You've probably heard of the universe, it's that place where, like, everyone lives. Is it all it's made out to be? Bhaktin Dora gives a review of the material world in this interesting article.
The material world and the life we live within it is unnatural for the self.
First of all we have to realize, which is not difficult, that the living being is always subject to distress. Indeed, during his life, the living being is forced to undertake all sorts of actions with the only aim being to satisfy his family, society, nation and so on. From the very beginning of his life, even a baby is subject to suffering; his parents are not being able to understand when he tries to express himself, and they give him food or medicine without understanding the cause of these cries. When childhood comes, he is forced to go to school without anyone understanding the usefulness of such so-called education. At school, the child encounters all sorts of difficulties with his classmates, teachers or parents. Indeed, everyone here is demanding results from others, so he will be forced to obey the so-called authorities. Then comes the time when we become young adults; society asks us to choose a job that we will practice all our life in order to feed and house ourselves. So every morning we go to work, and only in the evening we come back to rest. For most of us, this kind of life; eating, sleeping and working very hard for needs as simple as food and a place to rest, is normality. Of course, in the meantime, diseases are added to the picture, and consequently our body makes us suffer in different ways throughout our life. We are subject to constant pain, sometimes physical, sometimes emotional, sometimes psychological. These pains are only due to the fact that we do not know who we are, and who is our eternal benefactor. All these sufferings are not natural for the soul. Why should we suffer? Why is this life synonymous with distress? Simply because we are not in the right place. Let us consider our true nature first, and then understand that we have the right to happiness and that anxiety is not natural for the soul. As a matter of fact, all the problems of existence stem from misunderstanding our true nature. The identification with the body is the source of all anxiety since it generates pseudo duties towards society or our family. But these are all illusory and temporary. As this body is perishable, so are the joys and sorrows that accompany it. The soul, on the other hand, is imperishable and eternal and is not subject to the uncomfortable moments that the body is forced to undergo. The soul is eternally bound to the Lord, the Supreme Self, and enjoys unlimited bliss. The mass of men have no knowledge of their eternal, spiritual nature, which is why they strive to serve their gross material senses without ever being satisfied, for as this body is temporary, so are all the actions that are performed on the material level. But the human life is not meant for the gratification of the senses. It is a fact that all living beings on earth eat, sleep have sex and defend themselves. It is not necessary to be an advanced being to live like that. Dogs, cats, insects and everything else moving and non-moving can perform these four gross activities. But the intelligent man must realize that his human form is more advanced and that the purpose of life is not to live like a dog. It is plain to see that great researchers, scientists or philosophers are all humans. We have never seen cats or dogs in politics or making mathematical calculations. Since we have, however, seen animals eating, sleeping, reproducing and defending themselves, we can conclude that such primal activities do not require great intelligence. A sensible man has to understand and question the purpose of his existence in order to avoid living like an animal. If he wants to stop suffering, he will have to inquire about his real identity. His real identity is the only thing that can fulfill him since it is eternally linked to the Lord. He may try to serve his senses, his family or society, but he will never be free from anxiety. The only way to be free is to know one’s eternal nature, which is to serve God, Krishna, the Supreme Person. This is the real freedom. Not this so-called freedom, to satisfy one's own desires, which can only lead one into the darkness of illusion. This human life is therefore meant for the supreme realization, and it is the only way to escape the clutches of matter. is the world a good place