We should turn around life's many challenges and endeavour to rise above our constricted vision and develop wisdom. In other words, we should look at life from a wholly new accommodating perspective - this is the best way to 'up' the stature of our higher self to its next level. This is also, in more ways than one, the key to self-understanding and/or perceiving things, people and all the beliefs we hold - including the values
We all know there is a higher self in us.
Some of us dream to attain this 'elevated' level of what we believe is the achievable self, albeit we may not really know it is realisable.
The best thing to do is to think of the higher self as a plane that embodies knowledge greater than our own self.
Philosophers suggest that this high point should encompass-not just signify-our intuitive leaps, synchronicity of life events, representational messages in dreams and the ability to heal ourselves.
Add to this our desire and drive to do well in life, and we'd be able to create a gentler world, notwithstanding the disorder that exists wherever we look, or turn. When we picture life around us, we often have trouble figuring out how we can reach out to others and achieve success.
This isn't as difficult as it sounds, if only we begin to integrate the essence of our subconscious mind.
Remember, our subconscious mind is suggestible and receptive to our thoughts and actions.
It is conducive to creative reflection and 'ideation' through meditation and positive thinking.
It represents a propelling power which is far more potent than our personal nature, upbringing or nurturing.
You get the point.
When you incorporate your subconscious mind with a higher function of just being yourself, you will be able to connect to a consciousness that is many times greater than your self-image.
Your sensibilities and also sensitivities. You will now relate to a higher purpose in life.
While Hindu philosophers articulate that the higher self is one and the same with the 'jiva,', or individual self, Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, the Tibetan Buddhist scholar, referred to the higher self as the zenith of 'samsara'.
In simple terms, it is nothing but the ability to do better and better, to improve and elevate the bar, as it were, and make things work even when they don't seem to work.
It is a state of recognition of the spirit that resides deep within and gives us the insightful direction to look beyond difficulties.
It brings us life's never-ending lessons - one that helps us to seek new horizons, learning, knowledge and the ability to adapt, grow and sustain.
It aids us to understand our bioclocks, wake up, and sleep, attend to work, earn, spend, and connect to our families, friends and the community in which we live. Everyone, as philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche articulated, has their good day, when they find their higher self.
He believed that true humanity demands that we judge someone only when they are in this proviso, and not in their work-related bondage and servitude.
We should, Nietzsche suggested, evaluate and honour a painter, for example, according to the highest vision they are able to perceive and depict.
Well, the point is - all of us deal with this idea of the higher self differently.
We also often portray the role of our own self to such an extent that we may keep replicating what it was at a certain point before.
Agreed that one may 'present' their ideal with cautious unpretentiousness and would like to negate it. This is because we often fear our higher self as it may speak compellingly and appear with profuse independence.
This is precisely why it is also called a gift of the gods, more so because you'd apparently think of the higher self as the 'peak' aspect of oneself that understands things at the highest level.
When this gets amplified it absorbs the wisdom of the higher self, like a sponge, into your physicality, also spiritual progression, or purpose.
In the words of Andreas Weber, the biophilosopher and writer, "What we truly experience when we are connecting to nature is the call of our higher self.
We are never really disconnected from nature, nor can we extract ourselves from connection with other beings.
We are entangled with all life, even amid the disasters of civilisation.
The higher self is the yearning for aliveness manifest in all of us.
It encompasses a deep, sensual knowledge about the rules according to which this aliveness can unfold.
The higher self is not an abstract concept, which can only be taught by moral philosophers, or priests.
On the contrary, the higher self is totally present in all of our senses.
We can touch, hear, taste and 'scent' it, because we are a part of it."
Agreed that we are all different, unique, or distinctive, from all others and vice versa. Not all of us like the same things as others do. We may want different things in life, careers, relationships and dreams.
It is only when we become aware of such differences, not disparities, or idiosyncrasies, would we be able to relate to ourselves and others.
This will lead us to understand, appreciate the essence of compassion, and accept things as they are - not what you'd want them to be.
Last, but not the least, it will ease the song of our burden called anger and frustration-because we will have less expectations.
Remember, it is only when we have far too many expectations that we are often disappointed.
When we have fewer expectations of others, we will allow people to be just themselves - not what we would want them to be for our convenience.
There's no point in missing the wood for the trees and vice versa.
We should turn around life's many challenges and endeavour to rise above our constricted vision and develop wisdom.
In other words, we should look at life from a wholly new accommodating perspective - this is the best way to 'up' the stature of our higher self to its next level.
This is also, in more ways than one, the key to self-understanding and/or perceiving things, people and all the beliefs we hold - including the values we zealously espouse.
Nidamboor is a wellness physician, independent researcher and author
A version of this article appears in the print on January 11, 2022, of The Himalayan Times.
