“That which oppresses me, is it my soul
trying to come out in the open, or the soul
of the world knocking at my heart for its entrance?”
(Rabindranath Tagore – Stray birds, verse 168)
What is our true calling?
With what do we spend our energy in this world?
In our existence, from a very young age, we learn to “fight” for life: to study, work, produce…
We learn that we must be independent, responsible, socially engaged, contribute to the improvement of this world, etc.
In fact, for most of our time, we live running, overwhelmed, stressed. And the greatest efforts of our lives are employed just to “ensure” survival.
Yes, survival is necessary, to meet the conditions established by the world. But do we live only for this? Or can we live a different life?
A life where freedom is total, equality is a reality, and fraternity always prevails… A life where Love can truly be experienced!
These aspirations of ours cannot be fulfilled in the context of material life, can they? And our everyday lives have little connection to these aspirations.
But if this problem haunts us, why don’t we use our energy to seek a solution?
“Normal” life is filled with obligations. Yes, true; but also with many distractions, plans, and projects of our totally individualized, egocentric personality. And so, we go on with our lives.
We let ourselves be led by “destiny” hoping that life will provide us with good things and that, at some future moment, we will find happiness.
In this script, when the inevitable difficulties of life arise, it is common for us to turn to mystical, metaphysical, or religious solutions, which are usually represented by the word God. In these moments, we seek truth or desperately want to understand the real meaning of our lives.
In this sense, we present a reflection by Jiddu Krishnamurti:
“The question of whether God, truth, or reality – call it what you will – exists will never be answered by books or by priests, philosophers, or saviors. Nothing and no one can answer this question, only you yourself, and that is why you need to know yourself. Only the one who is totally unaware of himself is immature. Self-understanding is the beginning of wisdom” (from the book “Freedom from the Known”).
So, where do we stand?
There is a vast world beyond what exists in our everyday lives. If we desire something beyond this material life, this is what we should pay attention to. And if this fundamental desire is present, everything can be resolved, as we take the first and decisive step!
The authentic desire to seek a way out is what guides us on the path.
And the path begins with self-awareness. Knowledge that we can access directly, without intermediaries or masters.
Our life, our fulfillment, no longer depends on external changes that we cannot control, no matter how hard we try. The crucial thing is to change ourselves. This is the new reality that opens up before us.
Despite the fear, anxiety, and worry, aware of what truly matters, we are no longer the same, for there is a new perspective in our lives.
Self-awareness begins with the ability to self-observe, to truly look at who we are, without any judgment. It’s something simple, yet challenging, because we live on “autopilot”, guided by a highly individualized, selfish consciousness. The world is out there, exterior to us, and we live in self-defense, fighting against everything that threatens us…
Self-observation will demand silence. Not just the silence of not speaking, but a profound silence that opens up a space within us, within our consciousness.
We have all experienced this at some point in life. These are moments that come unexpectedly, that happen when we are “distracted”, free from the prison of our individualized, limited consciousness.
In these moments, we access another form of consciousness that also speaks within us. A universal consciousness that does not separate, that is not confined by space, that communicates with everything and everyone simultaneously. The perception of this consciousness is a significant step towards freedom, towards knowing the truth firsthand.
We begin to connect with the world. It is the feeling expressed in the verses of the poet Tagore: “Is it my soul that wants to merge with the infinite or is it the soul of the world that wants to enter my heart?”.
We feel this with a revelation, we experience the truth. And we want to go to the heart of the world… led by the understanding that emanates from this universal consciousness.
This discovery is overwhelming. It is an irreversible path that will fill our entire life.
It is a great joy to also realize that we are not alone on this journey, for the search for a way out of humanity’s sufferings is a desire shared by all. Those who awaken and tread this path are aware that they must help their brothers and sisters who are seeking.
We begin to live a double life. Externally, we have a normal life, fulfilling our obligations in this material world; but internally, we spend our time and energy understanding the meaning of life, of the world… to seek the spiritual.
Isn’t this our true calling?
REFERENCES
TAGORE, Rabindranath. Mystical Poetry (Brief Lyric). Translated by Ivo Storniolo. 1st ed. São Paulo: Paulus, 2003
KRISHNAMURTI, Jiddu. Free Yourself from the Past. Translated bye Hugo Veloso. 1st ed. São Paulo: Cultrix, 1989
