Peering Behind the Veil: Awakening to the Dysfunction Around Us
Sometimes I get the feeling that there is a fine veil cast over the world, obscuring a clear view of the dysfunction pervading our systems and society, like a carefully polished veneer, well organised and planned to keep us from seeing clearly.
Like a thin curtain, this public illusion disguises the realities lurking underneath — harsh truths we may not wish to confront. As we grow in awareness and sense beyond the facade, we begin glimpsing cracks in the veneer, awakening to the charades enacted all around us.
We catch pieces at first. A passive-aggressive comment that hints at deep underlying turmoil. The impatience of a rude stranger signals unseen struggles they may not even be aware of. News of corruption shocks us exposing flaws in seemingly upright institutions. Subtle cues emerge telling us over and over and over again that something here isn’t quite right. Signs abound that all isn’t as smooth and sensible as portrayed.
And so we consider peering closer, though the urge arises to retreat behind the veil once more. We remain in our comfort zones believing that if we ignore the clues, we need not face the discomfort of truths.
I think that the ‘truth’ is rarely clear cut in a world made up of filters and perceptions and is never simple to grasp from a single viewpoint. Also, there is no one truth that applies to all situations.
Illusion can be so much easier than facing reality, and seemingly way nicer than what lies underneath.
However, as disillusionment grows, turning away becomes impossible and downright uncomfortable. More and more signs and clues hold our attention, refusing to be dismissed.
There is repeated evidence of people we know, our friends suffering beneath cheery and carefully crafted online profiles. Rising awareness of inequality, pollution, and apathy points to unwellness in society indicating deeper troubles. Further symptoms show up that reality isn’t aligned with the public projection.
Our childhood naiveté perishes in this situation. We have to shed our rose-coloured lenses as this light brightens and the dark shadows recede to reveal what they had once obscured.
When we experience life, the idealism of youth fades alongside ignorance and is eventually replaced by solemn understanding. Initially, our naive trust in people, systems and the good faith of the world erodes with our varied experiences, and then, if we are willing to grow and deepen our perception, we can replace our beliefs and disillusionments by trust in something way bigger.
Such is the immense blessing and such is the seeming burden of an awakening mind.
When we tune into something bigger, our sight remains clear even while witnessing life’s agonies. We become a curious onlooker, an observor watching the drama with detachment, which otherwise is enough to pierce our hearts and subdue the flame of our life force.
They say that we cannot unsee what we have seen. A mind expanded by knowledge cannot shrink back into ignorance. We cannot reinstate our blindness, once lifted, we can only move forward with discerning eyes and this brings to mind Plato’s famous analogy of the cave.
This clarity unveils the extent of the dysfunction which has crept through the cracks in the facade of society. It enables you to clearly see the injustice embedded so inherently into law and culture, that it becomes institutionalized bigotry. Greed is such an integral component of purely profit-driven motives that it drives the wealth gap and destruction of the planet. Disconnection and mental anguish are so normalized that we hardly address their impact on countless lives being spent in anguish!
However, before you allow yourself to get carried away and caught up in the very same system, like most people do, take a moment to step into awareness.
The fundamental flaws in the system exist and can only be excused and forgiven through the balm of understanding, love and compassion.
Frustration and anger can be diminished and released when compassion fills our gaze to see deeper, beyond the surface symptoms to the source of such dysfunction — a fundamental lack of connection with the collective consciousness.
When groups and leaders neglect what connects us at the spiritual level, unity is replaced by hostile division based on fear and superficial differences. They say that variety is the spice of life and our differences are the very basis for the richness of life! How boring would things be if all of us were the same, dressed the same, had a limited palette of food, the same faith beliefs and way of thinking and living? Yes, we need familiarity but we also need the stimulation of variety and adventure!
Selfishness dominates only when souls turn into ego-driven agendas without a healthy consideration of shared lives in communities. Overzealous individualism and tribalism trample wider policies supporting people and the planet.
The truth of reconnecting with the self brings hope. Awareness and mindfulness help us in realizing our shared essence — all equally sacred reflections of the divine.
The concept of duality and separation, of the ego merely conceals the interconnection binding every living being. To revive the wholeness, we need to nourish our neglected spirits and tend to collective well-being as determinedly as our personal growth. Miracles unfold when we practice seeing all human faces as our own. Magic takes place when we think and act with integrity, doing what upholds society with as much care as our self-interests.
When we make compassion the cornerstone and protect the marginalized as fiercely as the privileged, we shatter the facades and crumble false barriers. Our hearts reopen and our minds expand.
Understanding each other’s suffering and shortcomings despite surface variations and seeing their inner light unifies us. A courageous act of self-love is uplifting our communities as we grow and evolve and unravel the veil without judgment.
Life is an inside game and until we understand what is happening on the inside, we will continue to fail to heal the outside.
Peeling aside illusion allows us to reconcile the inner and outer worlds. We can build systems reflecting our souls rather than egos and infuse truth, justice and selfless service back into the framework of society and community.
True revolution happens within, with nonviolence and compassion as weapons. Once we discover ourselves, with empathy we can share our calling to elevate consciousness from personal to planetary levels.
This is all attainable if we will choose to walk beyond the false comforts of ignorance and complacency to endure the temporary growing pains. The work we do on ourselves provides freedom for permanent expansiveness and enlightens minds which lay ego aside.
I am happy to see that more and more people are now questioning the status quo, the systems, the institutionalised education, the so-called traditions, the blind obedience to authority and learning once again to think for themselves and develop their critical faculties.
When enough determined souls jointly confront the thin illusion it falls freely away, lifting the fog to reveal the radiant world waiting behind its chiffon barrier all the while. Whole, healed and aglow once more.
Where are you on your personal journey of awareness?
As a mindfulness practitioner and life-design coach, I help clients focus on well-being and personal growth and make life choices that prioritize their mental and emotional health. This leads to personal freedom and independence allowing the person to blossom and manifest the life they deserve. Connect with me if you are seeking to go forward on your journey.