The unhappy westerners –a society of spectators

So why are people unhappy and stressed in the western world? I'm not saying that people in the third world or the middle east aren't unhappy,….just that usually, people in those places are unhappy because they struggle with hunger, disease and the elements. Their suffering is a simpler one. I'm not saying that it doesn't hurt as bad. The problems poor people have can be solved with physical means. They are simple problems with an uncomplicated solution. I think people living in societies with low economic mean suffer more physically and people in the western world suffer spiritually.  Some of the greatest philosophers, poets, writers and artists of European origin have struggled their whole life to give meaning to life, and in the end….came up short of a real answer. Some even concluded that life has no real meaning, and that it is all in vain.  They even believed that human beings are meant to suffer, bound by their condition. The people that come up with this answer are usually those of greater intelligence and education. Intelligence and education put together….this is important.  So why is that? Why is the suicide rate in the occident astronomically high in comparison with that in the orient or Africa? Why do more rich and educated people come to believe that life is pointless?? Why do more people living in complex societies find no reason to live? Is it because they've seen it all and done it all and ran out of any real challenges? Is it because they ran out of things to do and to experience? Is it because they live a superficial life based on activities rather than actions and are mindlessly driven by material fulfillment? I think all of these can be true. It is the loss of meaning rather than purpose that drives people insane. This is a very important affirmation. It is in this matter that western and eastern thinking become fundamentally different. Western society needs to always give life purpose , and to continuously drive the individual towards achieving new goals and to fulfill new desires. This hides the fact that this society has no real answer when it comes to the meaning of life.  A great number of individuals, of lesser or normal intelligence, fall victim to this goal-driven type of existence. This keeps them busy and gives them a reason to live, while utterly ignoring any profound spiritual meaning that life can offer. However, this only works up to a point, and only with superficial, ego-driven or less-intelligent people. This is where stress, anger and suffering come into play. Unable to fulfill their next superficial desire, or lacking any new objectives in life people become essentially empty. It is at this point that they begin to struggle and try to find a meaning to it all. When no answer is provided or they are unable to understand the answer, people either become insane or spectators. This is very interesting. Those deprived of love and social contact, which are intelligent enough, lose their mental integrity. They essentially become disconnected from reality because they cannot face it. I call this the intellectual way of becoming insane. Many great thinkers and artist suffered from this at one point. This mental condition is caused by a profound spiritual crisis. However, it is avoidable and even reversible.  It is a sort of a fake degenerative disease of the mind. Those lucky few who can see beyond their memory, education and knowledge become enlightened. I will talk about this a bit later. The intellectual madman is the minority case of the two presented above. The vast majority of western sufferers are the so called spectators. At least, I call them that. They are the people who lost any REAL purpose in life and who can find any profound meaning but don't even try. To them, life is uneventful and pointless. They are too scared to live their life as they dream, and therefore are spectators. They let other people live their life and accomplish their dreams for them, while they just watch. They watch in movies, they watch on tv, they read in books and whiteness on the internet. They are the ultimate spectators.  But few things really impress them anymore, and they have few things they feel strongly about. Because life is pointless there is no need to fight for anything or stand up for what they believe in. They just watch, while governments and companies dictate the rules and act on their behalf. They are essentially watching a big movie, waiting for it all to end. War? What do they care? It doesn't hurt them, right? Loss of civil rights? What do they care….they don't even exercise most of their rights or even know them….World chaos or crisis? Ehh….perhaps it's better that way, they don't like the world that much anyway. This is what happens when there is no spirituality and all meaning is lost. Emptied of all passion for life and unsatisfied by what is offered to them, people just give up on happiness. This is what I call the spectator syndrome. I believe that most of us so called westerners are at some stage of becoming a madman or a spectator. All because one little notion – MEANING.  Religion is but a partial answer to this problem, as it offers a doctrine and does not satisfy the natural intelligence of the human being. It's just another set of rules. Many shamans and mystics believe that religion is the worst thing that mankind has done to God. They have turned the almighty presence of nature ant the universe itself into  narrow minded, dogmatic thinking. This is not the fault of the wise men themselves (Jesus, Mohamed, Buddha, Lao Tzu) but the fault of their followers who perverted and misled others using religion.

                So, what is this fundamental difference of thinking between west and east? What is the difference between the philosopher and the mystic? Why is the educated philosopher unhappy while the mystic dances in the rain? Why does the philosopher feel the need to rationalize and explain the world using his so called knowledge?  Why does the mystic feel the presence of god and acts every second of his life driven by pure creative energy? All perfectly valid questions. I bet the philosopher looks at the mystic and says- look at this mad man, how he behaves so irrational and illogical!! He does not know that his rationality and knowledge are his main constrains. The mystic looks at the philosopher, as he sits surrounded by his books, all alone in his dark study, trying to find the formula for life and says—why don't you leave your books for a minute and come outside to dance! It's a beautiful day! Stop trying to put life in a book and live it!!! The philosopher answers—Nonsense!! There will be a day like this later!! I don't have time to waste on dancing and singing!! But that day never comes for him, because he forgot how to live. He says that he is trying to accomplish something. But what is the meaning of his accomplishment?? Does his purpose have a real meaning, or is it just the struggle to outrun his own madness and unhappiness. You need to learn meditation, the enlightened mystic says to him. You need to empty your mind of stress and memory and let God flow thru you. All the answers will come to you then… --This is pointless!!! Says the philosopher. I'd rather kill myself then waste my life like you do!-- Don't you know that all life is sacred? Says the mystic disappointed, and leaves to admire the sunset…

People, you need to realize that spirituality is not a hobby, to attend to in your spare time, if there's nothing good on tv !!!!! Love and be loved. Bring happiness to the world and be creative. Respect the sacred nature of life and of all creation. Learn to appreciate nature, and realize that a single flower is more valuable than a whole empty galaxy. Smell that flower and admire it, and understand that it is one of the ultimate products of the universe and its complexity. All the answers are there for you to find. There is no better place for you to be then there, in that fresh spring field, admiring that flower. It is the ultimate savor of your ultimate privilege--consciousness.  Is it hard to live in the moment? Is it hard to do what you are passionate about and to be an original creator? By definition, it is impossible for that to be a burden. However, you must first let go of prejudice and fully understand yourself. Anything else is a waste of your time.  Mystics have given a very nice definition of time—Time is the measuring unit that allows thought to become reality. So? How are you spending your time?