The Dalai Lama, when asked what surprised him most about humanity, answered:
“Man. Because he sacrifices his health in order to make money. Then he sacrifices money to recuperate his health. And then he is so anxious about the future that he does not enjoy the present; the result being that he does not live in the present or the future; he lives as if he is never going to die, and then dies having never really lived.”
The human is a complex organism. Within the sphere of humanity we find the extremes, the hyperextreme and the simple. In a bombardment of culture, information, mental delusion and idealism, we tend to lose the very quality that makes us so special. We render the spirit mute in all of our frivolous pursuits of desire, resulting in a despondence that we continually deny.
The Dalai Lama is very accurate in his statement. Many men die having never truly lived. Under the guise of status quo and cultural contract, many men travel through life trying to simply “keep up” with everything else, never really finding himself and never making a spiritual connection.
In an attempt to create a pedestal of status for himself, my father continually moved our family from house to house. He would never choose a home that he could afford. It was always out of range financially. As a result, we suffered more with being denied structure or solid ground. We were forced to live among a rank of social status that we didn’t belong. This caused a rift within the family.
I realize now that my father was hurting himself even more. He wasn’t living his own life. He was living to please his ego, never connecting with the spirit, never truly living life to the fullest for his own sake. The illusion of status and acceptance continued to elude him at every turn.
All too often men and women fall into this trap. We see ourselves through the eyes of others instead of with the heart. We fail to accept life. We fail to see what is truly worth living for in this world. We do not live at all, we just slowly die.
The sphere of humanity can be a vibrant place full of light, love happiness and serenity. Or it can be a dark place, full of illusion, fear and anxiety. It holds all of these possibilities, and we all find what we seek.
When it comes right down to the basic keystones of life, we must remind ourselves of a few things: We are alive. The world does not make us. We build our own hearts. We build our own kingdoms of spirit. Realize that life in simplicity is beautiful right here, right now, in the present moment.
We are the builders of Men. Build yourself for yourself; for the spirit and for those you love, not for how the world wants you to be.
HeartSphere 
Reblogged this on Musing With 305 and commented:
Everyone should read this! The Dalai Lama quote grabs your attention right away. I know that I want to live a life that I actually lived, instead of chasing the same piece of money day in and day out to no end. Great job KnowtheSphere! 😀
Thank you for sharing! 🙂
My pleasure! 😀
An extraordinarily sharp & incisive commentary on human priorities.
Thank you sir 🙂
You’re welcome; it’s a pleasure reading the words of a man who would appear to be wise way beyond his years.
I wish to live this life not just exist in it! Thanks for the wonderful perspective-) Love your post… Keep on doing your thang!!! R.E.S.P.E.C.T
Thank you.. I certainly will!! 😉
Thumbs up!
Just 20 minutes ago I was musing about that precisely, the need to truly live and forget the queries of a self which is never satisfied. It only can be a good sign to have read this post.Thanks!
You’re quite welcome. Best wishes!
What a great article. I am a Christian and I accept that God made me but I also believe that it is my job to find out who he made me to be and become that person. Only then can I be happy. Because I am myself Only the heart can lead us there
This is an excellent post. Ego is such a problem. We live in a world that is designed to feed the ego – why are subscribers on wordpress called ‘followers’ for example? It might seem difficult to do as you suggest but – as you so beautifully describe – it is actually the easier road in the long term. Thanks.
Very true what you say, Easier said than done, but practice makes perfect 😉
Liked a lot…what else to say…except, can I borrow the Dalai Lama quote??? PLease???
Thank you! and Of course.. It’s his quote, not mine 😉
Thanks…I figured that…I didn’t think you were that old!
You know, I appreciate the ideology of this. I agree that we seem to push ourselves for something that might amount of a lifetime of nothingness. The awareness of this sometimes “futility” is the “gift with purchase” of the human condition—the self-awareness.
However, to toil is indeed part of our genetic biology. Imagine the tiny ant. It carries things back to its little dirt mound for his collective of ants. The odds of surviving the treks seem ridiculously impossible. But it is compelled to do so because it simply must, to secure the future, it must. It’s a simple thought. Keep going, keep doing. Just like the cells in our body just like the tides in the ocean.
The very thing that sets us apart from the other species is or mind and our self-awareness. That measurement system is key factor for the building of our humanity and civilization. If I am solely concerned with my basal happiness and everything else recedes then what do we have?
Utopias are hells within themselves.
We can only live the life we understand how to live. How do we define what is worth living for? That is an individual road. For some, it’s walking in a field and letting the sun shine on their face. For others it’s fleeing their country illegally and suffering starvation, dehydration and so many perils to get to their American dream and then simply eating at the Olive Garden and wearing Nike sneakers.
I am in no position to argue what should be of worth to others, simply what is of worth to me. That is the funny thing about humanity. Value and worth is subjective and individual. It doesn’t make it right, just simply human.
I agree with everything you say, and have written about this numerous times. Best wishes!
Every day in every way, I am being led to just “let go” of the egos quest for materialistic “stuff.” I am learning to be happy with what I have and let go of what I don’t need to help others.
This was “right on” for me and my walk today!
Thank you!
Thank you! Glad that it resonates with you. 😉
This blog really resonated with me. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Reblogged this on letting our voices erupt.
Thank you for sharing!
no worries! thank you
So true. Spirituality is the seat belt that every human being needs . If you don’t tie it on, the roller coaster of life is gonna leave you shattered.and broken.
