A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle provides a piece of advice for the people who want to become happy. There is no universal recipe every member of the society, as the definition of the concept of happiness is personal and intimate. But the reasons for the person’s feeling happy or unhappy as a rule can be found in the consciousness. Following Tolle’s advice, the readers may learn to recognize the inner voice of their ego and start to control it, to solve the problems with the self-identification, get rid of the masks and establish the priorities in one’s life.
Nowadays people got used to identify themselves with the things they possess, and pay more attention to the outer form instead of the inner content. Surely, the material things are inescapable part of life in its physical dimension. The fact is that it is impossible to find oneself through acquiring things, it results in the problem of the consumption society. The psychology of the consumers makes them buy new and new goods, even if they do not need them at all.
The reason for this social misbalance is in the nature of the selfish ego and inability to be identified through the material things. The ego cannot be satisfied entirely at some point and needs to obtain more and more. People may identify themselves with their physical body, accepting the roles of sufferers or perfect beings in accordance with the state of health. The perception of one’s body may be distorted, when people cannot assess their bodies adequately. For example, a friend of mine was sure of her overweight, notwithstanding the fact, that she was thin and slim. It resulted in serious diseases, as she was starving herself and kept to numerous diets, her body was exhausted.
The problem was rooted in her distorted perception of her body and self-identification with it. It is wrong to limit the identification of oneself to the factors of the material world such as things and physical body. “There was one brain for the spirit, one for the soul, and one for the body, all related in an ascending manner, from gross to subtle” (Course Documents). It means that not using the first two brains properly, the person deprives oneself of the important part of life and is doomed to suffering. People should not be entangled in the material world of things and physical bodies, because the physical surface of things may only prevent them from realizing their content and realizing their value.
Complaining and consequent feeling of resentment are only models of voicing the demands of the inner ego. They are not to be confused with the statements of facts or requests to change the reality. The selfish ego is always implied when the person complains. The centre of any complains is the ego of the person. The inner voice prevents the complaining person from the objective evaluation of the facts and events.
The ego aims at concentrating all the efforts and thoughts of the person at satisfying its demands. Complaining presupposes labeling of other people and resentment is end in itself. They are not aimed at altering the reality and express only feelings of the hurt ego. It is necessary to differentiate between complaints and manifestations of the facts, taking into consideration the role of the ego in the statement. If ego is central in the statement, it is to be regarded a complaint. For example, my neighbour was egocentric, it restricted his life opportunities. He was assured that all the world events inevitably influenced his destiny, while he was in the centre of the Universe.
My neighbour was constantly complaining on the weather, which ruined his plans, on the doctors, which could not diagnose him. His hurt ego prevented him from evaluating the situation objectively and resulted in his resentment. It was funny that even discussing the historical facts of the Second World War he considered it from the point of view of his personal perspectives. It is amazing that he managed to imagine his life if there had been no this war in the history of the Humanity. But even discussing the historical events and providing vivid examples he focused on the impact of the events on his life. He listened to the voice of his ego and was detached from the reality.
At the present moment I remember that previously I did not regard complaining anything special or blameworthy. It was just a model of communication. I thought that complaining could help me to find understanding of my peers. The fact is that expressing of resentment was not my purpose. I thought that I articulated the facts and was rather objective in expressing my opinions. But at the moment, analyzing every word of those statements, communication models which I used, I realize that the role of my personality was too significant in them. I voiced the demands of my ego. It is necessary to increase awareness of the people on the roots of complaining and resentment, realizing that it is only the voice of ego, they will be able to control it.
The contemporary society induces its members to wear numerous masks, but this pressure may result in physical disorders and unhappiness. The generally accepted standards of the American society make people despise losers and be afraid of demonstrating one’s weakness to others. The mentality of the nation presupposes not sincere answers to not sincere questions. People ask one another about health and business, but it does not mean that they are really interested in it.
