21 levels of Self-Deception: THIRD EDITION by Tom Wallace - HTML preview

T W E N T Y - O N E L E V E L S

concede defeat. That’s a difficult road. But all I can say is that there is humour, lightness, relief, peace and joy available to those who choose the more difficult way — the road less travelled.

Many potential objections come to mind. Is there not a struggle to help the poor and victims of wars and disasters? (Of course there is.) Should there not be work to end wars and injustice? (Of course there should.) And so on. The problems of the world are not to be ignored, but they should not be our personal burdens or our personal striving. Remember that letting go, even of our good intentions and our desires for a better world.

Silence, stillness and soulfulness lead us towards the way of peace and a desire for a kind of joy that is beyond the sufferings of this world. As Buddhism teaches, pain is inevitable, but suffering is avoidable. There is always a paradox at work here. To wish to be free from suffering or desire is in itself a desire. There will always be desires of some kind. Being at peace with the world is perhaps better expressed as recognising our wants and needs but not striving — not being anxious about whether or how things will work out.

So there is a delicate balance that needs to be struck. Our culture is increasingly narcissistic, believing that our opinions are somehow inalienable truths and having a deep sense of our own entitlement. It might even be said that it is in a state of spiritual crisis. In such a world, it is easy to fall into taking an aggressive and defensive stance for whatever views or ideologies that one might hold dear. By

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