The spiritual aspect (referred to as conscience) in our human existence and experience is the driving force towards perfection; the ideal, the divine, the ethical, the principled, the whole, the altruistic, the constructive, the cooperative, the inclusive, the compassionate, the kindly, the harmonious, the “we”. This intrinsic built-in soulic wisdom and aspiration (called Fitrah in Islamic tradition) is impeded and granted to every human being, no one is exempt.
The material survivalist aspect however, is the driving force towards fulfillment of needs for survival and immediate gratification of desires, without consideration of consequences; the selfish, the indifferent, the malevolent, the exclusive, the destructive, the disjointed, the hurting, the callous, its only concern is the “me” and mine. This survivalist materialistic pull towards selfishness, egoism, self-gratification is also part of every human being’s experience.
The constant push and pull between the two poles and the strive to live by the highest principles (the divine attributes), is the ongoing struggle we call the Greatest Jihad in the Islamic tradition.
Whenever a belief system gets in the way, and/or the actions of an individual contradicts the intrinsic soulic wisdom, dichotomy occurs.
When dichotomy occurs, it is guaranteed inner peace is disturbed, thus, the misalignment of the soul.
In other words, when the high principles of the soul (the strive towards perfection and divine attributes) is trashed or terminated by belief systems, actions and/or behaviour, misalignment of soul occurs; turmoil festers, contentment lost, dissatisfaction assured.
Consequently, on the subconscious level, core self-esteem is diminished, self acceptance is negated and authentic self-confidence is declined, shame and self loathe are brewed. Thus, in an attempt to regain inner peace and harmony, a process of perpetual ego inflation accelerates, seeking of EXTERNAL love, approval and acceptance become inevitable.
When our beliefs, actions and behaviour are in contradiction with the innate soulic knowledge, aspiration and desires (of being highly principled, good, ethical and compassionate, etc), then ultimately self loathe occurs, self respect vanishes, and deep self esteem plummets, thus the need for external fame, wealth and power for validation and acceptance.
Misaligned souls, whose manifested actions are contrary to the inner high principles, become agitated, in turmoil, never at peace, and never contented. They continue to seek contentment externally to no avail, obsessively gravitating to spotlight and fame, seeking to impress and get attention with every word they utter, even if it leads to vulgarity and obscenity, yet neurotically monitoring every word said by others about them, as every word is perceived as a sword aiming at their hearts and necks. Even the mildest form of criticism terrifies them, and pushes them to the brink of neurosis and insanity. They are constantly in desperate need for external acceptance and approval, and insistently and relentlessly seek praise and admiration from others.
Gravitation to limelight, lust after fame, pushiness, developing chutzpah and what appears to be a extreme form of self-confidence -to the point of crudity is nothing but a facade, a thin mask to coverup and disguise deeply vulnerable and extremely fragile misaligned souls, filled with shame and self-loathe. Longing for approval from external sources is merely a symptom of fragility and dichotomy.
Ultimately, suspicion of others haunts them, delusion of intrinsic hatred against them becomes entrenched, and laws to impose love are formulated.
On the other hand, aligned souls, whose manifested actions are in harmony with its inner high principles, are at peace with themselves, blissfully serene and tranquil no matter what goes on around them or what circumstances they go through. They do not fear criticism, nor are they affected by people’s opinions of them. They do not feel the need for external acceptance or approval, nor do they seek fame, praise and admiration. They are happy the way they are, for who they are.
They are contented, modest, humble, accepting, satisfied, and profoundly confident within, no matter what others say or do to hurt or disturb them.
Filed under: Articles, Thoughts and feelings | Tagged: chutzpah, misalignment, modesty, soul |
Poetry for Palestine 
This is an extrardinary text.
Nahida succeeded in the difficult explorations of clarifying what drives universal human dispositions to split into two dichotomous choices: One of remains universal by its benevolent choices, attaining or remaining at peace as a modest parcel of a multifaceted world. The other choice however, is self centered and opposed to the world around, which it sees as one opposing block needing to be destroyed, which essentially is the definition of evil.
Since our era is gravely the victim of the second, it is of unique importance to explore and understand what caused that split of the common seed, trapping both parts into offense and defense, instead of fostering life and satisfaction, that state of organic balance that makes us one with eternity.
Thank you for that seminal text and exploration, Nahida Exiled Palestinian.
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