It does not mean that the interlocutor answers frankly either. Sharing one’s problems would be regarded impolite. On the other hand, hypocritical mask of happiness is a lie. The question is whether a person, playing a role of a successful and happy member of the society realizes the real state of affairs, whether he/she takes the mask off, being in solitude. The fact is that the opportunities for being left alone are rarely provided by the present day community. “Technology is taking away our privacy and our concentration, but it is also taking away our ability to be alone” (Course Documents).
The process of communication does not stop for a moment, even being a prisoner in one’s room; the person receives messages and answers the phone. It is very important to find time for solitude and to be frank with oneself. In case if the person is unhappy, the recognition of this fact and analysis of the roots for unhappiness will help to change the existing situation. For example, once I was disappointed because my friends could not go with me for a vacation.
But spending a week alone, I used the opportunity to be myself in all situations, analyzed my way of life. Returning to my study, I realized that it was a good rest, I got rid of my mask of a happy person and realized that I felt happy at that moment. Being left alone, the person has the opportunity to listen to the inner voice. Taking off the masks and refusing to play the social roles, the person realizes the significance of the inner comfort and balance and reaching the state of happiness, people may not need the masks in the future.
People with the strong pain-body are often antagonized by the surrounding. The fact is that the energetic field of the pain body is strong enough to be felt by others. Feeling pain-body, the person should not struggle with it or blame oneself for this feeling, it is necessary to accept it. “Accepting means you allow yourself to feel whatever it is you are feeling at that moment” (Tolle 113). Suppressed feelings usually have volcano effect; as subduing one’s nature, the person deprives oneself of the right for free self-expression and reduces one’s self-esteem. I think that I felt pain-body after a serious conflict with my friend.
Ego, as a rule making people complain, chose another strategy that time and made me hide my resentment. I suppressed my feelings and did not demonstrate them. I wore a mask of indifference. It was necessary to analyze the reasons for my resentment, to hear the inner voice and look for the ways to change the situation. The measures that were to be taken in the situation are analysis of the events and one’s feelings provoked by them. The next point should be acceptance of the feelings and separating the influence of the inner world on the evaluation of the events from the objective reality. The suppressed feelings found no relief.
Transformed into another kind of energy, the negative emotions still could not come to nought and resulted in the formation of the pain-body. The pain-body filled a significant part of me, it was too great to hide it behind the mask. It happens rather often, that the hypercritic mask of happiness and the white smile cannot deceive the surrounding, feeling the pain- body on the energetic level. The only way out was to ignore the inner voice and look for the optimal solution from the outside. But before taking the course I was unable to differentiate my ego, that is why my pain-body grew and I did not know how to handle it.
The process of self-identification may be complicated by many other factors, beside the pain-body, awareness of one’s ego and separation of its voice from one’s consciousness is among the most important of them. “You are not the ego, so when you become aware of the ego in you, it does not mean you know who you are – it means you know who you are not” (Tolle 115). The process of self-identification is entangled and full of challenges. A person may be confused and choose the wrong way for self-identification. One of the most popular ways is to identify oneself with the possessions in the physical world, such as things or clothes. Another wrong choice is self-identification with one’s body.
But the most important issue is separating og the voice of one’s ego, awareness of its qualities and characteristic features. The inner voice as a rule contradicts the impulses of the person. The processes in the inner world are often more complicated and more entangled than their outer manifestations. For example, taking the course, I started to differentiate the voice of my ego. My parents wanted me to help them when there was an interesting movie on TV.
My ego would have made me complain and accuse them of exploitation, but I differentiated this impulse as the inner voice. I separated the factors hurting my ego, accepted them and tried to evaluate the causes of the resentment and the motivation for the complaint. Having assessed the situation, I found the way out and asked my friend to record the film for me. Not being able to control the process of thinking, people may differentiate the inner voice of ego with the aim of more successful self-identification. Every person is to answer the question what disturbs him/her in order to understand the true priorities and sources for motivation.
