Ah Wisdom, with Guns.

Several years ago I saw a woman on television who explained she had been neurotic about her dogs, but thanks to numerous self help books she now understands them perfectly, knows how to pander to their every whim and how their relationship proves all her past odd behaviours and beliefs to be appropriate. In short she was even more neurotic but happier with the justifications she’d invented and that the books had helpfully confirmed. She had managed to construct out of the astute nuggets of wisdom within these books conclusions their authors would cringe at. As I see it there are only three reactions to learning some truth, laughter, tears or anger. The response of, “Mmm, ah now I understand” is a sure fire indication one has simply concluded something one wanted to believe in the first place. As with this woman this is not new found wisdom but more justification of one’s ongoing unawareness. Wisdom is often painful at first. It’s when you don’t want to hear what you need to know. Our conscious self will gladly apply the disciplines of wisdom to others whilst maintaining our own comfortable cosy den of justifications. ‘You have so much work on you need to buck your ideas up, whereas I have so much work I need to chill out.’ Isn’t it odd the same situation can lead to two very different conclusions? If you’re ever tempted to tread the labyrinthine paths of self-realisation it’s worth remembering that nine out of every ten signposts you encounter will lead you to that same comfy den of self-justification. It’s just the same old nonsense dressed up in new ideas like an Ikea kitchen. Only the tenth, the one overgrown with stinging nettles, dank, dim, threatening, absurd, haunted, that appears would take all your courage to survive, might get you somewhere. Recently I heard of a reputably wise teacher saying, “Enlightenment is just one big grin.” Now I know some pretty wise people but they would never ever say that. Why? Because the 100% of us who aren’t enlightened will respond by grinning. It maybe true but grinning sure as hell don’t make it so. It’s like a man who had a cart and bought a horse to get it places quicker. As it was the cart he wanted to get there quickest he put the cart in front of the horse. Nice idea but zero progress. But maybe I’m being hard on this teacher. If he’d just flattened his thumb with a hammer and said it with an ironic laugh through his wince of pain I would respect him. If he said it with a grin….. Wisdom is far subtler than those who think they’re wise. And I should know :))))))))))))