Making sense of life or acting nonsense

I joined a new assignment a few days ago. As usual, the initial few days are always hectic. The brain does not have the framework for the activities. It is trying to place different inputs at appropriate places to develop a workable framework. So, it's bust all the time making sense of different inputs. While sitting with my eyes closed this morning, I was watching its restlessness and fast movements. 

I feel that the brain is always trying to make sense of the world around us. As a child, we have very little information, and yet we are equally sure of the reality as we are as an adult. In fact, at each age, we are always sure of our own definitions of rights and wrongs. We are equally sure of our own likes and dislikes. Though we know very well that these rights and wrongs and the likes and dislikes are changing all the time. Until and unless we make our own framework of reality, we keep feeling restless.

Probably, the problem is not with this framework. This is a functional necessity. While we are taking the decisions, we have to be sure of reality and that's why our brain makes certain hypotheses about the missing dots and makes a story. We interact with a person, knowing very little about him. Our brain wants to be certain about its nature. It draws a quick hypothesis and proceeds. So far so good. But the problem arises when we forget the difference between fact and fiction. We start presuming these mental stories we have made to connect the dots to be absolute realities and soon get fixated on them.

We make this mental hypothesis about different people, places, assignments, positions, and everything else we encounter in life. The question arises: Since certainty is a functional necessity to take decisions, these hypotheses are also a functional necessity. In that case, how can one avoid these hypotheses getting converted into biases? 

I feel that the answer lies in the question itself. While making these hypotheses, if we remain aware of their nature of hypotheses and do not mistake them for reality, the entire problem is resolved. We are aware that we do not have the missing piece. We also know that we are drawing the most possible hypotheses. But, we are also aware that it's a hypothesis and may require correction at a later point in time. So, we don't close our eyes after the hypothesis and remain aware. We keep making corrections to the hypothesis as we get more input. If we are not too lazy, it will work well. This problem can be easily resolved with little awareness at each moment.

The next problem is even more critical. How to know what is right and wrong. I feel that the concept of right and wrong is all subjective. It all depends upon our vantage point. It all depends upon our level of awareness. Lord Shiva gives boons to the Devas and Asuras both. He does not differentiate between the two. From his vantage point, probably, it is one consciousness manifesting in both of them. However, when the balance between the Devas and Asuras is disturbed, the same lord Shiva comes in different forms to correct the disbalance. 

We all have the Deva and Asura within us. Sometimes, we want the stability of health, wealth, relationships, and positions. We just want to hold on to what we have. That's a Tamasik nature. Sometimes, we want to achieve more wealth, better health, a network of relations, more name and fame, and power. That's Rajasic nature. Sometimes we want to establish harmony of wealth by making good investments, harmony of relations by helping each other, and harmony of systems by making these systems serve us well. This is out of Saatvik's nature. Our rights and wrongs will vary depending on our nature. However, if we constantly remember our nature being consciousness, we will not be too tied with Tamas or Rajas or Satva. We realize the temporariness of the entire creation and remain equanimous like Shiva.