A third prevalent manifestation of “active unenlightenment” is the tendency of Zone 2 inhabitants to succumb to any number of the jaded facets of nihilism; essentially the false belief that life is fundamentally devoid of meaning &/or that we as individual humans are unable to live meaningfully. Seeing as how this particular delusion is as surprisingly common as it is disturbingly insipid, feel free to earnestly consider (and then courageously pro-act) the following illuminations thereof …

*Those partaking of the Zone 1 lifestyle tend to dismiss the moral consideration of others’ rights or needs entirely, and more than a few Zone 2 followers attempt to escape such abject callousness by adopting a nihilist belief system – essentially professing that they would love to be good & caring & considerate towards others, and yet to do so would be a complete waste of time. Refusing to believe in any sense of basic self-worth (and thus deeply attached to the concept that they are abjectly unable to effect any real & viable goodness in their lives), they adopt a set of mantras (“My separate self is but an illusion” or “I cannot counter or alter the flow of the whole” or “Our job is to die to self by being calm while merely witnessing life around us” etc) that attempt to excuse what amounts to be essentially the same level of self-absorption.

 

 

Zone 3 participants are those who transcend this delusion by openly engaging those around them – those who actively attempt to bring solace to those in pain, peace to those in anger, &7or joy to those in despair.

*Whereas Zone 1 advocates soak their minds in thoughts that are critical, cajoling, &7or condemnatory, Zone 2 acolytes often steep their thoughts in the intentional inactivity of meditation &/or the passive non-being of no-mind – believing that “whatever draws the mind outward is errant,” that “whatever brings the mind inward is healthy,” and that the surest way of lessening the former and enhancing the latter is to immerse in frequent stints of solitude, remaining purposefully isolated from others in order to “bring both the body and its mind to a peaceful state of observant stillness.” Zone 3 adherents escape this insidious ego-trap by doing exactly the opposite – by interacting with others caringly and intimately (especially in those moments when they least wish to do so; and especially for those “least deserving” of that kindness), by giving to those who are trying to take from them, by sharing time & energy with those who are trying to “leech” the same, by breathing in nearby pain to transmute it into Joy and breathing in surrounding discord to transform it into Harmony. It has been said that “the person who has one foot in the material world and another in the spiritual one makes no progress in either,” and yet the Zone 3 practitioner knows that this is true only because the truly enlightened person always places both feet simultaneously in both worlds.

 

 

While there is some merit to the now-worshiping professings of Eckhart Tolle (the Zone 2 guru who claims that the mere insertion of one’s awareness into the present moment is alone enough to eradicate all forms of suffering) as well as more than a bit of credence due to the teachings of Adyashanti (who among other things warns of an almost inevitable period of stagnation between the instinctively selfish inclinations of one’s immature past and the selfless manifestations of one’s potentially spiritual future), it is crucial for all Zone 3 aspirants to boldly leap past the limitations of both – for them to realize that the meditative inactivity proscribed by Tolle actually prevents one from intimately interacting with others (and thus prevents one from attaining any real experience of deeper Enlightenment), and that Adyashanti’s focus on neutering the ego by ascending a mythical “ladder of awakening” actually keeps his followers bound to their climbing – keeps them from realizing that they fully scale that ladder during every act of selfless giving.

 

 

*While Zone 1 affiliates errantly feel that they have already learned more than enough &/or that ensuring their own pleasure or success is their life’s greatest meaning, Zone 2 disciples often find themselves mired in the stagnating desires of wanting to learn more truth (in order to “become enlightened” therewith) &/or needing to develop more understanding (in order to “get grounded as a person” or “discover their true Purpose” thereby). Zone 3 enthusiasts avoid this pitfall by humbly engaging the ever-present opportunities to serve others – thereby dismissing the myth that they already know enough while simultaneously refusing to castrate their potential by striving to know more. These truly Awakened ones have come to comprehend that their egos will constantly tempt them into analyzing, assessing, and then learning

more about the challenges inherent in any encounter. They have come to understand that our egos do this not to prepare us to make “better” or “more informed” choices in the future, but rather to keep us from acting at all. Indeed, the longer one succumbs to the delusion of needing to know more about an interaction, the less likely he or she will be of ever choosing to make the necessary “leap of faith” directly into the heart of the same. This is why champions of the Zone 3 Way spend very little time learning about their encounters before charging boldly into attempting to bring harmony to the same. They ask themselves “When?” and always answer “Now” – they ask themselves “Where?” and always answer “Here” – and they ask themselves “What?” and always answer “With anything kind.”

