Spiritual Portal

Me and Steve talked on the phone about meditation today. We were doing a bit of note comparing, and I told him how I thought that if we go into meditation looking for something to happen - a big payola - then meditation is not possible. Here is a video I saw recently of J. Krishnamurti saying much the same thing.

Time to watch: 20 minutes

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9IS1zW6In4

This guy, Lahiri Mahasaya's grandson, seems to be giving it pretty straight too...


https://www.vibby.com/watch?vib=Qy9ycjzRW

i am not a practitioner of T.M. so i can not comment. He signals out this form of meditation. The meditation i practiced from Amma came without a cost and the cost of the meditation techniques by Yogananda were the price of mailing and printing. Krishnamurti speaks of the costs. What did he charge to see him? Krishnamurti asks the question what is the motive of meditation? My answer for me is happiness and i find happiness at various levels during meditation.

His 'technique' of walking is also used by Buddhists; 'walking meditation.' When one meditates the energy from the body withdraws and soul consciousness instead of body consciousness begins. Krshnamurti talks about stopping the mind from chattering. This is precisely what takes place while meditating deeply. 'If you listen to the mind rationally. When you listen to the mind it becomes silent. Scientists must have quiet minds while investigating. Can we do the same?'

'Begin at the rational level by walking, standing and sitting.' He says. i see nothing wrong with his 'technique' for listening to the mind and silencing it. However i would like to go beyond mind. For me this requires a tremendous stillness which cannot be accomplished by walking or standing. The breath actually is slowed down and may even be stopped. This is not possible for me while standing or walking. The physical body is still very active and requires  maintenance at the very biological level while standing or walking with this bodily activity going on the mind becomes quickly distracted by sounds and the senses which are activated by pains, aches and changes in environment and sensory stimulation. Endless sensory information coming in at the conscious level while walking etc. distract the attention from focusing and interiorizing. Observing the mind is one thing but to still the mind is something entirely different.


My solution is to get beyond both the body and mind as much as possible and to focus without distractions from the environment. These distractions are quite obvious in the method  Krishnamurti gives. While there is benefit in what he prescribes for observing the mind i see it as very limited as compared to being in meditation. It reminds me of hearing people try to tell me they are meditating while for instance fishing. It is quite evident they have had no real meditation; while they might have had a peaceful afternoon. We can speak of observing the mind which is a helpful spiritual practice. However when he compares a meditation technique with observing the mind he is missing a key point. That is that true meditation is more then observing the mind. It is only one part of the whole practice.

Finding it harder and harder to deny what J. Krishnamurti is saying.  :-\

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mry02Yxw5T8

He's right.  :o

How do we know he is speaking the truth?

How do we know if any guru or any scripture is truth?

@Steve, of course. I think someone has to be already at the point of asking that question (about everyone) to understand what Krishnamurti is saying.

I posted the videos of Krishnamurti, not because I think he is some great savior, but because I think he is speaking with a lot of precision and clarity in these videos. What he's saying sorta just seems painfully obvious to me.

@SI, It seems to me that every scripture is useless insofar is it is something you merely agree with or disagree with, believe or disbelieve. That process is very shallow.

By practicing what they say and see if it is truth for you.

If it is obvious for u and works for u then follow it or listen to it. What certain gurus say to me is obvious. Different strokes for different folks.

Well that may be only true for how truth is found for you.

Much spiritual truth seems to rely on pure faith alone, even if one says they have intuition.

You are the ultimate authority on everything, whether you like it or not. It is us who decides which gurus are right and which wrong, and how much, and so on. It was always us. You are a light unto yourself whether you like it or not. That's the only light there ever is or ever was or ever will be. I believe that when all is said and done one finds oneself utterly alone.

 

Faith is the proof of things unseen the  knowledge of things unknown.

We may be a flame that is hard to ignite without the rite conditions. A fire can much easier ignite if it has the rite wood and for instance birch bark and kindling to start it but without the rite ingredients it can lie dormant for years if not centuries. The guru provides the rite elements for me and many others that ignites the spiritual flame.

