The Veil

A man may travel the far corners of the Earth, and find not a single genuine human.

 

Stand witness to a social gathering.

Should you have the eyes and the heart to see it,

And you will find not a single true human in the room.

 

Laughter hides pain.

Smiles conceal wounds.

Intelligence conceals insecurities.

 

In some ways, a human longs for nothing more than to be Seen.

In other ways, it is his greatest fear.

 

Listen to the words being spoken.

They are a word salad.

Predictable reactions to trite statements.

Gossip.

Loathing.

Resentment.

Outrage.

Hyperinflated joy.

Forced laughter.

Mock kindness.

 

A husband and wife demonstrating an heir of matrimonial harmony.

Concealing the years of discord.

 

The lonely type, seeking companionship.

 

The attention-addict, making jokes in a desperate attempt to garner laughter as if his life depended upon it.

 

The “good” man, excessively displaying manners, kindness, and good graces. To an extent far beyond that which he would do in a non-social setting.

 

The “cultured” man speaking in different languages. And demonstrating a suspiciously inflated appreciation for the wait staff.

 

The “intellectual” asking others if they have read books. Carefully choosing the titles with which he is most familiar, so that the conversation may allow him the perfect and most “convenient” opportunity to matter-of-factly display his knowledge of the topic.

 

Every social gathering is an escape from pain, and a salacious bid at pleasure.

Humans spend their lives hiding from themselves.

It is why mood-altering ingested liquids and substances are rampant in every corner of the globe.

 

Ask a man why he failed, and he will spout a dozen ready-made excuses with such precision that it becomes abundantly clear that he has rehearsed them to perfection.

Ask a man why he succeeded, and he will say it is because of luck, hard work, or his intelligence.

The Truth is, neither of them knows.

But they cannot bring themselves to admit this.

 

The only human being who publicly says I Do Not Know . . . is the one who uses this to proudly demonstrate how “humble” he is.

There is enormous ego in “egoless-ness.”

 

The man who has found spirituality has not truly found it for itself. He has found within it a jewel of a possibility. He has found within it a way to sound “selfless” while secretly gaining the pleasure of selfishness.

What a great luxury spirituality has provided. It is no wonder that it has become all the rage.

“Serve others.”

“Be kind.”

“Forgive.”

“Keep a gratitude journal.”

“Love all.”

“Practice loving-kindness.”

“Conscious capitalism.”

“Be charitable.”

“Give away all your money.”

 

The four noble truths can be bought off the shelf for $3.95.

The ten commandments can be had for even less.

 

But Buddha and Jesus are not Buddha and Jesus only in public.

Buddha and Jesus are Buddha and Jesus when there is no one around.

 

Buddha may speak of kindness, the four noble truths, and various other anemic and wholly impotent prescriptions in order to appease the masses.

But in the quiet of a cave, sitting before a man who genuinely seeks the Truth, his words would be very different.

Revealing Truths to the masses does not create enlightened humans.

It creates Parrots.

 

The desire to be “good” and “noble” and “holy” and “spiritual” is a charade.

It is, at its grain and fundament, a desire to Be Seen as such.

 

A human is a cowardly egomaniac.

He will sell his own mother if it would support his self-image.

There is not a thing that he does that is not centered in ego.

 

When he is with others, he attempts to show off, while making all attempts to conceal his intentions.

When is alone, he imagines himself being celebrated and liked by others.

 

Let a man examine his life with a genuine eye, and he will not find but a morsel that is Truth.

Not even the love for his children has been spared by his ego.

It is a love-like thing.

But who in the mass of humanity is ready for such raw Truths.

 

A man may travel the far corners of the Earth, and find not a single genuine human.

One who is neither boastful or humble.

One whose self-conflicts, should they exist, center around his own internal detections of ego, rather than from the shame of having been caught displaying it to others.

One who is so smitten by his own insecurities, that he is devoted to discovering their sources.

One who has nothing to give to or take from humans, having seen that there is nothing they can possibly give to him.

One who lives in a quiet and innocent shame for not yet having naturally arrived at what Buddha and Jesus did.

One who believes neither in his own goodness or badness. Recognizing that any and all self-images are but shameless lies.

One who is so devoted to learning, that teaching happens by accident.

 

Having removed all veils, a man looks into the mirror,

And feels not the slightest familiarity or kinship,

With the one who looks back at him.

 

Namaste.