Trance: yank yourself out, transform

We all play a part in our lives that we think we have imbibed within us from our surroundings, and soon that part in this fast-paced life becomes our immovable concrete structure. While we are in our character, we think of ourselves as simply that and nothing more or less. Initially, this role we have undertaken gives us a sense of achievement and security. Exploring the various facets of our role in our routine lives, we discover some hidden nooks and corners that bring exponential growth. We grow in the context of the role we think we have found, and soon that growth becomes stuck with a specific conscious and sub-conscious ideology that serves the role of our identity within ourselves and the world. 

Although this identity does serve its purpose well, contributing to our nature in the vast diversity of our world, it also becomes our limitation. And we stick for it with all the arms and gunpowder we can salvage to protect it since it is our discovery, and how could it go wrong or not serve us? At this juncture of self-doubt, we seemingly choose the positive way out of excelling in things we desire. This passion for excelling brings us in front of our line of inhibitions and regrets, and watching these cracks; we push ourselves back into the comfort zone of our discovered role or identity. Feeling secure and assuring ourselves that things are working alright now, so what is the need to change?

So while we start excelling, we tend to forget the tolls that our comfort zone is taking from us. We list our positive points while trying to ignore our limitations, citing that we are excelling in the field of work we have chosen. But this ignorance is corrupting us from within, forming cracks and voids that wouldn’t be easy to fill up with the accolades of society and the medals on our chests. Knowing our limitations, we will grow old and become intricately conditioned by these limitations so much that we will know no other way than to operate through the cracked lens of our shortcomings. We won’t be able to become the torch-bearers for future generations. Hiding behind our intangible achievements, we will create a song out of it that subtly supports ignorance even when our limitations are exposed.

Therefore, we must acknowledge our limitations when and as soon as possible. Even if we have to come out of our comfort zone, transcending through these limitations comprises the entire process of transformation. We all acknowledge that change is the only constant and yet fear taking that first step towards transformation.

Transformation is not about becoming a new person but discovering the various facets of being a human within ourselves. Acing in the things we want to perform well in is just a minute facet, but we have concentrated so much upon it that it has become the definition of transformation. Taking out time for ourselves to rest or make that perfect cup of cold coffee from our busy schedules is also in the spirit of transformation.

Anything we do that serves our mental, phydical and spiritual health is a step taken in the ecstatic realm of transformation. Of course, it doesn’t mean we should start negating our responsibilities and work. Each step towards transformation is a step towards balance and a harmonious existence within the self. When we talk about the self, we must adhere to self-care and self-indulgence, lest we forget that we just become a mechanical cog that keeps rotating without any sense of direction, and we are not fixed mechanical cogs. To know this, one must know the subtle difference between security and delusion.

While we enjoy the security that comes from our achievements, we also become drunk with delusion of earned stature in the society. This delusion unleashes a false security and chiselling ourselves becomes harder. While we get engulfed with this robust layer of false security we stop stroking or chiselling it thinking that we have achieved the ultimate armour there exists. While this mechanical thought process might serve its limited purpose but it also leaves us at the mercy of this delusional self-sufficient loop where we leave no gaps from where light could enter.

While questioning ourselves and introspection might bring us closer to our limitations, but to transcend them we would have to tell ourselves that our knowledge is limited and there is much more to achieve than what we have. This will lead us to a more minute inspection of our habits that will enable a humble acknowledgement of our shortcomings or places where we have become stagnant.

Transformation with the knowledge of our limited knowledge becomes easier as now the ego has been disabled and yet it wants to feed itself, so we will move ahead from our old mechanics to a new one. And we have to keep doing it till it becomes like the flow of a river that just makes its way over whatever hindrances that arrive. This art of re-shaping or moulding ourselves will strongly contribute towards the dream of our transformation in a manner that will empower us to face new challenges and times. 

Each transformation brings human race closer to a harmonious future where no one is held accountable for history as we would have grown out of those past patterns that have long served their purpose. 

Shourya Chourey