Enlightenment = Self-determination = Enlightenment

Enlightenment is exclusively found when we determine for ourselves what is and is not real in the world around us.

So what gets in the way of self-determination?

Studies have shown that we become what the most important person in our life thinks about us. This statement is true, but it oversimplifies what is really at work:

We are becoming the sum of what we value.

This includes people, status, ideas, etc. This is the case because people are relational above all else; we need meaningful relationships to know who we are and to have deep meaning in our life. To maintain close relationships, we must feel connected; we need a certain degree of similarities. Opposites only attract in quirks, not foundations. And because all this is true, we look to our relationships and what we value to place walls in our minds around where we are safe to think. To go outside of this box would be to violate the lifeblood and stabilizer of our identity. And when identity is breached, we see the depth of brokenness. So what do we do? We stay in that box, and to satisfy our ego, we call ourselves free thinkers every time we can even see a side of that box. Sadly most live and die never understanding the chains they have laid upon their own minds.

Again, any box we are in is of our own making. To blame anything but ourselves for this is one of the ultimate rejections of responsibility. Yet we still love to blame others as to why we exist with any sort of boxed-in limitations. The truth, of course, is not only that it is our fault, but it is our creation, a creation that stems from comfort and our obsession to protect the illusion of our own bravery. Everyone wants to believe that they choose what to believe and that they stick up for those beliefs. We all see ourselves as the rock that the river rushes around. Truthfully most of us are just river foam, a byproduct of its rushing. A few are driftwood that momentarily stand against the current until it soon becomes too strong. It is a vast exception to find one immovable, one who sees with their own eyes.

To be immovable is to have eyes that see for themselves. 

Everyone holds within them a certain capacity for certain things in their life. Some people create a level of drama no matter what circumstance they are in. Some people find a way to get offended or annoyed at something irrespective of circumstance. Most people create the same range of stress in their lives no matter what. Our individual ability to withstand social pressure is no different. We all have a certain range of deviation that we are comfortable with. Anything that strays outside of that range automatically gets boxed out as “beyond the pale.” This range more than our conscious mind creates our worldview. Again, what is even crazier is that most people live their entire lives not understanding that the box they put themselves in renders them like clay in the hands of outside influences and popular culture. 

We all have a certain capacity to withstand the pressures that come from deviating away from societal norms. After that capacity is reached, we subconsciously auto-adjust our beliefs to protect ourselves from isolation. A great example of this would be how most people are happy to explore ideas that are closer to the mainstream relative to their own position compared to any ideas that are further away from mainstream thought. Self-determination only comes to those willing to observe without fear or favor. 

But how do we even know if we are river foam, driftwood, or a rock? 

Precedence, fairness, equality. 

Our justification of unfair and unequal treatment is the easiest way to spot where our minds do not live in reality. Be careful; never underestimate your ability to write off injustice. The history of humanity is the endless story of the masses doing just that. Each of us must be ever cognizant that we possess the full potential of both good and evil, love and fear, light and darkness. It is only with diligence of mind that we remove the filters of our boxed minds to see where we go along with and even demand unequal treatment.

The good news is that if you truly seek, you will surely find.

Hold Tension, Be Vast.

Remember, restoration alone brings victory.