Beyond Delusions and Boundaries: India's Hopeful Horizon

Over the years, I’ve come to realise how much the "Three Delusions"?contribute to our own suffering and everything?that is wrong in the world, including selfishness, greed, hatred, violence, and exploitation of people and the planet.?Virtually none of us is exempt from these “cognitive biases”.

• The first delusion, “I am separate from everything else”, is the ego delusion that makes us unable to see how we are profoundly interconnected with each other, with nature and everything else.?This is what results in “I”, “me”, and “myself”.
• The second delusion is living in a “me-centred universe, " which results in processing everything through the lens of “what does this mean for me?”?We vastly overestimate our personal importance instead of seeing how insignificant and irrelevant we are in the cosmos.
• The third, “I am permanent”, makes us disregard how everything is impermanent and how fleeting and uncertain our life really is.?

These delusions contribute to violence, exploitation and our suffering in various ways.

Consequences of Delusional Thinking

The illusion of separateness is what leads to a lack of empathy for others. When we don’t recognise our interconnectedness, it becomes easy to justify mistreatment or violence towards those we perceive as “others” or “different”. It’s why we so readily exploit each other, nature and our planet.?The belief that “I am the centre of the Universe” is what?leads to an inflated sense of importance, entitlement and selfishness.?This is why we so easily disregard the feelings or needs of others.??The failure to see how short and uncertain our life really is makes us fail to appreciate the moment and constantly chase more relevance, success, wealth or power.

The Greatest Delusion: Separation

I am certain that the worst of these is the delusion of separation.?A friend of mine spent a few years exploring the question “Are human beings fundamentally good or bad” as part of his PhD dissertation. I asked him what he finally concluded.?He said it’s complicated.?

We are good towards those we consider "ours"?and indifferent or even cruel and terrible towards "others".?

Where we draw this boundary and who we define as ‘others’ makes all the difference. This is the root of why we are indifferent to hunger, suffering, discrimination, and even violence because we are able to justify them.?This is how we are able to participate in the exploitation of both people and the planet. This is why we can underpay or abuse employees or domestic help without any conscience. This is why we throw garbage onto the street and show poor civic sense.?And it is why we are able to condone or even participate in violence towards “out-groups”,?which could be based on caste, gender, religion, colour or wealth.?But because we are all inter-connected,?this has personal consequences.?At the very least, it results in a sense of isolation.?It can also produce a high and sustained level of stress, anger, outrage and hatred, affecting our judgment, well-being and ability to be happy.?And, of course, it results in retaliatory emotions and violence.

Is Divisiveness Contributing To The Indian Century?

As India turns 76 today and we celebrate our progress and incredible potential,?it is hard not to be concerned and sad about the increasing divisiveness in our country. It is hard not to look at the violence in Nuh or the carnage in Manipur and wonder where this will lead us.?Are these dynamics and such events contributing to our progress towards an “Indian Century” or a $10 trillion economy or a world power? That may be the biggest delusion.?Yet I am amazed at the number of educated, smart and decent people, including colleagues, friends and family, who are indifferent or worse.?This is the problem with delusions; we lose our judgment and reason. We become unfeeling, less human.

Some of us use religion to justify our prejudices and discrimination. However, every religious theology promotes the idea of interconnectedness. This is not a coincidence, but because all mystical experiences are similar.?

• The essence of Hinduism is Advaita which emphasises the idea of non-duality, asserting that the ultimate reality is a single undivided consciousness that underlies all existence.?Everything in the universe arises from the same source and is interconnected.?Maya is the illusion that creates the perception of duality and separation, and the goal of life is to recognise one’s true nature as identical to Brahman.?
• In Christianity, the central idea is brotherly love; Christ asked us to ‘love thy neighbour as yourself.’?
• In Islam, a central concept is that of Tawhid which emphasises the oneness of God and the interconnectedness of all beings and, therefore, the importance of treating others with kindness, respect and compassion.?
• Buddhism teaches karuna, or Compassion, as a central virtue and emphasises the importance of empathy and compassion for all living beings for our well-being.?An important Buddhist practice is “metta”, or cultivating loving-kindness towards oneself and others.

Religion has been distorted, and people have been manipulated for power throughout history and worldwide. Don’t fall for it. As we celebrate our freedom, progress and potential today, I’d encourage you to reflect on a few questions.

1. How delusional am I?
2. Where am I drawing my boundaries, and am I happy with my choices?
3. I can’t change the world, but how can I be the change I wish to see in the world?

Happy Independence Day!