Diversions are an enticing fork in our life’s path, offering the false promise of a shortcut to bliss. They beckon to us, appearing more and more attractive as our life becomes more and more stressful and overwhelming. They entice us with the promise of releasing our stress and fulfilling our desires but they are imposters, they need to be unmasked and disenfranchised. They need not necessarily keep us from arriving at our destination, but they will make our trip longer and more arduous. Radio, television, computer games, mobile phones, e-mails, face book, twitter and even exotic holidays which promise us an escape from drudgery to nirvana all entice us away from the genuine search for inner peace. Unlike virtual reality the genuine search for inner peace in our real life cannot be clicked on or off or purchased for the price of an airline ticket to some exotic paradise; it is our life’s journey.
By unknowingly following diversions we regress into our shadow whose tentacles then gain an even firmer grip upon us, encouraged by our Ego as we venture further and further into denial. We risk losing sight of our spiritual center which in turn increases the ease with which we can continue to be diverted from our ultimate destination; reunification with our Divine essence. We feel the symptoms in the endless progression of problems in our life, in our suffering and distress, which result from our Ego’s insatiable appetite for diversions.
It is a dilemma. Diversions which distance us from the serenity, cheerfulness, humour, joy and passion which we crave at the same time make it increasingly difficult to manifest those qualities! They are a drug to our Ego which, now inflated locks us into our childhood ensuring that we never progress beyond emotional infancy, where we continue to feel victimized and respond with an aggressive, blaming, judgmental and easily offended attitude. We seek ‘noise’ in conversation, in music, in what we read and watch and in our relationships. The silence, the stillness, the tranquility necessary for inner growth eludes us, and eventually we are no longer available when our destination comes looking for us. The solution is through mindfully living in the present moment of the here and now, knowing and recognizing when our choices are diverting us from our destination, and allowing this knowledge to inform our Ego that we don’t recognize its authority to direct us to lose our focus.