We Are A Scam - Santosh Jha (books to read in a lifetime txt) 📗

of nature, both within the nature of the body-mind consciousness as well as the nature outside in physically and tangibly expressed domain. It says that anyone can decipher the practical realism that the flow of energy of gratification is also joyous but it ends up in the finality of pain and emptiness. Whereas, the energy flow of detached consciousness keeps augmenting like a flame in the fireplace, which is self-energized by constant offering of renounced elements of consciousness.

There is this very pragmatic and self-evident realism that the powerful energy of joy in consumption and gratification is entwined with its end in pain and discontinuity. There is this famous metaphor of equating it with the joy of itching. It starts with so much pleasure when we scratch an itch. If we continue with it, it finally ends up in sharp pain and even bleeding in very short time. The idea is that the very core and perennial realization of painful mortality and regret of any gratification joy, even while we are at the peak of its enjoyment is there from the very start. The fruit of gratification has seeds of pain and regret of its inevitable discontinuity loaded within it. The human consciousness is always aware about this reality and therefore, in ignorance, it opts for denial and deception of self. It denies death and continues with pleasurable itch-enterprises. This is scam and primary trade of 99.9 percent.

Yogic philosophy lists three broad types of grief and pain for humans. As it is the essential nature of a tangible gratification element, the person who starts enjoying it has this grief and pain well on in his or her mind that this joy shall finally land him or her in trouble. It is in fact instantaneous. People globally know that more people are dying because of overeating and overindulgence. The moment you overeat, you start feeling uneasy. As is human instinct, there is also a sense of guilt after the action, which we happily ignore and deny but it is stored in the subconscious. This is first type of grief.

The second grief emanates out of the mortality and discontinuity of the very element of tangible gratification. If I have million dollars, I am always stressed and in perpetual consternation that this money I may lose in business or in other way. Worse, the moneys may be robbed or authorities may take it away as tax. Worst enough; I am also unhappy that my neighbor probably has more wealth and better prospect of being wealthier than me.

The third grief is that when I have once got the taste of a particular gratification, it is stored in my memory and subconscious mind. When finally the gratification is no more available to me, its memory becomes an excruciating source of grief and pain.

It has to be clearly understood why and what we are talking about. We are talking about how every matter we get associated with, sparks off intangible feel to it. The feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideology, philosophy et al associated with anything we do and act, are intangible spin offs, which we never ever distinguish as human possessions. This all happens only to humans and it happens because, we are not purely animals and what makes us not purely animal, but a mix of it is the exclusivity of Consciousness. The above-mentioned intangibles are our wealth, our exclusive possessions because as humans we have consciousness. However, this very intangible entity is also our worst curse as we humans are genius in squandering potentials and worth of best of the values. Why?

The complex and layered brain system we humans have; has made this unique Consciousness possible in we humans. Other complex animals also have consciousness but very simple, small and limited one. Human consciousness has evolved in time to reach a level of exclusivity, which is our prized possession but an equally potent tool of destruction and corruption. Our consciousness makes us think, observe and feel in a way, no other animal can do. As we have consciousness, we can sit on the observation of causality around us and can realize a chain of future, which animals cannot. Our evolved consciousness makes us regret, feel and experience. Our consciousness engenders loads of intangibles for us and as consciousness itself is an intangibility, all humans are designed to be ruled majorly by intangibles of feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideology, philosophy et al.

No doubt, we still have a huge animal system under subconscious domain, which works in an auto-mode basis, guided by wired instincts. However, as is the design of our brains and subsequent creation of aware self-consciousness, we humans shall always be conflicted by the intangibles, which our evolved consciousness always throws before us. This is scam of evolution we have talked before. The intangibilities has done us in and it has happened because, we have evolved and complex consciousness plexus, which is exclusive to humans. We are aware of our own death and this cannot be denied. Denying it is scammed cognition. Those who understand and accept death; keep mortality idea at the forefront of their life-living wellness, shall always align with intangibles; especially the best intangibility of Compassion.

That is why, we have no choice but to drop out of the animalistic instincts of survival-optimization based instinctive thinking and shift to consciousness-based aware and thoughtful living, which prioritizes intangibles and not tangibles.

This is what we were talking, when we deliberated about this 3000 year old philosophy. It prescribes that as humans we are designed and destined to remain aligned not with tangibles and matters of consumption but with intangibles like love, affection, compassion, fraternity, association, cooperation, etc. As humans our best possessions are not tangibles of moneys and wealth but intangibles of thoughts, ideas, experiences, imaginations et al. Our body make-up may instinctively assign us to indulgence with tangibles but as we humans are not purely animals; we have consciousness, we are split and shall always be conflicted and confused with tangibles. Indulgence shall always fill us up with regret, fear, anger et al. That is why the righteousness and utility for humans is intangibles.