First of all, a 'Guru' must have credibility. A couple of examples of gurus or self-proclaimed gurus who lost all credibility: Osho and Kryiananda. Credibility is defined by a set of conditions which must be satisfied

Personally, I of course found Yogananda credible, even though I realized, by cross references, that he tends to depict facts in a glamorous way in his Autobiography. A tad too glamorous, but there he has the specific purpose to attract the right people people.
Likewise, Sri Yukteswar is totally credible, even though some of his  scientific explanations appear simplified or oversimplified by the present development of science.
These prophets have mantained a reputation of credibility in their lives. Even though there have been people who tried to slander them heavily.

Un-likewise, Kryiananda has turned out to be a self-conscious, self-aggrandizing, materially-inclined, very poor excuse of a guru.

Osho has turned out to be even worse than Kryiananda, although the latter would have liked to possess the material riches and the favour of as many female disciples as OSHO enjoyed.

Whatever these false prophets have told, I regard everything as a manifestation of Satan, half truth, half lies. Best to disregard them totally.

@ Steve: the astrological book by Kryiananda has most probably been written copying the material of other authors and possibly it has been written by some female disciples of him (female whom he probably slept with while letting himself called a 'monk').

Some might say that credibility may be acceptable to some that are satisfied "good enough".

For example, a single perceptible negative statement made by someone about a guru or spiritual person, might be enough to hurt credibility. But some may find a statement like that does not affect their own overall satisfaction. Maybe due to the many positive things they have experienced, a negative here or there is OK.

But back to "How do we know if any guru or any scripture is truth?"

Some guru's may have had a few mishaps, but does that make what they say is truth, an untruth? I know I hear things and yes it does hurt credibility.

Yes I often wonder if some folks view parts of ABOY as metaphorical vs literally, or is it supposed to be?

well let's face it, even the old testament and other scriptures folks take literally and take the translation based on that.

You are judge, jury, and executioner.

Not knowing if any guru or any scripture is absolute truth, how then do we know the self (or what's left) is knowing truth?

The reason why gurus so often let people down is because people have idealized, unrealistic - yes, childish - expectations for them.

I have followed gurus since I was young. I have never felt let down. On the contrary I have my life to owe them. They have done more for me then I ever expected. Life has really changed for me because of them. I am also ☺ for u in what appeals to u about krishnamurti

I just happen to agree with him on some things.

My credibility i put at a high premium. Anyone who watches my films will know that. Just follow me mccoy and you will never be left astray. I have great plans for you and your house. We will make it into a  Horror Amusement Park. OSHO governs workers safety.  I will be your GURU and lead you from the harsh light of day to the mellow horror of night. All these other Gurus you speak of we can make Halloween masks for them to celebrate the dark days ahead.

Fixed that for you.

Hey hitchy, you got a crow on your back or somethin?

Do you notice how most people alternate between extreme idealization of gurus to extreme villianization?

Well that's one game you don't with to play with people, if you're found to be a phony when it comes to a guru or spiritual teacher, you better hide somewhere.

There's other examples that are not guru related, remember Tonya Harding?

Makes me think of this poem attributed to Chaung Tzu.

(https://jimpix.co.uk/ink/photos/2012-09-21-lakes-007.jpg)

He who rules men lives in confusion;
He who is ruled by men lives in sorrow.
Yao therefore desired
Neither to influence others
Nor to be influenced by them.
The way to get clear of confusion
And free of sorrow
Is to live with Tao
In the land of the great Void.

If a man is crossing a river
And an empty boat collides with his own skiff,
Even though he be a bad-tempered man
He will not become very angry.
But if he sees a man in the boat,
He will shout at him to steer clear.
If the shout is not heard, he will shout again,
And yet again, and begin cursing.
And all because there is somebody in the boat.
Yet if the boat were empty.
He would not be shouting, and not angry.

If you can empty your own boat
Crossing the river of the world,
No one will oppose you,
No one will seek to harm you.

The straight tree is the first to be cut down,
The spring of clear water is the first to be drained dry.
If you wish to improve your wisdom
And shame the ignorant,
To cultivate your character
And outshine others;
A light will shine around you
As if you had swallowed the sun and the moon:
You will not avoid calamity.

A wise man has said:
“He who is content with himself
Has done a worthless work.
Achievement is the beginning of failure.
Fame is beginning of disgrace.”

Who can free himself from achievement
And from fame, descend and be lost
Amid the masses of men?
He will flow like Tao, unseen,
He will go about like Life itself
With no name and no home.
Simple is he, without distinction.
To all appearances he is a fool.
His steps leave no trace. He has no power.
He achieves nothing, has no reputation.
Since he judges no one
No one judges him.
Such is the perfect man:
His boat is empty.

