It seems that radical, fundamental change in the individual does not occur through effort.
All forced change happens using the knowledge attained in the past. Therefore that which you’re looking to become is already within to some degree – otherwise, you wouldn’t ‘know’ about it.
Radical and fundamental change is effortless. If you look at your life for as far back as you can remember, you’ll notice that there was an organic emergence of (the appearance of) ‘self’. This is the individual flowering of an individual. As unique as every single blade of grass and every grain of sand on Earth.
Imagine a flower trying to become something other than what it is. Society is a collection of ideas that the people have agreed up. It creates a set of morals, ethics and behaviour patterns known as ‘right’ and ‘wrong’. This halts the progression of the metaphoric individual flowering.
Sure, some of these frameworks tend to work okay in the short term, but these ideals inevitably resist the individual’s unique expression.
Some may ask – ‘should I drop these cultural frameworks?’. There is no should, and there is no ‘right’ per se. Your conditioning is part of this eternal moment until it isn’t anymore. Do we have the will to change that? I’m unsure.
Do You Know What You Want?
Most people don’t know. Empathetically, I understand why. With society telling us what we ‘should’ be doing and striving for, is there any wonder? We’re conditioned to follow specific paths, and the individual’s desires remain unlived. Naturally, these desires become resentments as one’s unlived life rumble below the surface. They’ll stay there until they’re lived out somehow.
The apparent unfolding of the natural man requires the nihilation of concepts and pre-sought knowledge. Otherwise, he is an inorganic repetitive machine. He’ll want what culture wants – which isn’t compelling for a unique individual.
As long as you view life through the lens of societal conditioning, you’ll be blind to reality as it is. The ideals of your culture cloud you.
The Natural man sees things as they are. Only then can one be at peace.