End Suffering on Daydreaming

by Kyle Rickert

     The waves lapped at the shoreline as I heard the palm trees blow in the breeze. The sun hit my shoulders as I walked down the white sand beach. I’d really been longing for this moment. As far as I could see there were no people who would disturb my solitude on this remote, tropical beach. Suddenly, I was startled by the realization that I’m sitting at my computer and on the screen in front of me is a picture of Fiji, adorned with a box that is asking for my password. I breathe a heavy sigh as I look out the window at the snow piling up outside, realizing there will be more shoveling in my future than long walks on the beach.
     My momentary tropical vacation seemed so innocent, a quick escape from the seemingly mundane reality of my workday. What could be so bad about a little daydreaming here and there? Vernon said, “The trap is both inside you and outside you. You must first break the inner trap of your own delusions in order to be free of the outer trap.” Our delusion comes from the impression that our current reality is not what we really want it to be. We have so many ideas about what happiness looks like and where we have to be to find it. Happiness is only in this conscious moment. The mental escape that we seek only makes us conclude that our present situation on this Earth is not where we truly should be. This is not the case. Truth has put us in this exact place for a reason and we must take every opportunity to learn from it.
     Over the years that I’ve been studying these teachings it has become easier for me to recognize the traps that people put themselves in. Friends who are disappointed that they are not married or have kids, or even worse, that they are currently single. A job that doesn’t pay as much as they believe it should and on top of that they must work many more hours than they wish. Our body has aches and pains that seem to get worse all the time and no one ever seems to have any answers that offer long-lasting help. When we reside in a delusional mindset, reality is never what we think it should be. Vernon encouraged us to welcome the hardships and problems that come our way and not to resist them. Instead say, “What is that to my true self?” This esoteric question elevates our spirit and state to a place that resides far above our painful daydreams of what our lives should look like.
     Keeping our heads out of the clouds and our feet consciously planted reaps psychological and spiritual benefits, as well as physical safety. While our minds wander so frequently into imagination, the exterior mistakes can pile up quickly. How many times have you slammed on the brakes while driving your car and barely missed hitting the car in front of you? Or maybe your mental wandering had you so deeply out of reality that you didn’t miss hitting the car in front of you. The ramifications of situations like this place a lot of physical, financial, and psychological burdens on us. For example, going into instant regret, worry, and fear, and we’re mentally gone again. This quickly opens us up to another mistake that would do nothing but compound the predicament even further. “The truly spiritual is also the truly practical.” These teachings are so simple, yet following them all the way out is the most challenging thing we will ever do with our lives. Thankfully, for every ounce of energy that we put into waking up from our daydreams, Truth, God, Reality will meet us halfway and the evidence of our efforts will be undeniably felt and made visible.