-Chuang Tzu

That poem seems pretty anti-american. By the way, I do remember something of the Tonya Harding controversy. One of many ongoing, with no end in sight. Whether it's a guru having sex or a politician with a private email server...There is no grand battle between good and evil. I think that must be one of the last delusions to go. It was hard for me to fully grok. We dream up the heros and the villians. There is only insight and intelligence; ignorance and imbalance; no good and evil as people have come to believe over the past 1000 years or so. Seems pretty clear to me.   

Well it may be that light/dark, hot/cold, good/evil etc., are here in this physical plane, no matter how advanced you are. But the next plane is where there is no arrogance, sorrow, etc., I think that's where those things really vaporize. Hopefully we'll have filled the earthly desire or learned enough to not go thru it again.

It is quite clear that ISSIS and Hitler did some evil things. But people have different opinions of what a guru or teachers means to them.. i say let them have there opinions and do not judge so much. People often react because they do not want to be sucked in to meaningless views that have proven to fill up their time with dead ends. i think that is part of it. Personally this has not happened to me though. The Gurus i have followed have helped me immensely and people like Kriyananda and Osho i have found have some helpful thoughts. i just never got so involved with such people to have strong views about them. i see a bit of myself here though. i am unwilling to spend time listening to Christians talk about their views of Jesus. I is a total waste of time. Just like i am unwilling to listen to people like ISSIS give their views about religion. Seeing what they have done to others is enough to see for a lifetime.

All the planes and all the apparent problems are creations of the human mind. Existence has no problems, and no next.

SI

To be consistent then...This view too is creation of the human mind. Some people create tremendous problems for others because of their ignorance. Until the mind is free of all illusions it is best to stay away from them and we r fortunate to have them leave our lives.

i think most of us realize over the years that as close as we r to what we r we still have so far to go. So much to learn... so much is out there and so much is inside... it is humbling just to contemplate. There is no boredom in this. Just fascination, gratitude for what we have discovered and appreciation.

Yet i should add if we are in tune with their real vibe we cannot help but still love them. It is somewhat of a gift to see the depths of a persons soul and the uniqueness that the creator has put in such a being. We must constantly aim at seeing the best in others because it really is there. We have to work so much on ourselves to see the obvious.

Thank you ding dong for posting that poem. It's beautiful.

Steve you're right, we've much to learn that words or guru's can't teach. A wise person can attempt to share their wisdom in the form of writing but you may never fully embrace the depth of what he/she is trying to share then one day you'll go back or stumble across the same writing and find even more then the first time. More appreciation, more gratitude and inspiration.

I think this film has been shared here before, Kumare, but find it fitting to drop in...

http://kumaremovie.com/
Kumaré is a feature documentary film about the time filmmaker Vikram Gandhi impersonated a fake guru and built a following of real people. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011, Kumaré opened in theaters June 20, 2012, and is now available on demand via iTunes, Amazon Instant video and most cable providers.

https://youtu.be/tBIIaTI8C5c

Not sue what u r responding to here Eric. There are many things in life that r not clear to me. Often they take years to clear up. It is very clear to me that the gurus i have followed were true gurus that have helped me immensely on the spiritual path. It is not every ones decision to seek out gurus or to ask for their help. People all have their individual paths as u know. However for me personally i do not feel deceived by the gurus i have followed and have noticed some very tangible miracles and phenomena that has played out because of following Paramahansa Yogananda and Amma. i would have no reservations in recommending their guidance and direction. Because of my karma i have been deceived by people in my life but never by the gurus i have followed. i think it is important to look at our own personal karma to see why some have felt or perhaps been deceived by gurus. People always look for a scapegoat for their own karma. But it is important to recognize that all conditions in this life r created by us at some time and some place in the past.

