Enlightenment or Just a Lighter Me?

Summary

The author reflects on personal growth and healing rather than seeking enlightenment, focusing on self-improvement and a lighter emotional load.

Abstract

The author of the article expresses a personal journey towards self-betterment, distinguishing it from the pursuit of enlightenment. They share their skepticism towards organized religion, rooted in observations of its flaws and exploitation of the less fortunate. The author, a product of the late '60s and early '70s, recounts friends who sought communal living and activism, noting their eventual return to more conventional lives. The author's own path included prioritizing the growth of others over their own, until retirement prompted a shift towards self-care, healthy living, and addressing childhood trauma. The discovery of Medium and Diana's writings provided solace and encouragement for deeper healing. The author's goal is to shed emotional burdens and form a healthier relationship with themselves, aiming to become a better person for both themselves and others.

Opinions

The author does not equate personal growth with the pursuit of enlightenment, instead focusing on practical self-improvement.
They view organized religion critically, seeing it as a flawed and often exploitative institution, despite acknowledging the good intentions of many religious individuals.
The author values the impact of community and shared experiences, referencing friends from the '60s and '70s who engaged in communal living and activism.
They prioritized teaching and helping others early in life, often at the expense of their own personal development.
The author's approach to self-improvement includes physical health, mental well-being, and addressing past traumas.
They find inspiration and healing through reading and connecting with others' experiences on platforms like Medium.
The author believes in the importance of self-love and accepting imperfection while striving for daily self-improvement.
They emphasize the significance of mutual support and vulnerability in personal growth, acknowledging that it's easier to face life's challenges with the help of others.

In response to this week’s prompt.

I think it would be safe to say that everyone reading this would embrace enlightenment if they were to achieve it. I too would embrace it. I have to point out that I do not have that as a goal. This might partly be due to some of my own baggage. I do not consider myself a religious person. I was baptized Catholic but was raised in the Episcopal Church. The older I got, the more I saw religion as a business. I saw it flawed and often taking money from those that were much worse off than the church itself. That is not to say that almost all of the clergy and other religious people I have met were not good people and wishing to help people.

I am a child of the late sixties and early seventies. I knew people that left university before or after graduating to live in communes. They worked for common good and personal growth. I lost touch with most but heard through friends that they all eventually returned to the real world. Many of those people embraced activism for changing things. Quite a few have returned to activism in the last few years. They are still looking to change the world for good.

We all work on things that are important to us at that point in our lives. Early in my adulthood, I worked on being a good teacher. I worked on helping others grow. I worked on helping other be better people. I worked on helping others learn to think, question, and find solutions. In general, I tended to put others growth ahead of my own. Sometimes I was forced to work on myself like my post on “The Universe has My back” suggested. One of those was a bout of clinical depression in my mid-thirties. That is when I found a great deal of baggage from my childhood. I worked on that and did what might be called a battlefield bandage over the damage.

There were more patches put on over the years. I was happy though. Happiness is still an option. I still chose that option throughout my life. It was not until I retired that I really started to turn my focus to myself. I started to work out regularly. I started to eat healthier. I had always outwardly been a good person. My focus began to be a better person towards myself. To work on fixing my issues rather than other people’s issues.

My childhood issues, that prevented my growth needed to finally be addressed. Another great synchronicity was finding Medium and Diana’s writings. They resonated with me. They made me feel safe to open the wounds and finally allow them to heal properly. To explore memories as memories and not triggers to pain.

So, like usual, I explain what prompted the answer before answering it. My path here is to make my load lighter. To discard along the path scar tissue and habits that hid not healed wounds. So what this means to me is, to lighten my load. To make the relationship with me more healthy. To try things that make me a better person for others and a better person for myself. I have loved myself for the most part all of my life. I have embraced that I am mot and never will be perfect. It is enough for me that I am striving to be a better person each day.

I do not seek enlightenment as much as I seek a lighter load. I am on that journey. I am learning from others that are walking the path with me. I (hope) I am helping others on that path. I know it is easier to do the difficult things in life with the help of others. Especially others that you can be vulnerable with, that care about you, and that you care about also.