 

 

*Though Zone 1 patrons regularly strive to dramatically alter the circumstances of their lives (i.e. aggressively striving to alter or correct life’s flow, and thereby inevitably intensifying the same), Zone 2 accomplices tend to passively submit to the same (i.e. choosing to sit back and “go with the flow” regarding life’s sufferings &/or injustices – and thereby inevitably allowing the same to become more firmly entrenched therein) …

 

 

Zone 3 contributors transform this unprincipled prison into a platform for progress – by willingly entering the flow of current circumstances and swimming along with them – doing so in order to bring more Peace & Joy to others flowing therein; thereby harnessing life’s flow to empower Love & Goodwill (instead of fighting life’s flow and thereby enhancing its pain & suffering).

*Insomuch as Zone 1 confederates believe in a static right and wrong (and that their own beliefs & principles are always in that right, while those that differ from the same are always in the wrong), Zone 2 crusaders often veer towards the other extreme – staunchly believing in an abject subjectivity of all things ethical; the absolute non-existence of anything truly Right or Wrong; a belief that allows them to remain “moral” while doing nothing to stop acts of cruelty or hinder inflictions of injustice. Zone 3 enliveners free themselves from these cowardly chains and shame-laced shackles by admitting the easily verifiable Truth that selfless love always lessens discord, always diminishes suffering, always engenders peace, and therefore is always a choice that is Right. No convoluted philosophical argument can diminish or obscure this simple fact, and thus we can always know that Kindness is a correct course of action, as long as that course is in-deed an active one.

 

 

*Whereas Zone 1 advocates believe that perfection is impossible to know and that we should therefore all simply “do the best we can” to attain “the best life we can hope to have,” Zone 2 devotees often sink into the false belief that they are already perfect – that there is nothing more they need to do to be worthy of regular praise or frequent reward, that all of their errors & failures are part of that innate perfection, and that they are therefore in no way required to improve themselves &/or be of extra assistance to others. Zone 3 attendants, unsurprisingly, adhere to a lifestyle that is completely different – one that willingly admits to an underlying “perfection” in the way the Universe as a whole interacts with itself, and yet also one that embodies the equally valid Truth that said underlying perfection (i.e. an innate balance between each action and its commensurate consequences, as well as the overarching harmony that the Universe as a whole always seeks out and repeatedly – even if tenuously – attains) does no good unless we as the individual components thereof choose to act with according peacefulness.

 

 

*While Zone 1 affiliates consistently strive to “make a difference” &/or “be successful” &/or “effectuate change” (far more often than not for the mundane or material benefit of them & theirs), Zone 2 members tend to “resign themselves to their fate” (i.e. “life is what it is” or “This is simply who I am” or “I am only human after all” or “one person can’t do any real good” etc) – choosing thereby to believe that they “can’t make any real difference” in the world (or that “this too shall pass” or that “God will take care of it all” or that “patience will win out” or that “the Universe will provide” etc), and therefore more often than not refusing to try at all to do so. Zone 3 venturers, in easily anticipated contrast, dismantle this patently false construct by repeatedly refusing to merely spectate their way through life. They know that Grace is a constant given and that it can only be known during acts of selfless giving. They know that salvation cannot come from “above” until provided to those in need nearby. They know that Enlightenment does not come from within unless actualized for the benefit of others without. And by far most importantly of all, Zone 3 enliveners know that their acts of unconditional Love always reunify their True Selves with the greater ONE, and thus that those deeds always make a potent difference in the world – and this, no matter how small those deeds might seem therein; nor how unappreciative their recipients might prove to be thereafter.

 

 

“Thoughts of your past engender your false sense of identity, while thoughts of your future create illusory hopes for advancement or salvation. Of course, both are merely delusions that must be dismantled, delusions that can only know said dismantlement during deeds that blatantly transcend them both; choices that are soaked in the present moment, and choices that are willingly made for the other instead of the self … After all, even if life does prove to be but a dream, we cannot in any way hope to appreciate the same without boldly interacting with those seemingly dreaming alongside us.” ~ inspired by Tolle & Adyashanti

Filed under: Enlightening Enlightenment by Scaughdt