There are many mystical thought traps in the world. They take up lot of our energy of thinking and here is no definitive answer to most of these problems. Over thinking about these problems does not yield results most of the times and hence while starting our journeys, we should try to avoid such thought traps!
Dr. Abhay Bang uses a term known as ‘paralysis
by analysis’. Maybe he uses this term to hint at these mystic thought traps!
I will try to avoid giving examples of such
thought traps because it will be inconvenient for those who are in the
‘selling’ of these thought traps. Please note that I do not mean to say that
these thought traps are useless totally or they never give benefits. They might
give or might not give but they take up huge resources. Someone might say that
they give great rewards too. It might be true that they might be giving great rewards,
but they are mostly absent in terms of these fields of mysticism.
One might ask that if no one will indulge in
mysticism and if no one will be ready to deal with difficult and critical
thinking, how progress will happen? It is true that there can be huge progress
if we can crack some difficult problems and can take humanity ahead but it
should not be a compulsion on anyone especially on the person who is trying to
start their journeys in the field. Maybe difficult questions can be reserved
for people who are older and are in the field since long and who have been benefited from the system the most.
The biggest problem comes when we deny
mysticism! Denial of mysticism is food for it! Never deny it! Because the
moment we deny it, someone will stand for it and the debate starts! Its our
loss of time and energy to keep debating about mysticism. It is mysticism in
the first place because there is no definitive answer and trying to find answer
for it is getting trapped in it! For a rational person, it appears very
challenging and he jumps to it in hope of solving it. Because he feels that his
logic will be tested there. Intelligent people like to solve difficult problems
but if they are really intelligent, they should be able to identify these traps
too eventually. More intelligent are those who do not fall in the traps of
mysticism at all!
It might appear non attractive to leave
mysticism. It might appear unintelligent. But it is highly productive because
we generally are not aware how much time and energy mysticism can take up! Lot
of thinking about mysticism happens in our subconscious mind hence we do not
realize how much energy it is dissipating.
Time and again mysticism will take up charge of
our minds. But the moment we get aware of it, the best strategy is to leave it!
Once we become aware of the mysticism (and its nature) in our life, we will
also be able to identify it in others. The strategy can be then to remain away
from people who indulge in mysticism or at least to remain away till that time
till which they are indulging in it. We must help also to those who wish to
identify it and remain away from it but getting trapped in mysticism is no help
to anyone. It is necessary to remember this because the person trapped in mysticism
often throws challenge at us and asks us to investigate it ourselves.
When mind become free from thoughts of
mysticism, it experiences huge stores of energy and time. We should be ready to
invest this great energy into something productive and good. We should have
some idols ready to invest these energies.
I must mention that I could articulate this
thought clearly after reading Vivekananda where he says that youth should not
indulge in mysticism. I have heard Naidu sir also saying many times when
someone asks him (about some irrelevant problem) “what to do of this problem
now?” and he simply says, “Leave it!” It sounds funny now to share it but its
no fun to get trapped in mysticism.
I remember here now the PM Modi’s interview
with 3 journalists including Editor of ABP Mazha, Khandekar. He said “Even if
you will tie me by role and will try to pull me in this issue, I am not going
to come with you in this issue.” The point was discussion related to a crucial point.
He said I do not recognize any ******** (point of mysticism) and I work for my countrymen! He was not
entering in the mysticism, I think. That is the way to reject mysticism! He is
a heroic person in my opinion about this issue of rejecting mysticism who has
shown us how to reject mysticism with courage! It appears very strange for a non-involved person while watching that interview as why he is so aggressive about not
answering the way in which those reporters want him to answer.
But why in the first place we get trapped into
mysticism? The slavery comes to us in form of help and our freedom is taken
away. Likewise, we get trapped in mysticism because of its attractive nature.
Mysticism looks attractive because we think that there are fair chances of
winning or finding something new in the field and it appears easy in the
beginning. The easy appearance of mysticism is pseudo. It looks easy but it is
not easy. The people who have brought us to mysticism run away when they face
difficulty in the field of mysticism or try to fool us or silence with power
but till that time we are trapped. They in fact even tell us how intelligent we
are and how we only can bring them out of this mysticism etc. And again try to
throw challenge to solve the problems and that is even again a trap of mysticism.
Forcing mind to not to think about it a great
struggle but it is worth to do this struggle because the benefit we get out of
this struggle is we get freedom from mysticism. Sometimes the struggle is more
sometimes its not so. In fact, if we think clearly, the amount of energy it
takes to ignore mysticism is too less than the amount of energy needed to fight
it when mysticism has taken charge of our system. In fact, nothing should take
charge of our system but surely not mysticism in particular.
But the fields of mysticism look as if mysticism
‘is working’ in the external world and sometimes we might have had done lot of
investment in these fields as well. Gradually trying to come out of mysticism
really helps is my personal experience. Each small decision we make can be
towards or away from mysticism. In fact, we are free! We were and we are free.
Its non-realization of this freedom that ties us down with mysticism. We are
free to think about it or not to think about it. Our thinking habits creates
patters and we feel ease in these patterns. It will be difficult to break the
patterns of mysticism. But so what? Even to start thinking in the field of mysticism
also required efforts in the beginning.
Mysticism generally enters in weak minds or at
a weak stage of mind! So, we should be alert when mysticism starts taking
charge of our mind. It is an indication that our mind is getting weak, I think.
Hard work is also a way to remain away from
mysticism. Doing the work in hand currently as good as possible is a key to
remain away from mysticism. It might not look attractive but remember that the
work you are doing now is attractive for someone else. So, every work is
attractive in that sense. Even if it is necessary to go in the field of mysticism
for now, we should do some other work first and then do the work related to
mysticism. Reducing its importance by ignoring it is the best way to get out of
mysticism. Some other real problem will catch hold of your mind and that is ok.
Solving real problems is the best way to get rid of mysticism. Please note that
mysticism is not untruth. It is not truth as well. If is half truth and half
untruth. Finding out what is truth and what is untruth in it is very difficult
and an intelligent mind gets attracted by the challenge of finding truth in it.
We should also see what mysticism is not. As
mentioned above it is not untruth. It is not solving some genuine problem with
scientific methods. It is not mere miscommunication. It is not genuine struggle
for survival. It is not simple curiosity but sometimes mysticism takes form of
curiosity. It is not finding the causes of injustice. In fact, by getting into
mysticism we are creating the biggest injustice with our intelligence.
One might say that if anyways mysticism is to
be ignored, why to think so much on it and why to even write something on it
because written word is retraced! (Link) But there is difference between
thinking about a particular topic of mysticism and talking about mysticism in
general. We will need to keep on thinking about the process of getting trapped in
mysticism if we need to come out of it and if we do not wish to get trapped in
it again and again.
In any topic, there will always be room for
mysticism and one can connect it with well-known mysticism topics, but the real
heroism is in refusing to indulge in it. Ideally even thoughts related to these
topics of mysticism should also end but if that is not possible for us now, at
least talking and writing about it should be stopped by us. Acing on mysticism
is a sure shot way of getting into a bigger problem.
There would be some unfortunate people who will
be trapped in it all the times. We must try to help them as far as possible if
they are willing and cooperative but to go into mysticism by us is surely not
the solution. While helping others especially in this area, one should be most
careful. Otherwise the person who is trapped in it might get out of it (or may
not) but we get trapped in it!
On this Independence Day, let’s get free from
all the mysticism! 😊
- Dr. Abhijeet Safai (15 August 2020)
