Written on May 5, 2020
Getting caught in the game of rightness and wrongness is a game that the ego thrives in. When we believe in concepts like good and bad, we create an “othering” and a separation—fragmenting our reality. This fragmentation is an illusion of the mind, which gives birth to the concepts of “want” and “resist.” When we desire everything to be right and good, we struggle to accept reality as it is. This is because our reality contains many experiences that don’t fit neatly into the categories of “right” or “good.”
If we are constantly wanting and seeking, we are not truly in the experience of having. This creates a longing for wholeness, not realizing that we are creating separation through that longing.
When we create an experience of separateness, we cannot accept our divine unity with all that is. This leads to suffering, as we long for perfection and resist everything that doesn’t align with it. But all that is, is us. Our human minds struggle to grasp this because we identify with the physical reality. We look like small, separate beings, and our minds create stories of separateness.
How can I be you if I look, think, and act differently?
We can’t perceive all that is at once, so we believe that you and I must be different. In reality, we are all part of one vast consciousness. Ultimate perfection exists only in the acceptance of all that is. If we accept only part, we reject another part. Perfection is found in wholeness, not fragmentation. (Hence the sacred symbol of the Yin Yang.)
Often, we play the game of “I will only accept opinions that align with my personal beliefs of what’s right and good.” These beliefs are an illusion, passed down by generations of fragmented experiences. It’s not bad or good; it simply is how it is for now. We experience a fragmented version of reality because we, as humans, can’t perceive everything all at once. We develop beliefs based on information others have passed down, influenced by their own fragmented belief systems—shaped by age, religion, geography, gender, class, education, and so on. We adopt or reject these stories of separateness.
To understand the concept of perceiving wholeness, let’s simplify it. Imagine observing a cube with different colours on each side—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. If we only look at one side, we may see just three colours—red, orange, and yellow. Without changing our perspective, we may never know that the cube also has green, blue, and purple. Two people looking at the same cube might argue about its colour: “This cube is red!” vs. “No, it’s blue!” Meanwhile, both are ignoring the fact that it’s one cube. Their perspective is limited by their point of view, fragmenting their understanding.
We believe in the illusion of separation because it’s what seems true from our limited perspective.
Now, let’s imagine there’s a light inside the cube, and its inner walls are sparkly and pink. A person viewing the cube from within might say, “This cube is sparkly and pink!” But others looking from the outside would deny it: “There’s no sparkle! You’re crazy!” This shows that from a human perspective, we cannot see the whole cube at once. Our perspective is fragmented, and we create our reality based on limited views.
This is how we understand that our perception of reality is fragmented. We are incapable of seeing everything at once, so we believe the illusion of separateness. We try to prove our perspective is the correct one. For example, if we are the “orange perceiver,” we may only want to hear from other orange perceivers because they validate our view of reality. It’s unsettling to open up to the possibility that our reality is an illusion, so we invest a lot of energy in validating our personal perspective, strengthening our identification with it.
The ultimate truth is that you aren’t separate from the cube, or from other perceivers. The illusion of separateness is part of the game we’re playing. Whether we realize it or not, we are all one, experiencing the same reality through different lenses.
Or maybe we’re just here to figure it out together… 😉
Questions to Reflect On:
How can you embrace the full range of human emotions—both light and dark—without judgment or shame?
Where do you feel pressure to conform to an image others have of you? How can you release this expectation?
In what ways can you create space for others to express their emotions, even when it’s uncomfortable?
How can we bring more compassion into our interactions, recognizing that everyone is navigating their own journey of self-discovery?
What are the areas in your life where you’re being called to show up with more authenticity, even if it means embracing discomfort or imperfection?
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