Nothing is Wrong

Building on my recent posts about judgment and acceptance, I want to further explore something that helped give me the greatest peace I have ever experienced. I hinted at this in my original post about my spiritual journey with meditation, but I want to expand on it a bit.

I have come to believe that there is nothing wrong with the world. It seems that almost every western religion has the idea that we live in a fallen world. And the purpose of God and/or the religion is to fix the problem(s) that has/have been created, either by man or by some evil influence such as a devil. When I began to step away from the concepts of right/wrong, good/evil, I found myself entering a beautiful state of peace. It was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

If there is nothing wrong, there is no need for guilt or judgment. When I slip back into the mindset that something is wrong, I instantly judge it. And it doesn't take long for that judgment to snowball. Pretty soon, I find myself irritable, angry, and exhausted. Judging others, judging myself, and judging the situations in which I find myself is an incredibly exhausting job. And it's very unhelpful. In fact, I find it does more harm to my sense of peace and happiness and to my relationships with others than anything else.

Years ago, I would have considered this idea ridiculous. Nothing wrong with the world? Just look around! Everything is wrong! In addition to sounding stupid on the face of it, it also smells a lot like moral relativism or nihilism. I always thought those philosophies were a bit crazy because they seem to say that if there is no absolute right or wrong (or no right or wrong at all), then you can do whatever you want, and it doesn't matter. Anything goes. That sounds like a recipe for disaster.

As to whether the idea of "nothing is wrong" is stupid or not, I'll let the results speak for themselves. It has been instrumental in a deeper spiritual awakening in my life than I had ever before experienced. And for a description of why it might be the right idea, both psychologically and spiritually, see my previous posts on judgment and acceptance. Maybe the only thing that's stupid is our usual western perspective on life and our focus on what's 'wrong' with the world.

As for moral relativism and nihilism, I don't know whether the 'anything goes' attitude is a natural result of those philosophies or not. But for myself, while I don't think there needs to be any moral right or wrong, I think it's clear that every action carries with it natural consequences. So if I choose to take harmful drugs, I can expect a likely consequence of that action to follow. Among other undesirable effects, I may become addicted to the drugs. This results in a loss of freedom, which will negatively affect my happiness. So it's not 'wrong' to use drugs, but it's unhealthy. And my use of them could harm me and those around me.

We can't escape natural consequences, but the moral freedom to choose something unhealthy on occasion is quite liberating. I try to eat healthy food most of the time. But sometimes I want something unhealthy. Although it sounds ridiculous, a pretty common cycle in this case could look something like this: I fight the urge until I'm mentally exhausted; I break down and eat whatever is tempting me; I beat myself up for my weakness, which fills me with guilt making me more likely to need that unhealthy 'fix' to bring me back up. This is the addictive cycle, and it occurs with food, sex, alcohol, or any other pleasure that we associate in any way with guilt.

Growing up, I was taught to fight the unhealthy (or evil) urge or to run away from it. I have learned that this only empowers the thing I'm fighting. The only way to defuse it is to open to it. That doesn't mean I have to act on the urge, but I can. And acting on it may actually help me break the cycle, though it may not be worth it depending on the act. But here's how that might work:

Without a sense of moral right or wrong, I can make an unhealthy choice, but without the guilt. Without the guilt, it's easier to avoid getting caught up in the act, letting me step back and view the thing objectively. I am then able, at a deep level, to become consciously aware of my desires, my actions, and their consequences. This awareness makes it possible to break the addictive cycle by seeing clearly the chain of cause and effect at a deep place in my soul.

Note that I can also do this without acting on the urge, and it's probably better if I don't. But it may be more 'real' and accessible to me if I actually act. And if I'm truly addicted to it, I may act on it anyway, so I may as well use the act to help me break the cycle. But if I have a choice, and if the consequences are bad enough, it may not be wise to act. If you have the urge to hurt someone, for example, I recommend you don't act on that urge.

Through mindful awareness, I have come to see how damaging it is to be a slave of desire. Freedom from desire appears to be a mark of true enlightenment. I don't know exactly what that would look like, but having loosened or broken some of the chains of desire in myself, it seems like a good goal. And if my experience is to be trusted, it seems like letting go of the idea that there is something wrong with the world, either inside myself or outside, may be a key to achieving that state.