by Ross Bishop
Life is confusing, to say the least. Putting people here to be unhappy and suppress their passion seems pointless, yet that is exactly what happens. But this is not accidental; it is intentional. We were placed here to discover the truth about ourselves. However, this knowledge could not be given to us, as that would have violated our free will. We had to accept the truth on our own. And that is where the challenge begins.
And what is the truth? It’s not easy to describe. Sometimes, you can hear it in a Beethoven symphony or a Bach Cantata or see it in a sculpture by Michelangelo. But my simple words cannot do justice to it.
The purpose of life is to help you realize that you are worthy, so you do not have to live in fear, anxiety, and longing. We, however, spend most of our time in the world of dualities— of good/bad, right/wrong, lovable/unlovable, etc., and are unable to perceive the reality that stands right before us.
I have spent most of my life helping people heal their emotional wounds. It is very challenging for most people to overcome their fears and limiting beliefs to achieve peace. We often feel inherently defective and vulnerable, which can lead to doubts about our lovability and worthiness. It is also hard to convince people that this is not a permanent state.
Most people believe this is who they are and that they deserve it. We are prisoners of beliefs rooted in deep feelings of unworthiness and unlovability. We are told that happiness is possible, but we find it quite hard to achieve. We know we are not who we could be, and yet...
Why are we so powerless against these forces that so profoundly affect and, in many cases, control our lives? We would be happy to become enlightened if it didn’t require us to go through the dark swamp of our shadow selves, and that is where things start to come apart.
We are being asked to change and venture into an unfamiliar state that challenges most of our beliefs about ourselves. That is the setup. Ironically, people don’t want to believe that happiness is a choice because it makes them responsible for the outcome. And if you believe that you are unworthy or unlovable, you would be hesitant to test your worth because, after all, what if your beliefs prove to be true?
The way humans hold on to woundedness is fascinating. On the surface, it seems illogical. You would expect everyone to have a strong desire to let go of their limiting and restrictive negative influences. After all, they cause us a lot of pain. Our beliefs, fueled by our fear of unworthiness, suppress our natural passion and make us miserable. These things hold us back, ruin our lives, and prevent us from being happy.
Most people settle into a mildly satisfying routine and get by the best they can, blaming themselves for their insecurities and failures. They fill themselves with self-criticism and self-condemnation, creating lives that fall well short of their potential. Some have read books, done therapy, and attended workshops, and although these have helped, they have provided few definitive answers.
But there is even more to this. To understand LIFE, we must expand our perspective and see things from a much broader frame of reference, that is, the Creator’s point of view. The human outlook is too narrow and fear-driven. In this same context, becoming enlightened is confusing, and as Sri Nisgardatta Maraj pointed out, "The search for reality is the most dangerous of undertakings, for it will destroy the world in which you live." A puzzle or a riddle is confusing until you solve it. Life remains puzzling until you see it from a wider perspective.
But there is more, much more, to all this. LIFE is not what we have understood it to be. The Creator wants us to live in peace. He encourages us to put our lives into a deeper context that explains who we are and why we exist. He made LIFE as a workshop—an environment—to help us discover the truth about ourselves. He has placed us in a unique learning environment with a remarkable curriculum and an unconventional process. Nothing about this process is accidental. Nothing is random.
We don’t realize it, but each step of your life is carefully designed to guide you toward finding your way home. You are being guided to discover the place where your true self and happiness reside. And, yes, this is mostly achieved through pain! Every time you veer away from the truth (harmony), you will encounter discomfort, sometimes even pain. This is not, as is often thought, punishment but rather a nudge to make us realize that our beliefs have pulled us off center, away from the path of harmony (the truth). As the Buddha said, when he was asked about life, “Life is pain!”
If there were no pain, you probably wouldn’t listen. With pain, you might. The path is also bumpy because we resist making changes and mainly learn from our mistakes. Do something right, and you don’t learn much. But screw up, and well . . .
The purpose of life is to help you realize your worth so that you don't have to live with fear, anxiety, or longing. The process begins by making you believe one set of things about yourself, only to show through life experiences that none of these are true. This understanding enables us to accept the truth about who we really are. It may seem counterintuitive and roundabout, but it helps us hold the truth more deeply than any other method, while also respecting our free will. Although it may seem crazy, this process is incredibly effective.
The problem is that we don’t look beyond our immediate pain and conflict to see where our beliefs have taken us. Our mental constructs create obstacles to peace because they clash with the greater harmony of The Universe. These incomplete areas of awareness make us afraid, keep us living in the shadows, and stop us from acting with compassion. We often see these as flaws in ourselves, but they only show where we are in our growth process.
Think about your childhood. Everyone enters childhood feeling inadequate and leaves feeling wounded. EVERYONE! Three billion people, all facing the same struggle! What are the chances of that? Childhood wounding is intentional because it prepares us to believe the opposite of what we will eventually realize. The beliefs formed in childhood are false. Your beliefs reside in your conscious mind and do not reach the level of truth, even the positive ones! And that is what we are here to do! When you see how perfect this process is, you can't help but stand back in awe!
Every conflict involves two parties: either you arguing with yourself or with another person. If only one of you is upset and the other remains calm, you can have a discussion but not a conflict. There is nothing for the other to fight with! That lesson is present in every stressful encounter we face, but in our current state of development, we often miss those opportunities. That is why there are so many of them.
Adding to the problem is that living by your false beliefs gives you an excuse. You don’t have to step up if you believe you're defective. You get to avoid exposing your vulnerable spots. The truth is, those vulnerable spots only exist in your mind. They are illusions created by your beliefs! And The Universe will tug at every one of those strings until you release them and find harmony.
I have created a workshop to help you work through these issues. You can find it on the website under: Workshops or go to: https://www.rossbishop.com/workshop/
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