We interact with many people in this world. When we talk to someone, we share our likes and dislikes, what we have done in our lives so far, our occupation, where we live, and our family. Generally, that’s all. Sometimes, in deeper talks, we discuss our belief systems and understanding of life. But generally, these discussions stay at a very surface level. As if it’s a fixed image talking to another fixed image. If the other person has a different belief system than we do, our brain simply rejects it as alien. Suppose I am worried about the marriage of my child, and the other person says that marriage is the decision of the child and he has nothing to do with it; I may simply reject that idea as alien. If I am worried about my bad health, running from one hospital to the other, and the other person advises me to try naturopathy, I simply reject that as being alien.

Our brain has made an image of every person and thing. We generally don’t interact with people, but we interact with their images. If we consider a person sensible, we will listen carefully to what he says. When we consider somebody stupid, we generally pay less attention. We carry fixed notions about different things and view them through that lens. A tree is very good because it gives us oxygen; milk causes allergies; biscuits are tasty; a movie with popcorn is the fun of life; and so on. We have put almost everything in a category. Useful or useless, good or bad, safe or dangerous, and so on.

If we examine a little deeper, we can easily see why our interaction with the world around us is so limited and shallow. Because we have made a meaning of “self” and somehow want to protect that. We are very protective about our belief system, opinions, understanding of the world, and also our physical possessions. We have cooked up so many stories about the “self”. Even the stupidest person on this Earth considers himself intelligent, and that’s why he doesn’t want to change. We live with these self-images and die with them, so whatever happens in life feels shallow because we stay limited to who we were when we decided to close ourselves off. A civil servant aspirant grows a lot while preparing for civil services because he is open to learning and does not carry a self-image of perfection. The moment he becomes a civil servant, people around him call him a big achiever, and if he is not mature enough to handle that success, he develops a self-image of being perfect and closes himself off. His personality becomes stiff, and he grows closed off. This ego-centric life is so poor that such people must constantly look for escapes to run from who they are, set milestones and targets to keep themselves motivated, and use aggression to prove themselves right. The more they get fixated on their hollow ego, the more fearful they become.

The moment we realise the limits of our awareness, we become fully open to change. When we are open to listening and change, our interaction with the world shifts to a different level. We listen to people; we actually contemplate profound thoughts; we remain open to change and change continuously. When truth is the centre of life, we do not get stuck at any false image. We are ready for experimentation.

How can one shift from ego-centricity to truth-centricity? A little observation. We can do a very simple experiment. Next time we discuss something with somebody, we can examine what comes to mind when we encounter something that doesn’t reconcile with our belief system or thought process. Do we reject that or examine it? If we examine, we will soon notice fear, rejection, and, at times, aggression in our discussion. Somehow, we fear being proved wrong. Somewhere, we don’t want to admit we lived a false life. Somewhere, that fear makes us reject everything profound. It’s a good philosophy, but I am practical. I have my share of problems, and he will not understand. Our minds will throw thousands of logical arguments like this, and we will reject the opportunity knocking at our doors. We keep rejecting hundreds of such opportunities every day because of that fear. But the moment we observe, we immediately realise that we can’t live with that falsity. That ego-centricity won’t take us anywhere. If we’ve been taking the wrong medicine for a number of days because of our stupidity, continuing the same won’t treat us. The moment we see that fear inside and don’t want to live with it, that’s the first step toward centring our life around truth. Every time we get stuck within the confines of our ego, observation is the key to opening the door and coming out of that suffocating confinement.