UNKNOWN TERRITORY:

[Pravin Kumar]

Unknown Territory:

We repeat the same mistakes again an again and we constantly respond to the same triggers because we react out of the habit of what's known; this is done without even realizing it...

There are many reasons why an awakening process is so difficult, but to me the one that sticks out the most is how the Conditioned Mind holds onto what's known even if it causes extreme pain. When I was twenty five my oldest brother passed away from a cocaine related incident that forced me (not on my own) to look at my alcohol and drug use. His death opened my eyes somewhat, but even though my life was a mess, it didn't mean I was ready to dive in the unknown without my pacifiers to cope with life; this was with full knowledge that alcohol and drugs were causing me problems. It took another two years before I was ready to go into unknown territory; I figured it had to be better than the known way that was killing me.

The reason it took two years was because although I was in extreme emotional pain, my conditioning led me to believe facing the unknown was too scary and the known was the way to go; the lies of the Conditioned Mind run deep. This is why we repeat the same mistakes again an again and it's also why we constantly react to the same triggers; we react out of habit without even realizing it. The conditioning in place dictates what we do as it's obeyed without question. Here's the real irony in all of this, people actually believe they have free will and they have a choice, but the only thing you can do is submit to what's known because that's what's in place. Once there's awareness of this, succumbing to the known conditioning can be stopped as the choice to live life freely becomes a possibility...

MICHAEL CUPO