Escape the Castle

There is a story going around town. 

It's in our schools, our workplace and in our retirement planning.  Even our healthcare, really. 

It wants you to believe that if you stay here, trust in the process, then everything will be provided for you.  It is safe and secure, providing protection against long-term risks.  You will be given lots of opportunity to enjoy yourself, make your mark.  If your good- which you are- then you will come to know money, power and status.  You will be provided with every comfort and need.  You will live a good, healthy life. 

The moral of the story is that if you put in the time and the effort then you can escape all the pain and discontentment that you are currently facing.  That someday you too can sail off into the sunset.

Of course the castle story is a fairy tale. 

Money, power, fame and position all bring their own attendants of suffering and discontentment.  Even if we can achieve a relatively comfortable lifestyle, their is still something missing, a hollowness that all of the excess and non-stop distraction cannot fill. 

It is time to escape the castle. 

But what does that mean?  How do we actually do it?

The first thing we need to do is shift our perspective.  Our current perspective is that our happiness, satisfaction and contentment come from things outside of us.  Our achievements, success, position; even our families.  What happens when our spouse or kids leave?  What then? 

So the shift in perspective is a shift from cultivating outer wealth and enjoyments to the cultivation of inner wealth and enjoyments. 

But let's be clear here- this shift in perspective is not about guilt.  If you feel guilty about your achievements, your success, your position, your outer wealth, then that is a reflection of your own poverty mentality.  Poverty mentality might have to take on a new meaning here as well, poverty mentality refers to the lack of your own inner qualities.  Your lack of inner wealth. 

So this actually requires a great deal of responsibility.  Actually, this burden is extremely heavy.  We are responsible for our own happiness and contentment.  We need to actually cultivate this inner wealth, we need to train our minds and push through all of our own insecurities, doubt and self-pity. 

No one can do this for us. 

But this is not the path of guilt, nor the path of poverty.  You have great potential and you have all of these resources available to you.  You have the opportunity to use your leisure and enjoyments for good use. 

Outwardly, you don't need to change a thing. 

You only need to conquer your mind.