Self-deceit, like drugs is bad for us and this self-destruction comes at a very high price. When we believe ourselves to be something that we are not, such as powerful, intelligent or superior, the universe goes to work showing us where we are wrong. Because we have freedom of choice, this lesson can be learned quickly or it can take a very long time and many lives for us to learn.
We must make honest assessments of ourselves, assessments which are based on logic and not desire. Playing a role or imitating those who we believe ourselves to be, intelligent, intellectually superior or powerful… amounts to self-deceit.
Being honest with yourself about whom you truly are, will save you a lot of trouble, time and heartbreak (the dispenser of, not necessarily the recipient of) and diminish or end the need for you to live more “lives” on the earth.
Following the path of our desires as opposed to following the path of logic, is following the “path of least resistance”! We must fight our desire to see ourselves as something more or less than what we are.
It’s ok to be proud of our true accomplishments. Pride is not a sin, it is natural and it is what separates us from robots; however, to be proud of something we have not accomplished is a sin, you may know or understand this as “false pride” and not only is this a sin but it is self-destructive.
When one desires strongly and one sees the path to their desires as impossible, the only option we have if we are to be successful, at least in our own minds, is to submit to fantasy and role playing. If we fantasize our way to our objectives, we allow ourselves to believe we have arrived, when in fact we have not.
It is individual self-deceit and that of the institutions we have built within society; society itself, which hinders individual evolution. It’s difficult enough for one to self-actualize but to self-actualize within a society which does not self-actualize but falsely prospers on self-deceit by allowing it to be their guide. It is difficult for a person to see themselves in a light they themselves have created without authority, without the boundary of universal logic inherent within each and every one of us and further complicated by the social psychosis of society within which they have little choice but to exist.
It is not societies, religions, ethnic groups or nations that stand before God in the final hour, hypothetically speaking but the individual. Self- deceit is like a drug. It fills the void, at least temporarily and it is expensive!
Taking drugs dulls the senses and gives us a false sense of elation but temporarily kills our desire to solve the dilemma that haunts us. If the desire to solve the dilemma is to us impossible to solve, we have a paradox. There must at least be the possibility of success within us. It is not the unknown that causes conflicts within us but our guilt about not allowing ourselves to accept the possibility that we can overcome our dilemma, our eternal struggle! It is too much work to consider, it is too impossible! There is a part of us that knows that we can overcome this eternal equation and this is the source of “the dilemma”. It is the pain of overcoming our dilemma that we avoid which appears overwhelming… thus, the eternal struggle for enlightenment. It is truth we seek refuge from!
Most want truth to be flexible; this is what society does for us and this is why institutions exist. They allow truth to be molded, if they even had it to mold in the first place. It is best to believe nothing, than it is to believe wrongly.
The mountain we have convinced ourselves is too high to climb, is there whether we allow ourselves to believe it or not and there is something inside of us that is constantly telling us it is there. This is the source of our inner conflict….our dilemma. Self-deceit occurs when we plant the flag of victory at the base of the mountain without actually finding or climbing the mountain.
We must lay it all on the table and look at the things we know, which for all of us on the earth is very little. We must confess that we are small, that we live on a rock in the middle of space and we have no clue as to how we got here. We must admit our ignorance. We must tell ourselves the truth. We must admit that institutions know as little about that mountain as we do but we must also admit that it is better to assume it is there, rather than not. We must gamble our few years on the earth, for the opportunity of eternal success. It doesn’t matter what the odds are. If we refuse to listen to “social” logic, to accept the unacceptable, to see our lives on the earth for what they truly are, one way or the other, or see ourselves as ignorant and small, we have taken the first step toward wisdom and knowledge. It is the only logical choice we have! To gain wisdom and knowledge, we must sacrifice but in the overall scheme of things, we sacrifice very little!
If the mountain is there, then we must be committed to climb it. Is it self- deceit to realize possibility? We would be remiss if we did not, as long as there is possibility, consider all possibilities. It is after all, truth that fills the void of desire, which provides the boundaries of security.
When we stop telling God what we believe, then maybe we can hear God telling us the truth. If there is a God, if the universe is a place that produces a being capable of living within an eternal society, then we need to accept the possibility of it. We don’t need to believe it but just accept the possibility.
The self-deceiver lives in a world of fantasy. If you lie to yourself about whom you are and where you are, you will never know where you are going; you will never see the mountain and you will never climb it.
Don’t allow your desires to lead you in the direction of least resistance. When we fight our desires it makes us strong. When we become strong then the forces that oppose us become that which makes us strong. When we submit to our desires, it makes us weak.
All of us will eventually evolve into those who can live within an eternal society because of our ability to choose, some sooner than others but this is the direction of evolution. When we take from the universe, we must account for what we have taken and we must make restitution. When we give, we are rewarded. This is a law of physics as well as a law of logic. We must consider this possibility. To avoid even considering the possibility of eternity is self-deceit. When we consider, we become vulnerable but just like in love, if we are not vulnerable to be hurt, then we will never have it!
AUTHOR: J.S. THOMPSON
About the Author…
J.S. Thompson is a retired senior government official with a graduate degree from the University of Texas.