What is the root cause of all the suffering for the human race?

When someone is jealous,

When someone is depressed,

When someone is possessive,

When someone is hating another person,

What do you see?

Do you see a mere emotion?

Do you see who is right and who is wrong?

What do you see?

Ok. Leave others… Let’s talk about you!

When someone scolds you or hates you,

What do you do?

You feel bad? Angry? Sad?

WHY so?

Have you ever asked this question as to where this feeling arises from? What is the root cause?

The root cause of all our suffering:

Many a time, we just accept suffering as the norm.

We see our peers suffer, we see our parents/ relatives suffer when something goes wrong.

We believe that suffering is universal.

We do not question further and figure it out for ourselves.

I believe that, just by asking this question, the whole of humanity can be uplifted.

Just by asking ourselves: What causes suffering?

And the answer invariably always boils down to Ego/Self-image.

SELF-IMAGE:

We have an image of the person in front of us based on past experiences about and with them.

We have an image of ourselves based on our past happenings.

Now when either of us acts away from these images we have formed for both of us, there is suffering.

When someone else does something unusual or act different than usual, we get angry.

It is the same with ourselves. When we cannot achieve the ideals we have set for ourselves, we become miserable.

So is this image even worth it?

I mean, if self-image is causing us more trouble than happiness, why do we still hold on to it?

Also, self-image needs constant validation and is feeble.

But we make a big deal out of it.

As a result, we try our best to make the image, as strong as possible — only to suffer badly when there is even a slight threat to the imaginary image that we have in our mind.

In short,

The stronger the image you have in your mind of yours or the person in front of you, the greater the suffering.

Any of these above-mentioned emotions are just different names given to suffering.

Think about it, a new-born is always happy and smiling.

Why? Because it has not formed an image for itself.

A newborn can teach you that there is only ONE reason for all the suffering in this whole wide world — Self-image.

And it is time we ask the right question and break this cycle of suffering.

Why do we hold on to an image for ourselves and others even when we know that the image is not permanent?

If it is not permanent, how can it be the truth?

It is called an IMAGE for a reason.

What I call “I” is an image, what I call “YOU” is an image too!

Is it really worth the fight to hold on to a mirage that we call the SELF?

IT IS TIME:

Why have we believed in something that is not true for so long?

Isn’t it high time we come out of this lie?

If there is one thing even suffering can teach us, we all suffer — We are not that different from each other.

Maybe realizing this could be the first step in realizing that we are all nothing but ONE.

And as ONE, we can win over suffering. Only as ONE.