Enlightenment

Enlightenment is a word that is clouded in secrecy. What is it? More importantly, how to I get 'it'? Through a process of trial and error, I've come to realize that Enlightenment (in my opinion) is simply the ability to be happy at any given moment. Say, for example, you drop a mug of hot coffee on your toe and the hot liquid splashes all over the floor - most of us would be pissed (I know I would). But, at the same time, why not think: "Hey, I'm darn lucky that the hot Coffee didn't land on my leg - that would've hurt like hell."... It's about subtly changing our view on an otherwise dreary situation and attempt to turn it into a situation of thanks.

Let me just say that, in my opinion, the greatest obstacle to achieving a happy and fulfilled life is this: fear. This little bastard is behind all our problems. I tend not to want to (or dislike) dealing in absolutes, given my 'agnostic' approach to life, but I have to stick to one absolute here, and that is: rid yourself of all fear. There is no purpose for it. So much of the fear we experience today is completely irrational. By looking at my own life, I have come to realize that 'all' my fears are irrational. I am not in imminent danger of death or anything like that. All that is wrong is that I (and most socially anxious people) value ourselves solely through the eyes of others, while completely ignoring the most important eyes of all: our own. Sometimes I laugh at how much I've destroyed my life because of an absolutely irrational fear of constant judgment. People can only ever have opinions about you, and an opinion is just that: an opinion - not a 'fact' or 'truth'... just little ol' human opinion. Ah, I'm sure I could explain this concept better... I hate how language only allows us to convey a tiny part of our emotional spectrum.

Meh, I feel like a preacher now...