Surviving Wolves

A dunce searched for fire with a lighted lantern. Had he known what fire was He could have cooked his meal much sooner.
– Mumon

“You have an unspoken ‘sacred’ agreement with the people in your life -- one that says ‘I will agree to believe your story if you agree to believe mine.’ So when you stop believing your own story, you’re going to stop believing theirs as well. This is when things will start to get messy for you. Breaking this ‘sacred’ agreement will mark the beginning of your gradual rejection from their lives. The good news, is that because you have already begun to dismantle your false self, this rejection will not come as much of a surprise to you. Having said that, the gravity of what you’ve started to do is going to start sinking in very quickly.

Friendships that you have worked so hard to create and sustain over the years will fall apart in a matter of months, weeks, or even days. Family relationships will need to be placed under your microscope regardless of how ‘nice’ they may seem. Often the most manipulative, narcissistic and repressive relationships you have are the ones that you have with your immediate family members. When it comes to immediate family, remember this equation: keeping the peace = bullshit.

If you have been raised with organized religion and still occasionally dabble in it, it will be best to let go of that part of your life altogether - not because all of what is being shared is untrue, a small percentage of it may very well be true, but because religion relies on your ability to suspend disbelief and encourages you to place more value on belief systems than direct personal experience. When it comes to waking up and becoming Buddha, you will not have the luxury anymore of believing in nice ideas. The fortunate part is that you also won’t have to believe in the not-so-nice ideas either…

To question your world is to become your own authority. Most people are ruled by the authority of others and don’t feel confident enough to step outside of our society’s hierarchical structure. This won’t work for you anymore as you shift into your Buddha nature. It’s time for you to become a rebel…

The false self is in an almost constant survival mode, which is why most of the time your every word and action is premeditated with selfish interests. Even something as simple as taking your awareness out of the moment and fixating on something from the past or the future is a form of survival. Remember, the false self is an illusion, something that doesn’t actually exist - so it cannot remain in the spotlight of the present moment for very long without its illusory nature being revealed. This is why past and future are its best friends. Realizing this about yourself can be an unsettling and dramatic eye opener. But you’re not alone - almost everyone else on this planet is afflicted with the same illness.

Most people won’t acknowledge that their primary goal is self-preservation, because doing so would bring them into contact with that part of themselves that questions their own existence - their false self. This avoidance of self-inquiry and the desire for survival has created a world full of wolves who parade around in sheep’s clothing. Underneath the facade of our modern society, it’s every man for himself. This only becomes apparent though when you truly start to put EVERYTHING under the microscope.”

~ Kyle Hoobin, How To Live With Zombies: (Or... How To Not Be One)  A Little Book of Enlightenment