choosing a side

We are all complicated beings. There are multiple layers to us dictated by our fears, wants, desires, anxieties, and insecurities. The world around us that is filled with billions of humans is equally, if not more, complex and difficult to navigate through.

With so many voices and noises around us, and so many differences and distractions pushing and pulling us, it’s natural to feel conflicted and confused. If we’re not careful, the tug of war of these forces may eventually consume us and tear us apart. There comes a time when we need to pick a side.

Living as a ‘gray’ person comes with its cost, and we need to commit to go towards one direction — either black or white. We need to choose either Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde within us.

We all have the choice — to walk the path of a philosopher, a Yogi, and a sage, and focus relentlessly on winning the battles within and becoming a better person, or become a puppet of the society, and stand with the mob and the negative and evil forces, becoming whatever the people around us need at a given moment and thus live a life based on their rules.

In order to go through the sacred union within us, i.e. uniting ourselves with our Higher Self, we need to let go of the external forces of the world. Our internal integrations will prevent us from getting torn by the society. As we pursue the path of self-awareness, personal growth and becoming a better version of ourselves, we also protect ourselves from external disintegration and put an end to the battle within.

We need to choose a side — to unite with our Inner Being, or to unite with the negativity in the outside world. There’s no middle path in this regard. As Epictetus instructs in one of his lectures, “These things don’t go together. You must be a unified human being, either good or bad. You must diligently work either on your own reasoning or on things out of your control — take great care with the inside and not what’s outside, which is to say, stand with the philosopher, or else with the mob!”