Gurus have taught me much and i have learned much from them in this life so when u say "Steve you're right, we've much to learn that words or guru's can't teach." i am not sure what u r referring to that i have said. Perhaps u can quote me so that i can know. Thanks Eric. Paramahansa Yogananda has said that if we r disloyal to a true guru we r apt to have a hard time finding their guidance right a way in coming lives. So u see from that view it is much easier to understand why people fall in to such pitfalls. It is best to pick ourselves up and not fall prey to the same behavior people have sometimes dosed on us if it is on the debt side of the balance ledger. Their r still many wonderful people and gurus around. U can't judge the whole world by a few people who have shoddy behavior that u have encountered. It is better to look at ourselves an recognize that w ourselves have created such encounters to help us learn to never treat people this way even though we may have done it recently or sometime in the distant forgotten past.
 

hi steve! i was reading this thread from beginning to end so when i read

it had me thinking of the old expression..... you can tell a child not to touch the stove because it will burn him/her but that doesn't mean the child will listen. we thrive on experience and after reading the debate between gurus and reading the poem shared by ding dong i kind of went off on my own tangent  :D hope all is well my friend! =)

This material experience is like that. We test our desires and r drawn to what intrigues us even though it is quite often not what gives us what we r really seeking. Eventually our needs  and desires change and we r changed people seeking something very different then we originally planned. Further along the line we find that what we have been seeking we already have. We just sought it in the wrong places. The Masters say that when the fruit falls all seeking and growing is done. We always have had what we have been looking for.

 :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :) :)

Whatcha been sayin Hydrosphere? Pull yo airy head out of the clouds just for a moment.  Have ya al ever met the real McCoy... McCoy? SI can you SI a tune that's more then a one liner? I wanna to hear the whole melody. :'(  And Master Ding Dong where were ya' al when the Ding became a Dong?  ??? Aya who??  ??? Ya al been a smilin too much. I think yo on to somethin that you a gotta be sharin here. ya hear me? Ya can't be a hidin it forever with all that high and mighty and fancy talk. Get... yo... shiny ass.... over here. Just com out of the shadows and reveal yo true light. I know that you have it. Don't be a stingy now. The fire is a burnin hot just put yo cold butt a hoverin' over it. Ya al don't need to burn your ass to warm up by the flames!

                                                                 Yo friend Beady
 ???

I have met no one that thinks exactly like me.

It's obvious that most all God seekers or truth seekers or whatever-you-want-to-call-it, seem to agree on the very top level thought that there is an energy, or creator, or force, or self, or non-self, or an absolute personality, or whatever-you-want-to-call-it.

It's the details after that where everyone seems to disagree.

Why can't people in this world agree on the top level thought and leave it at that? Nobody will ever think alike when it comes to the little details.

Here

Shiny ass? BTW I've got your melody right here.

Of course, false prophets must say something interesting to rise interest in people. What they do though is very often the opposite of the interesting, wise things they preach.
In Italy there used to be an adage about catholic priests: "Do as the priest says, not as the priest does".

Guys, I find such a dualism downright preposterous. Simply put, if you are not able or willing to do what you preach you should not preach at all.

The other possibility is that the priest who does not follow his preachings is a  conman. He preaches because he acquires power by preaching, then he uses such power to satisfy his greed for money, power, sex. Such was the case, as the facts suggest it, with Osho/rajhnees and Kryiananda/Walters.

i believe most all business people use power to acquire what u r speaking of. This is a function of rajas. Osho/Rajhnees openly admitted that he was a man who had sex and to own and drive so many Rolls Royces it appears that he had some greed as well. He also had some great wisdom. So if a woman had sex with him she was a willing participant and since he openly drove in his cars with devotees all around they would have to be blind to not know that his cars were very expensive. i have never read where Kryinanada abhorred  sex and preached against it and i was not there to see him use power and abusively and that he was a greedy man. Again we must recognize that he too may have had 'lovers' that enjoyed every facet of a human relationship with him. i do enjoy his different perspective of Paramahansa Yogananda as i personally have a story about the life of Paramahansa Yogananda that was accepted as true but yet SRF  monks told me it probably would not be recorded in history. i do not expect people to be perfect to have an interest in them. My God; the Beatles had all kinds of affairs, drug and alcohol addictions. It did not stop me from listening to their music.

i do know that my religion instructor at Western Michigan University claimed that it is a well known fact that Paramahansa Yogananda was a womanizer and had mistresses. i was not there with him so how do i know? However he definitely has changed my life for the better. Many people claim that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers. Again how do i know? ; i was not there and even if he did it would not take away from my awe of who he was and what he did. i have a personal friend who acknowledged that Yogi Bajan had women as lovers but that did not seem to dent her believing he was a spiritual teacher.

