Seeking external solutions without understanding the self is pointless.

Why do we want others to support us, be on our side, and why do we separate ourselves from those who see things differently to our self and our group? What is it that is so important for our own sense of who we are, that we require the acceptance of others?

It seems we all do this. Even  the anti-social criminal belongs to the tough group of prisoners when they are locked up together in prison. This needing to be in a group for some sort of approval or belonging seems to affect nearly all of us.

Is it because we do not feel complete when we are alone, and in order to have security as we see it, and not feel alone, we find an approving group to join whether this is political, sectional, religious, sexual or even as an outward appearance grouping with clothes and hair styles, musical tastes etc. Such is our feeling of loneliness and isolation that we are so driven to escape it that we search until we feel comforted.

Is then the question, not why do we do this, but why do we in the first place feel so isolated and incomplete if that is the fact? Firstly is it a fact? Find out for yourself, enquire and understand your own actions, ask yourself. Do not search books because they will not tell you how you feel. At best they will only tell you how someone else felt or worse still how you ought to feel. How you feel is a living movement from moment to moment so anything in a book is already of the past and static.

So if we want to enquire into our feeling of isolation, loneliness and separation we need to observe our self and understand our need and our sense of emptiness. To go off and find a group solves nothing  without first understanding the the whole process of the search.

Every day in the world

There are moments when one is caught in the horror of what is going on in the world. The complete destruction of humans irrespective of sex, race or age who is not of the same belief as oneself.

We may be particularly aware of a current atrocity being carried out in the name of some religious values but in the past it has been different ideologies and different nationalistic philosophies that have perpetrated similar crimes against humanity.

Is it therefore pointless to have opinions of right or wrong? Isn't it surely that all ideologies and nationalism can breed hate of other ideologies and national interests, and wars may follow hate.  As soon as we separate ourselves from one another by belonging to a particular group trouble and conflict can start.

What is war? We may give it labels and so called righteous meaning, but it is still the murder of another human being which is surely insane behaviour especially from those who call themselves civilised.

Can we see our desire to belong to this sect or that, whether it is cultural, national, ethnic or religious, only leads to separation and where we have divided ourselves from the rest there must surely be conflict.

Our desire to belong is strong but to just be part of something without question and without understanding the the root of the desire, will not bring an end to the desire for safety, security or whatever it is.

Perhaps the question is can we understand our deep desires and needs by just observing ourselves, seeing without bias where our actions come from and what is the real reason we are driven in certain directions.

This may not be easy and that will make it difficult for us because we like things to be easy, to follow the line of least resistance, but isn't it the case until we really see the way we attach ourselves to authority's philosophies without question there will be conflict?