The Illusion of Ideals: Rethinking Progress and Desire

Ideals are an illusion. They create desires and harness great vitality as aspirations. This aspect of life is commonly recognized as necessary; without it, there is no competition, and without competition, there is no progress. While there is nothing inherently wrong with this, the implications are significant.

Examples of collective and personal ideals:

• Organizational ideal: Conforming to a set culture and values. Problem: Each person in a group or organization holds independent perceptions and opinions, creating inherent conflict.
• Personal ideals: Aspiring to be like someone else, achieving wealth, status, fame, and so on. Problem: These ideals lead one to escape from "what is"—their actual state—through methods like strategies, approaches, or meditation.

At the psychological level, these ideals have led to comparison, envy, greed, competition, and manipulation, all of which contribute to the misery and conflicts we experience daily.

Despite the development of numerous self-help methods, both for genuine seekers and profiteers, the problems remain the same. The root cause originates in the mind, in thought—the desire to become something other than what one is.

Illusions do not exist but are created in the mind, much like building castles in the air. This illusion feels tangibly possible and manifests as psychological time, leading one to chase it in real time.

Desire begins with contact, followed by sensation, and then the wanting of it—the becoming of what one is not. If one can remain with the awe of beauty and let that moment pass without the expectation of repeating the sensation, there is no movement into desire.

Once desire forms, it creates psychological time. That time is energy, and that energy is spent chasing after an ideal. However, if one remains with "what is"—whether it be envy, anger, jealousy, or greed—all energy becomes available to dissolve it. There is no movement, and therefore total attention is available to act (or not act) intelligently.

In this state, there are no illusions, no ideals to acquire, and no chase.

#Ideals #Psychology #Mindfulness #Philosophy #Leadership #PersonalGrowth #OrganizationalCulture #SelfAwareness #EmotionalIntelligence #MentalHealth #InnerPeace