Naming the Problem

As we grow up in the world, some of us begin to lose our natural trust in the magic and wonder of life. We see how terrible the world can be and begin to doubt life’s capacity for miraculous change. We are educated to believe in the primacy of “things” over dreams.

Over the years, we stray into worlds of time and habit. Our belief in the need to excel in some way, to be or do better than we are, may even grow to overshadow our trust in the perfection of what is. We see people living in a state of conflict with themselves and each other, and some of us may decide that our dreams no longer matter. As much as we would like to believe in magic and possibility, our day-to-day “practical” reality doesn't seem to allow a space for the birth of the fantastic. And so rather than risk the pain and judgment that often accompanies the never-before-tried, we relegate our dreams to the dimensions of art or philosophy. After all, how can we stop to ponder the mysteries of life when there’s so much to do?

The real source of unhappiness in this world is not money, not politics or even religion, for all of these may serve equally well as vehicles for both human agony and ecstasy. The root of human suffering is the illusion of separateness within and among ourselves.