Stories and Attachments...

Living in the west, in the wealthiest and most powerful of nation on the planet, I find much unhappiness and confusion. Daily. Considering myself a "normal person" I freely admit I often share in this widespread disenchantment and confusion. Actually, I've experienced it most of my adult life.

I blame the stories. I'm sure you're familiar with the stories to which I allude. They are the stories we continually tell ourselves as we struggle to align our years of societal conditioning with actual reality. The self, or ego, will always attempt to manipulate the truth (reality) so as to align the stories with actual reality. IOW's, we make stuff up out of whole cloth, so that we feel good. 

That, and we readily attach ourselves to things that give us pleasure and or a sense of wellbeing. Then, when things change, as they always do, or we lose the attachment completely, we suffer a sense of loss, great anxiety, or even anger. 

Whenever we make up stories about things rather than simply observing reality (phenomena) as it really is, or, attach ourselves to things or objects of desire we are really setting ourselves up for constant disappointment, unhappiness, and suffering.

A problem that has been with humankind since the beginning of human cognition. With just a bit of knowledge, personal effort, and practice the solution is readily available. One merely has to have the desire to experience liberation and bliss.

Good luck and have a luminous and blissful weekend!