Escaping the Prison of Life

When was the last time you took time to educate yourself to the contrary view?

Majority of us grow up with liberal ideas (by the way of our education systems) and consider ourselves ‘enlightened’ when we reach what we consider an acceptable level of education or experience.

None at any time – unless we come across a spiritual leader or a person of wisdom we care to listen – tells us that idealism holds standards of perceived reality, which is limited to our mental qualities. Or that true evolution comes from intersections of diverse views because physically, at a hormonal level, it is very freeing for us, human beings, to grow an understanding of each other.

To make matters worse, as we excel in our professional lives, we become convicted that our ways of working is what leads us to creation and to success. The science would tell us, how ever, it is the intersections of life; interfaces that leads us to creation and potentially to success, dependent of its definition.

In Buddhist tradition, which none of us in our team belong to and yet share a ton of common values with, there is a concept called ‘Prison of Life’. Among with many other teachings, it states you can’t escape the prison of life until you know you are in one.

Our lives no longer need be prisons. We are not bound to live by fear. We live in an era of abundance. We have developed a lot. We have more safety, security, resource reach than ever.

Wise Bill Gates put it nicely as the guest editor of a new special issue of TIME aptly called “The Optimists”, saying:

“In 1990, more than a third of the global population lived in extreme poverty; today only about a tenth do. A century ago, it was legal to be gay in about 20 countries; today it’s legal in over 100 countries. Women are gaining political power and now make up more than a fifth of members of national parliaments—and the world is finally starting to listen when women speak up about sexual assault. More than 90% of all children in the world attend primary school. In the U.S., you are far less likely to die on the job or in a car than your grandparents were. And so on.”

We have so much to share gratitude and build new bridges on.

Do not look for new answers to traditional questions in a board room. Give yourself permission to experience displacement time to time.

Travel to an unknown land, watch a TV channel you don’t respect, read a book of contrary views… Do it with an open mind and an open heart… Make room to consciously wonder into a world of unknown… Consciously connect yourself to those you have an immediate reaction to… You may just surprise yourself with a way of learning… and find out there is not only room to grow, but whole a lot we share in common…