No, Life is Not a Battle
Life can feel like one endless battle. We struggle to survive, then we strive to have more, then we fight to protect what we have.
We see others as enemies who pose a threat to our ability to increase our share. We believe there are limited resources in this world, so we are forced to take in order to improve our lot — then we must fortify what we've acquired so it can not be taken back.
We see ourselves as adversaries too. We are hard on ourselves. Every day is a fight to control our thoughts, suppress our emotions and bring our bodies under subjection. Failure is never an option, we must succeed or die trying.
The typically feel-good personal growth industry has shifted to turning us into soldiers. We are told to "unf*ck ourselves" and "become bulletproof" because our "ego is the enemy". Some shades of feminism are also converting women into warriors. Self-compassion and self-love are too weak. Instead, we have to "wash our faces" because "we are bad*sses" and just need to "lean in".
Nature too is a nemesis that must be dealt with. She has to be cleared or heavily cultivated to make room for our castles and serve our creature comforts. Anything or anyone that stands in our way is seen as an evil that must be controlled or eradicated. So we beat, defeat and repeat, without ever really knowing what we are fighting for.
There are a thousand hacking at the branches of evil to one who is striking at the root — Henry David Thoreau
In the midst of never-ending warfare, we can't see the illusion we are in. This physical plane — what we can observe with our five senses — has become a battleground. Yet the real threat is the limitation of our consciousness. As we've progressed materially, we've digressed spiritually. We increasingly see ourselves as being distinct from everyone and everything else. This state of separateness is responsible for the notion of "good vs. evil" and other polarizing concepts.
Even within our own being there is constant conflict between the mind, body and spirit. The most prolific mental, physical and emotional conditions are inflammation-based, our inner mechanisms stuck in fight or flight mode. We are not at peace with ourselves because our entire focus is on the acquisition of tangible things, to the detriment of the intangible.
Though evil, in the religious sense, is not an idea that I believe in, if there be any evil it is disconnection. It's the belief that we can't be satisfied unless we are conquering someone or something. It's interesting that those who are fortunate enough to obtain far more than they could ever need are the most competitive. The quest for more becomes an insatiable urge, and rivalry over resources the end goal.
Is there ever a point when enough is enough? As a reformed minimalist, I believe the universe is abundant and humans are meant to pursue their desires without restriction. The issue is that what we actually desire is clouded by superficial wants that don't satiate us.
As we become more independent the "me against the world" mentality takes precedence over harmony, and we are driven to fight over things that don't even matter. We yearn for enduring happiness but we suffer because of this short-sightedness. Raising our consciousness, then, involves getting to the root of the real evil. We have to overcome the illusion of separateness which compels us to compete and stir up conflict without cause.
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. The striving to free oneself from this delusion is the one issue of true religion. Not to nourish the delusion but to try to overcome it is the way to reach the attainable measure of peace of mind. — Albert Einstein
Knowing and living in alignment with what matters most, instead of chasing after what someone else has, is the first step in attaining personal and collective peace. The more in tune with our true desires, the happier we become and the less we perceive life as a battle. Moreover, the less we see others as a threat to our ability to thrive, the more connected we can become. This connection fosters collaboration that leads to win-win outcomes and even more abundance for all.
