"Go to a party. Listen to the laughter, that brittle-tongued voice that says fun on the surface and fear underneath. Feel the tension, feel the pressure. Nobody really relaxes. They are faking it. Go to a ball game. Watch the fans in the stands. Watch the irrational fit of anger. Watch the uncontrolled frustration bubbling forth that masquerades under the guise of enthusiasm or team spirit. Booing, catcalls and unbridled egotism in the name of team loyalty. Drunkenness, fights in the stands. These are people trying desperately to release tension from within. These are not people who are at peace with themselves. Watch the news on TV. Listen to the lyrics in popular songs. You find the same theme repeated over and over in variations. Jealousy, suffering, discontent, and stress. Life seems to be a perpetual struggle, some enormous effort against staggering odds."
- from Mindfulness in Plain English, Bante Henepola Gunaratana
The above description may be a bit harsh, but there is no denying that this is the main undercurrent in our lives ... craving, restlessness, dissatisfaction, fear & tension. Many masters in many traditions have insisted that there is no peace because we are clutched to an "unimportant" and "highly detrimental" reality. Clutched to ourselves. Our concerns. Born not to be free, but to struggle. What we are taught by our well-meaning parents and in schools/colleges as the right way actually stands in the way.
Welcome to "Unclutched - The Only Way to Live" - a place where I hope to collect my personal experience on how we wreak havoc on ourselves and others around us ... and how we may stop doing that for a more joyous life.
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