For some people, lack of clarity has become an old habit. They live in denial while obscuring parts of reality that are too distressing to face. For others, lack of clarity is a temporary situation: the prevailing feeling is that of being lost in the dark or of feeling overwhelmed by negative projections that usually create situations that bring evil upon themselves.

While denial or flight may seem more reassuring at first, a clear mind leads to a greater inner freedom. Despite the suffering that it may cause, facing reality is the only way to live peacefully while remaining true to ourself. This insight is probably our greatest asset because it is our source of freedom. It is indeed what allows us to face reality and not to misguide ourselves with illusions or fantasy. The difficulty is in being able to abandon idealisms in order to accept the diversity of reality.

All healing requires clear-sightedness, that is to say, stop lying to yourself. When things go wrong, looking at the situation as it really is allows us not only to identify what is wrong but also to identify what we can do to make it right. Seeing the problems without denying them is the key that will allow us to find the resources to overcome them.

Clear-sightedness will eventually help us get in touch with our deepest desires, but first it will help us sort things out, in other words, to identify and then to reject the negative influences in our lives. Generally, the more our mind is confused, the more we are of a fragile and impressionable character. It is not uncommon to allow ourselves to literally become absorbed in relationships or situations which seem reassuring at first but in reality are destructive.

Instead of listening to ones own wishes, a person ends up fullfilling the desires of others. The need to be loved, or even to have someone run our lives, is so strong that he/she will gradually move away from his/her own path, sometimes to the point of self-denial. This type of behavior is often a way to escape oneself and to avoid facing problems.

In a crisis, during which time all rationality disappears, we must try to root ourselves and to focus on the body, notably on our breath as recommended by certain meditation methods. This exercise allows the mind to stop producing a spiral of negative thoughts that can be distressing, or to the contrary, thoughts that allow us to escape reality.

When we are not aware of our deepest desires, we all tend to tack on our interpretation to situations. Whether they are negative or positive, it is a subtle way of not seeing things as they really are. Through meditation, our thinking machine is stopped, and then one comes into contact with the reality of the senses and the situation. This reality is always simpler than all the escapes sought out by the mind. It is then possible to resist destructive situations by seeking what is best for oneself without being influenced by external factors. It is important to maintain a clear mind even in the most desperate situations. This is especially true in a society that is dominated by imagery and in which the means of disseminating and consuming them have never been so numerous.

By spending an increasing amount of time in front of the television or computer screen, we are mere spectators of a reality that has been staged, one which is always filtered and even biased. In this context, a personal journey to achieving clear-sightedness is a major challenge, as it is easy to get lost when so many lures are dangled in front of us. So how do we remain an informed and clear-minded spectator in this worldly spectacle ?

It is in not losing sight that this path begins within us. We must continuously explore the river of self-knowledge because it is the only way to remain in touch with reality. 
 
- Kinuga Anatasinjah -