The Truth Hurts

On many occasions I have heard that the world we live in is one of delusion, but the true ramifications of this statement were confusing to me. It is only in the last year and a half that I have begun to understand it intellectually. Many years ago, science confirmed that everything we know is made up of protons and electrons. It is all energy. This is at the center of the “world is delusion” concept. Although we see a chair, it is energy. Although we see a wine glass, it is energy. Delusion is what allows us to live in the physical world. It is the construct that makes life as we know it possible, but wouldn’t it be in our best interest if the delusion ended there? I’m here to argue a resounding yes, but as we all know, this is far from the truth. The reality is we are living in delusion in virtually every aspect of our lives.

My challenge to anyone reading this blog is that you might begin looking throughout your own lives to find the areas of delusion and to unveil them. Much of the world’s history is delusion. Did Columbus discover America? Not so much. There were entire civilizations already established in the Americas before Columbus’ arrival. Shouldn’t they take credit for the discovery? And the truth is, Columbus was looking for Asia, and apparently wasn’t the best of navigators.

Certainly, there are hundreds of historical accounts, which are simply nothing but delusion. But how does this relate to our lives you might ask? The pattern is how it relates. When we establish patterns of delusion, we are then prevented from seeing any truths, which in turn prevents us from self-actualizing. In other words, how do we become real people while refusing to accept truth over delusion?

I am sure anyone who has ever been in a failed relationship can attest to the delusions they suffered at the beginning of the relationship. Oftentimes, when we look back in time, we can see the things we refused to see when we were in the moment. The things we knew we couldn’t live with presented themselves in obvious ways, but we chose to ignore or rationalize them. Wouldn’t our relationships and lives be better, stronger and faster, if we acknowledged these things early on?

Right now, a political hot button is health care and Obama’s plans to reform. I am here to say that being uninsured is only half of the health care crisis. As a health insured cancer survivor, I can attest to the real crisis in health care. There simply aren’t many doctors who have a clue as to what it is they are doing. Over a year ago, I underwent radiation therapy and the answers I received to my questions were laughable. I was suffering some of the most miserable of side effects and when I asked, “How do we know if this is working,” I was given one of the most defensive of answers. In my mind, this was a reasonable question. I wanted to know if my suffering would be worth the end result. My doctor quickly snipped, “I am 52 years old and I am not answering that question.” The sad truth is he didn’t know the answer. In fact, doctors rarely know if radiation therapy is working. Just like the patient, they just cross their fingers and hope for the best. Had I known the reality of health care back when I was diagnosed, I would have made very different decisions for my treatment. In truth, knowing what I know now, I would not have had radiation, or even surgery for that matter.

When you begin demystifying the areas of delusion in your own lives, you will see the same phenomenon taking place. Your decision making skills will sharpen and much of life’s confusion will begin to dissipate. Oh what a wonderful world it will be on the other side of that veil.