A very wise and true statement indeed.. Best wishes to you 🙂
Your writing has such a peace to it; even when the message is clear. Our ego has a way of eliminating our common sense; the Daili Lama wisdom is beyond reproach.
Thank you for sharing your words of wisdom!
Thank you sir! Best wishes 🙂
Reblogged this on The Purple Jacket and commented:
From one of my favorite blogger; thought provoking, peaceful and right on target. Well worth the read!
If we learn to live the spiritual journey we are set out to conquer, we will always have enough. Slowing down and being grateful for all we have and are is paramount to continuing on our way.
Another great one. Thanks. We are all Dying to Live! Rawberto ohmmmmmmmmm
How odd that we shared on the same subject today! Glad to have found you, and thanks for stopping by. Looking forward to readin more from you.
Two thumbs up….and kudos to you oh wise one……….
Well said. We must live today, and have dreams and follow them. Don’t wait for retirement to travel.
Oh boy, you have so many supporters on here! Haha glad to know that you’re a former Marine 😉 I enjoy reading this entry too, and you should attend one of Dalai Lama’s lecture if you can! He came to Madison, WI a few times, and I was deeply inspired by him when I attended one of his lecture in the hockey arena. Anyway, may you continue living your life to the fullest and being your true self!
I would love to attend a lecture of his. Just to be in the presence of such a beautiful mind would be wonderful. 😉
Well put again. I almost cross-posted this in Machimon but didn’t because I thought some of the content might be a little too personal for broadcast to a wider audience. I take machimon to be a more serious endeavor than cross-posting on facebook (my own conceit). I’ve seen under a dozen of your and find something worthwhile in each.
Thank you! Please, Feel free to share wherever.. I honestly don’t care too much for facebook. More of a twitter fan here..
What a brilliant post! Thank you for your wisdom…..and the Dalai Lama’s of course. 🙂
I have really enjoyed reading your posts…your insight and writing I find both captivating and intriguing. Thank you.
Thank you! You’re most welcome..I’m happy that you enjoy it. 😉
As a Christian this this is still one of my favorite Dalai Lama observations. A great and profound statement, as is your post. Thanks.
I just read The Dalai Lama’s biography. Maybe I should take note to slow down enough to see the details:) Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for your meaningful blogging. I definitely share your pov. (I just press this to share with my network!) : )
I am an atheist my friend and you know what, I do agree on the quote of the Dalai Lama! For me living in this world is finding the meaning of your own being. For quite some time people tend to subscribe to find meanings on the scriptures to which that is others “interpretation” of finding ‘self’ but the question still remains. Does relying on those stuff can figure out your emancipation for the worldly affairs of being somebody following their path? I am just wondering here my friend.
Reblogged this on The Highly Sensitive Family and commented:
Another post about being our own destiny… must be something in the air…
You are a terrific writer sir, i would not be surprised if tommorow you publish a book and its a global sensation. Your words come from direct experience, and indicate a very balanced approach to viewing life in its true beauty; with all the little imperfections and small joys it is made of. I am so happy to follow your blog…:)
Thank you very much! Glad to have you as a follower 🙂
The total human being starts as an individual, then connects with others out of confidence and care. But when is that taught to children?
Truly, some really great work you are doing here. Thanks for sharing and may God continue to bless you day by day, moment by moment as you are instructed to do his will.
One of my favorite quotes. I’ve always agreed that something is very wrong when a society prizes greed and status over compassion.
Made for a great read, I love that quote from the Dalai Lama (amongst many other favourites from the great man). Man constrains himself, thereby failing to realise the untapped and potentially unlimited potential that exists in each of us, if more understood this, nothing could stop mankind. Thank you for another lovely post, I have read quite a few recently but not had a chance to comment on all!
Thank you! And thanks for taking the time to read. 😉
And this is why I visit wordpress everyday. Posts like yours are so enriching. Thank you for sharing. 😉
Thank you so much 😉 A wonderful complement!
This is so crucial, one of my many intentions is to continue to remind people of this as well. So many souls feel stuck within the parameters that have been set for them by others or themselves. it’s time for a break out! Thank you for sharing, Beautiful 😉
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Very true and very crucial. Thank you! 😉
Beautifully written and very insightful! You certainly know the Truth about Life. I honor you for sharing.
Today this exact quote has shown up in my reading. A reminder to fully live for myself in the present moment completely alive!
Life is all about investigating and discovering for ourselves, not just accepting some dogma. It is well documented that if an event occurs the spectators all have a different version of what happened in that event. Each sees it from their own unique perspective. What is the purpose of life for Buddhists? The question requires a proper answer. I do not expect to get an intelligible answer from Christian doctrines because they believe human beings are evil by their very nature.
I could just go on clicking the “like” button all day…
Had to repost on nspiredphotgraphy… great work, draws emotion!
Thank you much for sharing!!
Reblogged this on Fahrenheit 451 Used Books.
Thank you for sharing!! 🙂
really good! just in time!
I agree with the truth you shared here.
My Scriptures tell me to build on solid rock, not shifting sand. I find that your wonderful post here fully supports that teaching, in that measuring our lives by the opinions of others is building on shifting sands for sure. Building upon the core rock of who we were truly created to be is building on solid rock.
Very nice!
wonderfully said. really good food for thought. thank you.
Thanks for following, so I could find your thoughtful blog…..