Even after years of independence, we are not truly free. We think we are because we are capable of doing what we want and go wherever we feel like, etc. But that is still an illusion. There is something else deep down inside enslaving us that is stopping us from living our lives to the fullest possibility and experience its grandeur. What exactly is it?
Our Mind
That is right. One of the biggest tools we have with us has enslaved us for ages. If you observe your mind carefully, just notice how many thoughts it has, and the variety they exhibit.
The mind just jumps randomly from one point to the other, showing you different memories and possible fantasies from random and unrelated topics. And this keeps on happing throughout the day.
As Osho once said, the mind is a mad monkey. Just watch your mind for thirty minutes and write all your thoughts down on a piece of paper. Then just show it to anyone. They will surely certify you as mad!
No Focus
We just can’t focus on anything properly. The mind is very cunning, and the thoughts suck us. We enjoy every memory and fantasy that comes inside and then forget them as soon as the next one comes. This is why we don’t realize that we have wasted most of our days watching mental films.
Even in sleep, we do not sleep properly. Our dreams interfere. Because of the desires and fantasies we have throughout the day, the mind tries to fulfill them in the subconscious. Have you ever noticed that even though you sleep for 8 or 9 hours, you need someone else to wake you up?
Or even if you wake up on your own, you don’t wake up fresh, alert, and active. The eyes are sticky and trying to close themselves, the head keeps dropping, the yawning continues, and all that drama.
Why this happens is because the body never rests properly. It doesn’t shut down properly before sleeping. The mind is always working and being used. Hence, no matter how much you sleep, you’ll wake up mentally exhausted.
Because of this, people have started sleeping way more than the body actually needs, and still aren’t satisfied.
No Rest
Even after waking up, we cannot just sit. We always need something to occupy us. If we are sitting idle, we will use the phone and scroll through social media. And if we don’t have that, we will make up our own fantasies and keep talking to ourselves.
The mind is cunning, and it wants to be occupied. And its tendencies have enslaved us, forcing us to live in its way. All our lives, we react to things based on our tendencies. We let our minds guide us.
This is why we all live compulsively, and not consciously. The mind wants all your attention, and it doesn’t even stop at that. It wants the attention, approval, and validation of the world around it as well.
That is the reason why many people live for others and not for themselves. They spend their entire lives doing things for others’ approval, and not for attending to their love and interests.
Your mind is one of the greatest tools you have. Learn to harness its power rather than be enslaved by it.