All i really know is what i do and have done in my life. As far as i know i do not preach or claim to be something i am not. Lord knows i have my imperfections as well. Yet i am working on them and i do believe i am a much better person then say 20 years ago. Part of this is because of the spirituality of people that are also imperfect. i am not in the business of debunking others and being real critical of their lifestyles. i am in the business of being critical of my own lifestyle and improving  myself. Many imperfect people have helped in this process.

Steve, I admire your appreciation for wise things regardless of their source.
I am far more biased. If a thing is wise of course it remains wise, but if it has been pronounced by Rajneesh or Kryiananda, then I become suspicious.
For example, swami K, who I happen to know, mixed truth and lies. How can I know if that specific thing is true or false? I read some books of Kryiananda where he described things and made prophecies about himself and events. The prophecies failed miserably. The things he described turned out to be utterly false.
So, was Hitler Alexander the great in a previous incarnation, or Stalin Gengis Khan? Maybe so, but since swami K told it, tht remains very uncertain, so much uncertain that I'll dismiss that fact as totally unfounded. Unless some SRF monks can confirm it.

I appreciate Rajneesh' honesty. But to tell the truth, I was nonplussed when I read a book of him extolling celibacy, then another book saying the opposite. This is a way to confound devotees. His devotees actually were not spiritual devotees. His devotees were members of a cult with satanic nuances. he attracted people with satanic tendencies, and as far as I know it, he was poisoned by his same 'loyal' secretary (whom he surely bedded) who ran out with his money.
Bottom line, his writings are henceforth tainted by satanic suggestions. I read his books in the past, I burned them afterwards, as I burned all the books by swami K that I possessed.

It is a well known fact.... But where is the hard evidence? Is your former instructor reliable? Or did he speak from biased grapevine info?

I know everything about some alleged escapades by Yogananda, alleged lover of Tara Mata and father of a girl from her, alleged father of Ben Erskine, alleged owner of a personal harem in M. Washington, which made Brahmachari Nerode sue him at the LA court.

None of the above was proved though. Also, I would believe that Sri Yukteswar was not so much of a prophet had he missed the facts only because he was living in India.

Also, Yogananda would have been deserted by the likes of Daya Mata and Saint Lynn, who practice strict celibacy and would never have tolerated a guru with such weaknesses.

You make me smile mccoy. What kind of hard evidence can u give for some one who is no longer living? You present things like this: B should follow A since it is true that we know that Saint Lynn was a celibate and that Daya Mata would not accept such behavior. St. Lynn was married to someone who did not look fondly on SRF. Do u know that she accepted a life of no sex with him as well? Were u there to witness their lives? When i was in California i found out that even Brothers left the order because of sexual behavior. One of whom i respected very much. He was the most inspirational monk i had ever met. i have never been close to Kriyananda or Osho. But you can make scapegoats out of anyone and claim things such as the devil made him do it. But the fact remains Kriyananda was chosen by Yogananda and he was put in a high position of SRF. To put all the blame on Kriyananda for decisions by others who were suppose to have the wisdom and intuition to know better is a rather shoddy way of passing the buck. i see it much differently: Judas was very spiritually developed; Otherwise Jesus would not have chosen him as a disciple. There r many others who were spiritually developed who like us have made mistakes along the way. If it were not for Paramahansa Yogananda and decisions made by the highest board at SRF Kriyananda would have never been able to have the fame he had when leaving SRF to write such things and attract such crowds and develop such a following. We can make scapegoats out of others and turn them into something evil. But let us look back and see who let such power be given to such a person in the first place.

Believe me i defended Paramahansa Yogananda when i talked to Professor Nancy Falk who was head of the religion department at the time and she just laughed at me as though i was naive. i presented views like u did about Daya Mata. As you know some devotees will willingly follow the rules of others and not expect those 'above' such rules to have to follow them. To her (Nancy Falk) i was following just another religious cult. But i may add this: It is not a prerequisite of intelligence to have wisdom as well. That is something i learned over and over in college.


They couldn't even agree about what Paramahansa Yogananda said himself at SRF. i remember distinctly asking Brother Bhaktananda about Paramahansa Yogananda saying he was Shakespeare in a previous life. He said "That is what the Master said" and then hearing Daya Mata refuting that claim.