It is the consciousness, which essentially creates this feeling of ‘I’, ‘Me’ or ‘Self’ in humans. This feeling of self is exclusive to humans and is a definite intangible. Very naturally, it is not animalistic and should not associate with anything animal. Humans are defined by this perpetual realization of the feel of ‘I’ and therefore, humans should always align with intangibles. This is our design. Now the next thing is to understand, why this design is a great possession yet our worst enemy.

As we have consciousness, we are troubled as it makes us decide things on the basis of thoughts, faith, imagination, beliefs, etc, which are all intangibles. Consciousness creates this exclusive sense of ‘I’ or ‘Me’ – a very personal domain. This subjective or personal sense and feel of ‘I’ or self is so powerful media that it accepts all realities only through subjective and personal prism. This creates plurality of reality. Every human being perceives and accepts everything from the perspective of his or her subjective/personal beliefs, thoughts, faith, imagination etc. This in turn creates conflicts between people. That is why there is this singular express need for knowledge of Reality for every human as this alone shall qualify him to be human.

We are born with this design of consciousness, which makes us very distinct from all other animals but this consciousness is a huge trouble because of its association with intangibles as it creates different realities for different people. Therefore, having consciousness as our design essentially scams us; making us half animal and half human. This half animal and half human shall always be the most corrupted and dangerous species in Universe. All of us are born with a scam of evolution and as we grow and mature, we need the holistic knowledge of Reality, so that we de-scam our consciousness and all humans could have singular basis of intangibles. This humanity has never done and that is why this human world remains a mega theatre of scams, scammed cognitions and scamsters.

So, what we are trying to arrive at by mentioning this idea about Mortality and Death, which classical spiritual philosophy has documented well, is the causality between tangible and intangible. Our consciousness has scammed us and it has exposed us to a subjective and personal sense of ‘I’ or self. It is very natural that our consciousness is always aware about our death and mortality. We are aware of our own reality. However, as we are essentially our consciousness and it is invested in intangibles, we must have complete and holistic knowledge of Reality and never ever accept part reality. We need to be very skeptical of our feelings, emotions, thoughts, ideology, philosophy et al as they have the propensity to be subjective and personal. Reality is always objective, singular and a-personal. We also must be brave and confident enough to accept Reality in its holism and entirety.

Not only death; we need to accept all realities singularly and objectively. There is no other option available. Our consciousness has left us with no option. Every human shall be aware of Realities and feel unsettled. However, we all have to ensure that we do not stand in denial of any reality, including death and progress continuously on the journey of knowledge of Reality. This alone shall help us remain in stable and sustained homeostatic equilibrium, physically, emotionally, intellectually, psychologically and spiritually.

The primary empowerment for all of us is Acceptance. Realities, not only death but all infinite ones, which human life is encircled with, are not only inescapable and unchangeable; they are also very much randomized probabilities. This is first acceptance, which is the toughest one but also option-less. Denials and deception of Realities land us in worse situations than acceptance can ever put us into. Acceptance is the smart choice and also the only choice. Only acceptance can open the doors of compassion of consciousness. It then can make things easy.

Second acceptance has to be about the situation and position of an individual life – I, You or anyone. An individual is not even a dust particle in the vastness of the universe. The Earth, we live on may poorly qualify to be compared as a dust particle, when we consider the colossal expanse of the cosmos. Therefore, second important acceptance is the Humility that you, me or we do not matter in the macrocosmic scheme of things. At best, the entire millions of species on Earth can at best be considered one unit of cognizable Reality, in the infinity of cosmic mechanisms and processes. This humility is the critical element for compassion to sustain and last in consciousness.

Third acceptance is about purpose and role of the life of an individual. The very humanly designed definition and perception of the terms purpose and role is the seed of most of the troubles of human lives. However greatness you achieve in your short life of 100 years, first, it is such a negligible bubble in the life of the universe. Secondly, what is the use if you are not anyway aware of the feel of greatness and the possible accolades, as you are already dead. Thirdly, may be a bunch of people shall remember you as great for few years, which is nothing considering the lifespan of Earth; still, there shall be another bunch of people, who shall abuse and despise you as greatness of all sorts are always good for some and bad for many. We can see it with contemporary greats of humanity. Also, indulgence and consumptive freaks to ‘enjoy’ life as much, before death comes calling, is far greater a stupidity. All consumptive and material joys and satisfaction are designed to last only for a few moments. The ephemeral nature of joys is also inescapable reality. You can never have enough and lasting joys of great food, sex, et al. The ‘Itch-Reality’ is another dimension of the joys,