No matter who you are or where you go, what you do or who you know, the challenges and tests that you are meant to overcome in this life will follow you, and if avoided, will keep on rearing their many heads until they have been definitively dealt with. There is simply no way to avoid this. It is the law of the world. This has been well known through the ages, and the earliest texts known to man, such as the ancient Veda's, refer to this law as the law of karma, or action and reaction.
But somehow we have, in recent times, become disconnected from this natural flow of truth and knowledge. In the modern age huge amounts of time are wasted chasing ephemeral dreams and visions that have no real meaning in the greater picture.
This is the underlying cause of all our problems in this world. We are not willing to face the truth and overcome our shortcomings and the challenges we are faced with. Running away from them is not only encouraged by the masses in general but even glorified. Unfortunately, your individual challenges will follow you right until the end. You cannot escape from them. And if you are hell bent on evading them, and leave your body (i.e. die) before they have been overcome - these same challenges will come to define your future life.
They say that matter is not created or destroyed, but really it is anti-matter or spirit, defined by consciousness, that is not created or destroyed. To this day, the so-called scientists and philosophers have been unable to explain the nature of consciousness, what it is and where it comes from.
How is it that we have become so very disconnected from the light of truth? When was it that, forgetful of the ultimate goal of life, we took a series of wrong turns which have lead us to this wasteland of materialistic consciousness. Not many are seeking out a deeper reality. Materialism clouds our vision through both the day and the night. The only remnant of our heritage of truth lies tattered and discredited by the few who have misused their positions of authority to acquire material riches for themselves while all the time misleading and crushing the spiritual faith of the people.
It seems that today, despite many years of fragile peace in most of the western world, we are at a breaking point, a crisis of epic proportions, practically everywhere you look. The people are more divided than ever, torn between the empty promises of the modern world and the tattered remnants of the world of tradition.
Ultimately the choice is ours. Each of us individually must decide which direction we are headed in, and act accordingly. In truth the choice is a stark and simple one. But with misinformation more prolific than ever, to separate fact from fiction is more than a difficult undertaking for most.
Modernity declares that the you are most important and worthy of pleasure, and as such, your desires and dreams are independent of anything and pleasure should be chased down right now. Also known as the "I, Me, Mine" philosophy. While the traditions of old view the individual as a unique part and parcel of a greater picture, who should act for the highest good of the highest ideal, or the complete whole.
What will you choose?