It is not easy to understand oneself, as getting accustomed to wearing numerous masks and playing various roles the person is unable to identify one’s own nature behind entire complex of the social standards. Several layers of the social inducement prevent the members of the society from sincere and direct self-expression. The actions of a person do not coincide with the words, while the words do not coincide with the self-identification. Realization of one’s nature will not change it, but without this realization the person cannot use all the potential and the provided opportunities.
The state of consciousness is reflected in the inner purpose of a person, nobody can help to identify it. It is difficult to realize it, but the person’s actions are not important for identification of the true purpose, the person’s nature is the thing that matters. There are inner and outer purposes in the life of every human. The inner purpose is more important and is connected with the category of Being. The secondary purpose displays the outer manifestations of the outer manifestation of the inner purpose and is connected with the actions of a person.
Definition of the purpose is as important for every person as the choice of direction for the ship in the sea. “There is no substitute for finding true purpose” (Tolle 155). The inner purpose may be regarded true, as it is prior to the secondary one, and is very important to establish the priorities in the life. “Don’t get entangled in the world;
don’t lose yourself in emptiness” (Housden 138). Concentrating on reaching the secondary goal a person may lose the reference points, be confused and move in the wrong direction. For example, some my fellow students try to catch every moment of their campus life and forget about their consciousness and Being. A person may be happy only on the condition that he/she realizes what is really important in this life, not taking into consideration the empty, not important and not valuable things.
To go beyond the mere survival the person is expected to dig into one’s consciousness and separate its different layers and their role in one’s life. People always choose what they want. This choice may be not voiced, but there is no need to articulate it. Without full understanding of one’s nature, ego and inner purpose the person may think that control over one’s destiny is lost, but it does not mean that the choices are influenced by some outer factors.
It is said that certain people attract certain company and certain events. It is reasonable, viewing this through the perspective of their unawareness of who they are and a system of choices that may seem occasional to the stranger, but which in fact appear to be logical and predictable. Realizing who the person is helps to define his/her true purpose, while realization of the purpose enables people not to be surprised at the events in one’s destiny and accept them as they are.
The ways through which consciousness can influence the behaviour standards of the person and consequently flow into the physical world of things is named modality. Being tired of the daily routine I try to communicate with my family, which reminds me what is really valuable. Communication with my parents helps me to choose one of the three modalities for using the creative power of Universe. “Returning to the root, you find the meaning; chasing appearances, you lose their source” (Housden 138). The energy of Universe directs people, there is sense in not resisting it and using its support. To be responsible for every one’s action or step it is important if not enjoy, at least accept the measures that are to be taken in certain situation. For example, I do not feel enthusiastic at taking pills and having injections when I fall ill.
But I realize that following the doctor’s instructions is compulsory for sooner recovery. I accept that I have to do these unpleasant things. The next modality is enjoying one’s actions. Being concentrated on the end result it may be difficult to be get pleasure from the process. But it is useful to pause for a moment, change the angle of view and consider the process as a whole. Shifting emphasis to some pleasant details may relieve the stress and encourage for continuation of the process.
The question is in the person’s ability to enjoy the activity itself. Some people do not allow themselves to enjoy what they do looking for excuses such as lack of time. The third and the most fruitful of the modalities is enthusiasm, which is mutually exclusive with ego. Choosing one of the existing modalities for flowing of one’s consciousness into the physical dimension, letting the power of the Universe to direct it, people may reach the appropriate self-identification and become happy.
The book A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle inevitably influences consciousness and life style of the readers. The new perspectives for interpreting the facts are opened before the readers. Changes in consciousness result in the changes of behaviour. The book teaches not only to look for the new angles of view, but alters the way of thinking in general. Being able to recognize one’s ego, the person solves the problems with one’s self-identification, establishes the priorities and pays more attention to the inner purpose and the spiritual life, reaching the state of happiness instead of wearing a mask of a happy person.
Bibliography
Housden, Roger. Ten Poems to Last a Lifetime. Harmony Books, 2004: 143.
Tolle, Eckhart. A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose. Dutton, 2005: 315.