some knowledge is uncomfortable to disintegrate. Some truths are painful. Some prompting signs of growth are harsh. These are some proofs that make enlightenment insidious.
How do we deal with all that comes with enlightenment?
First and foremost, we must stay abreast with the fact that growth is painful and uncomfortable. We must be willing to reserve a space in our minds or heads where we acknowledge some unexpected events and tales. This way, we are preparing our minds for what’s to follow. This is essentially saying that enlightenment embodies the mentality of preparing for the worst but expecting the best.
We must also be aware that we can’t control the process of enlightenment or the result per se but we can control our actions afterward. So before we start thinking ahead and worrying about the future, we can concentrate on our here and now, take it one step at a time. Because the fuss won’t change the outcome of things as long as we pursue growth. As stagnancy comes with death.
Enlightenment is a double-edged sword. It comes with knowledge about something new, but with a nudge to step it up the notch mentally, physically, or spiritually — which can be strenuous — especially because as humans we expect to know and let it be.
Enlightenment can bring about pain if you had to relive some traumatic past events to better understand. Enlightenment can be exasperating because you have to know and work hard towards that new knowledge because knowledge without action is useless. Enlightenment can, at the same time deal the hand of being maddening because some new truths or knowledge require us to sit still in them (especially the painful, discomforting ones), and only work in the background of things when it itches to roar out in discomfort — to hopefully achieve the aim of it all. Which is growth.