Well then you confirm my thesis that professor's Falks allegations were based on rumours. Are we being naive in not believing her allegations or is she being naive in believing the allegations of Yogananda's enemies? Naivetè can often be turned the other way around. This appears to be one of those cases.


Steve, it is so evident that Yogananda's decision was influenced by Satan himself and his discrimination when choosing D. Walters as a disciple was not working. We have an example of an avatar who can take huge blunders and this in a way is a consolation to us lowly mortals.
Also, some people feign humbleness and meekness until they obtain some power exercising a devilish cunning, then they start behaving in their own crazy ways, influenced by ego and hubris. This is exactly what happened and why Tara Mata did such an enormous mistake in having DW nominated vice-president. As soon as DW got teh position, he started to feel the real boss if SRF (yes, women are lesser beings good to little beyonfd satisfying men's material desires, so Daya Mata could not really be her superior). Swami K ended up behaving like a parasite of Yogananda's fame and taking advantage of his position. I read his book where he recounts of his dismissal from SRF and that's a total fake, where all events are distorted. The real truth was known many years later, in a court of justice.
It is not that S K made some mistakes on the way, more exactly he badly betrayed his guru, he took advantage of his position as a self-proclaimed spiritual teacher to have sex with young female devotees and nuns, filled his books with lies, committed fraud with malice, all with an outward mask of bonhomie and friendliness.
A professional conman. We cannot call these 'small mistakes'.



Again, I may be called naive if I refuse to believe something in the face of hard evidence. I find prof. Falks' attitude very biased. Yogananda passed the DNA test on Ben Erskine case, was found not guilty in the trial initiated by Nerode (an harem in Mt. Washington), speaking of the cases I know. Tara Mata's daughter (whose father some people say was Yogananda) does not resemble Yogananda at all.
So why should I believe the mere words of an unknown professor of the Michigan university in Kalamazoo? Has she been so naive to be influenced by the internet fora against Yogananda? She would be much more honest in saying that hers is but a personal opinion, unproved and unprovable.




Steve, those disagreements between spiritual giants are really unfortunate. Besides, it shows that any references to previous lives are utterly unreliable.
You can imagine if I can believe Kryiananda who said Stalin was Gengis Khan and Hitler Alexander the Great.

What fascinates me is how our minds try to get around such things and make sense of them. Because of our background, environment and karma we come to different conclusions. i can only gain appreciation at the many views that are out there including yours mccoy. There is so much more that could come out of this conversation. i suppose when it seems relevant to our unfolding awareness we will add more. i am also grateful to Brock for having an interest enough to start this thread because of those times we have enjoyed friendship in our conversations.

mccoy

While what u r saying may be true and sometimes we do have to contend with negative thought forms: i find the power of thought so strong that dwelling on such matters can take our own consciousness downward. Do u find this true of yourself as well? There r times we need to distinguish truth from fiction and understand various claims that others make that seem to contradict our own understanding. At times we just walk away from energies that seem to have complicated cross currents that act as a mire to dilute the larger picture. Putting too much judgement into the picture pulls us into the vibration of the energies of the people that we may find differences with.

Steve, you are right, however, I do not give importance at all nor waste my time judge DW who is such an insignificant, lowly, vile, fake and miserable being, a pure excuse of a failed devotee..... Ehm. sorry, LOL!!!

Well, my sense of humor has also been conveniently ignored also. So in that sense we mirror each other. Often humor has some truth found in it. I think that is y people get uncomfortable with it when we unload it strategically.

It's all in the delivery.

Conveying humor over the internet via text, forums, and boards can be tricky.

Yes 👍I have found that there r some people who have had no idea 💡 that I was being humorous about myself and my relationship with them. There have been those who cannot laugh too easily at themselves or with others. It actually can turn out quite tragic. It is sad 😢 in the sense that I really have found that God has quite a sense of humor about this life and us. Losing that sense of humor and taking ourselves and relationships too seriously also results in losing some of that lightness and spontaneity that develops as we get beyond ourselves and see 👀 our roles in this life as just actors in an unrehearsed stage drama with many humorous parts.

When we get too serious we can even manifest mental illness. We start seeing a very dark picture painted all around us and our perspective of life becomes so warped that there are many among us who can no longer function socially with any degree of happiness and are able to find little pleasure in social contact becoming like hermits in a dark novel.