Illusions are fading … Does not it sound as a common place? It does. As it IS a common place. We tend to believe that common places are stupid things that we should not care about. As they are not relevant for us. Only for other people. So better to avoid them. Right?
Unfortunately, we are sometimes the ’other people’, ourselves. Hard to admit, but the sooner the better. We all are unique in our special way, but we all are the same to a certain extent, as we all are humans with the same fundamentals. It is the question of proportions, of course, but still…we cannot hide away from this fact.
We all ‘work’ with illusions. Regardless of some of us denying it. Some of them we do not even realize, but some we keep alive ourselves, consciously. With purpose. We simply need them for our daily (or long term?) survival. We are going through hard times with a nice picture in our mind, and anytime we have to make a difficult step, this picture appears in front of our closed eyes as something waiting for us ‘on the other side’, ‘at the end of the tunnel’, or where ever we describe it for ourselves…
So, we need some purpose. Whatever purpose, to keep us walking. Even when we say ‘carpe diem’, ‘live for the moment’, ‘seize the day’, we are to attribute a purpose to our lives. If nothing else, than to be able to enjoy something is a purpose, as well. Most of us are not capable though, even those who think they are, to enjoy the moment. This is where illusions come to the picture…
Illusions are helpful, to keep us walking, to our daily survival, as was said. They are also helpful when it comes to life-changing decisions. Many of us are in an age, in a life-stage, when we feel a never-so-strong intention to change. Terminate jobs and start something new, go on long walks to clear minds, have late coming children, terminate relationships, move, etc. Some of us are strong and determined enough to make a step, others just keep on nurturing some illusions, and postponing … Who finally make the step are most probably those of us, who would like to see what is ‘on the other side’, or at the ‘end of the tunnel’. And we are those who will actually see… but are we strong enough to face it? That is a different question…
The term ‘illusion’ tells a lot, itself. When you finally decide to change, to see the other side or the end of the tunnel, you would most probably be surprised…. Good or bad, but surprised, almost surely.
When you set up these illusions for yourself, you have a certain perception of the world. More accurately: your world, which is a unique perception, as well, and has a little to do with reality. How can I be so sure about what ‘reality’ is? I am not sure, at all… When you are working 10-12 hours a day (to be positive), travelling every week, try to perform at home and suffering with saving some time for your own self, having a house at a lake (seaside, middle of a forest, however you described it for yourself) with massive green around you and the picture of yourself sitting and watching the birds might be the top of your dreams…. as an example. So, what do you do? You try to save as much money as you can to, first, afford a house at that lake (sea, forest, whatsoever), and, second, to finance your envisaged life there. (It might also work with the idea of travelling around the world for years – for most probably those who are relatively closed in one particular area for whatever reason. Our major illusion is most probably the complete opposite of our actual life…) You regularly think of this, you visit places that would fit this illusion, countries or even continents, to find the right one. Some will seem to be a better fit than others. You keep your mind busy with this. You may even start contacting and connecting people who you think are similar or seem to fit into this picture. To prepare. If you are smart enough, or at least you think you must be smarter, you try to spend time at the respective places to see if you are committed enough and if the place really performs according to your expectations. Your ACTUAL expectations…
Unfortunately, you can be the most careful and mindful, the most committed and determined, you have a fairly good chance to face the greatest surprise of your life…. It will be YOU, yourself …
You arrange everything you wanted and planned carefully, concluded all the necessary steps, and finally you are there. Where you WANTED to be in YOUR WHOLE LIFE. This is – at least – how you phrase it for yourself…. You are happy and balanced. You enjoy it. You did it. You feel happy… You know that you should be happy… You are basically happy (because you did it)… You are basically happy, but…. You keep on providing the impression to your environment that you are happy… Since you have to have an illusion on stock to continue…
… but the question keeps popping up in your mind: is it really what you wanted? … You have an immediate response: YES… to be consistent … As you always have to be consistent, reliable, responsible. A character. A sample. A … god-knows-what… At least you think so…
Some times later you realize that you think of considering to visit your ‘original’ home, the places to which your ‘life’ has been attached to, your ‘old’ friends, to put yourself on the test if you could still manage to do things as ‘before’ … Well… You start to think that it has been only a trap… What if there is no such a thing as an ‘end station’, a ‘final’ place to be, an ‘ultimate status’ to reach? What if life is the journey itself? And we do not have to ‘reach’ or ‘achieve’ anything particular? Only to go through steps to experience how to gain experience? And what if we only switch between illusions?
What if we simply miss the opportunity to experience a real and meaningful change due to being sticked to an illusion?
