the belief that spirituality equates to being nice is a common misconception as Professor Keys Wan said spirituality is fundamentally about reconnecting with the original shape of humanity which is seen as the image of God this journey of reformation is oriented around specific molds the Torah in Judaism Christ in Christianity Buddha in Buddhism Muhammad in Islam and so on these molds serve as archetypes guiding indiv indviduals on their spiritual paths the quest to align with these holy figures often leads us to equate spirituality with embodying their virtues particularly the virtue of goodness thus spirituality becomes synonymous
with being nice however as Carl Yung wisely noted every form of addiction is bad no matter whether the narcotic is alcohol or morphine or idealism this Insight reveals a critical Pitfall in our spiritual Pursuits the risk of becoming addicted to these seemingly unreachable spiritual ideals when we become addicted to the ideal of being nice we start to harshly judge any deviations from this ideal whether they come from ourselves or others this judgment leads to the suppression of our natural inclinations in pursuit of divine Perfection with the hope of attaining paradise or Nirvana depending on our
belief system along the way we also expect to receive love and acceptance from those around us us and anticipate that our lives will improve and that pain and suffering will diminish yet this seldom happens and the reason is simple spirituality is not about being nice don't get me wrong my friend if you can be nice during your spiritual journey without forcing yourself and if you can support both yourself and others along the way then by all means be nice it's wonderful to be kind and helpful but being nice should not be the main focus spirituality
is about something much deeper and more profound that is truth as the spiritual teacher Adia Shanti said spirituality is coming into the realization of what is real this means that the true purpose of spirituality is to understand and connect with what is genuinely real and true so how can you discover what is real the answer lies in being authentic and living according to your own truth think about it how can you ever find what is real if you are not honest with yourself if you are always pretending to be nice just to be accepted and
loved by others or to earn some kind of spiritual reward you are not being true to yourself you are living a lie and how can you find the ultimate truth if you cannot even live in your own truth express your real thoughts and feelings and follow what your heart truly Desires in the famous novel The brother Brothers karamazov by Fodor dovi there is a powerful quote above all don't lie to yourself the man who lies to himself and listens to his own lie comes to a point where he cannot distinguish the truth within him or
around him and so loses all respect for himself and for others and having no respect he ceases to love this quote highlights a crucial point if you lie to yourself you will eventually lose the ability to to recognize the truth both inside yourself and in the world around you when you can no longer see the truth you will lose respect for yourself and for others and without respect love becomes impossible so the essence of spirituality is not about being nice to fit in or to earn approval it's about being real with yourself and others it's
about embracing your true self even the parts that are not always Pleasant or nice life is a journey we all share whether we see it as a spiritual path or just the passage of time we can learn a lot from people at the end of this journey and their wisdom often revolves around one crucial element that is the truth bronny wear who cared for dying patients for 8 years recorded their most common regrets here are the top three one I wish I lived a life true to myself not a life other people expected of me
two I wish I hadn't worked so hard three I wish I had the courage to express my feelings some might think that only the first regret directly relates to truth however when we look closer we see that all these regrets are deeply connected to living truthfully the most common regret wishing to have lived a life true to oneself speaks directly to the core of Truth many people spend their lives trying to meet others expectations which can lead to a sense of dissatisfaction and unfulfillment when we prioritize others expectations over our own desires and values we
deny our true selves this regret highlights the importance of authenticity and self-honesty the second regret at first glance working too hard might seem unrelated to the truth however the underlying reasons for this regret reveal a deeper connection many people work excessively hard to gain acceptance admiration and love Society often values hard work and people may overwork to prove their Worth or avoid facing uncomfortable truths about their lives if someone genuinely loves their work this regret might not apply the issue arises when people work hard to conform to societal expectations or to avoid deeper truths within
themselves the third regret wishing to have had the courage to express feelings is also closely tied to truth many people hide their true emotions out of fear of vulnerability or rejection they engage in superficial conversations and avoid discussing what truly matters to them this fear of expressing true feelings creates a barrier between themselves and others leading to isolation and loneliness when we fail to share our genuine emotions we are not living in alignment with our true selves throughout life people often wear masks to fit in and appear socially acceptable these masks hide their true feelings
desires and struggles by pretending that everything is fine people miss the chance to connect deeply with others and themselves this constant acting can be exhausting and alienating preventing genuine relationships and self-awareness the desire to protect oneself from rejection and loneliness can lead to behaviors that ultimately cause isolation when people hide their true selves to avoid being vulnerable they create distance in their relationships this isolation is paradoxical because the very actions meant to protect them from being alone actually result in Greater loneliness and alienation in conversations about spirituality and religion people often focus on being nice
and conforming to expectations they strive to meet Perfection rather than exploring and expressing their own truths this can lead to a superficial understanding of spirituality where the focus is more on outward Behavior than on inner truth and authenticity Leo Tolstoy once said truth is like gold obtained by washing away all that is not gold this metaphor invites us to examine our lives and identify what is not true what is not valuable and what does not serve our genuine selves so ask yourself what in your life Is Not Gold what is not true to find the
answers you need to set aside societal expectations parental expectations and even your own conditioned self-image Society often dictates what success looks like what happiness should be and how we should live our lives parents may have their dreams and aspirations for us shaped by their own experiences and desires friends and peers can influence us with their perceptions and judgments and we ourselves can get caught in a web of our own making constructing an identity based on external validations and internal fears but these are not the truths we should live by they are not the gold we
seek to find the truth you must go deep within your psyche and ask a simple yet profound question what do I truly want in this life this question requires honesty and introspection are you living a life that aligns with your true desire desires and values or are you comfortably numbing yourself with lies are you actively taking steps to manifest your dreams or are you moving against them stuck in a cycle of inauthenticity be honest with yourself it's okay to be vulnerable being true to yourself is not always easy but it is necessary for a fulfilling
life Carl Yung reminds us of this profound truth your vision will become clear only when you can look into your own heart who looks outside dreams dreams who looks inside awakes yung's words encourage us to look within rather than outside for help the solutions and Clarity you seek are already Within You by turning Inward and embracing your true self you can begin to live a life that is genuinely yours free from the deceptive influences of comparison and measurement against others each person's path is unique there is no single way that applies to everyone the only
path that truly matters is the one that aligns with your own heart and soul other paths May deceive and tempt you leading you away from your true self but when you look within listen to your inner voice and follow the way that is inherently yours you fulfill your unique purpose and potential my friend living a life true to oneself requires being honest about your feelings your desires and your needs it means expressing yourself authentically without fear of judgment this can be challenging because it requires vulnerability and courage but it is only through this authenticity that
you can truly discover what is true I hope you enjoyed watching my video if you're still with me please leave a comment saying my spiritual path is about what is real and true not just being nice I'll give your comment a heart as always wishing you a beautiful day [Music]
