Starting from where I left in my previous article about the Top Three Myths of the time we live in, I am going to present two more such myths in this article. It furthers on the same principle that nothing is fixed despite our attempts to see reality through culture, belief systems and processes. And how, if we can see the world free of these myths, can we live whole heartedly and enjoy the thrill of living with the various emotions and anxieties it has to bring, rather than resisting it. So below are listed two more tragic myths of these times –

Live / Contribute for Others
We live in a world where ‘social good‘ and ‘sacrificing‘ oneself for another has become noble virtues. And being selfish and doing something only for your own pleasure invite scathing comments and looks from the so-called society. By getting stuck in the myth of seeking approval of the world, we often risk losing ourselves and that can lead to a life without joy and fulfillment even when it might look good to the ‘others‘.

The highest value a man should strive for is pride and confidence in what he is doing. It is your own respect, and you have to earn it. If you are not happy, it is the biggest dis-service you are doing to the human race. Isn’t it strange that it is called noble to do something for the good of others, but the same happiness becomes devilish when we seek it ourselves? Why is it bad to provide yourself with some fun and pleasure, and good to give the same pleasure to others?

I believe the best thing a human being can do for others is to live his life the best he can to fulfill his own desires. And it is a big myth – to do something which should look good in the eyes of the ‘others’, first it should look good in your eyes. And if nobody else sees it the way you are seeing, go ahead and do it because it is your life and not theirs.

(P.S. – I am not against service to others and standing for other’s rights, but I believe the best way of doing that is not by sacrificing anything in our lives. Instead I believe that standing for our own happiness and desires is the first step to feel really free to to do any kind of service. I will write what service means to me in another article.)

Service

Love and relationships are two-way streets
One of the biggest myths which we turn into reasons later on to back out is that love and relationships are two-way streets and they expect something in return. And here I am referring to the love between any two individuals, as brothers, father-son, friends and not just romantic love. Loving someone is the purest joy a human being can experience, yet “being loved” in return is a myth. In the modern society, we have all become so driven by materialistic desires that loving and respecting another being just like ourselves has become rare. We are constantly looking for reasons of why not to love someone, rather than the other way around?

Loving someone unilaterally without any expectations is a virtue which results in the purest forms of happiness. By loving someone, we are declaring our love for ourself first and it makes us grow in many different ways. Loving somebody is the purest form of being human I would say. It will rejuvenate your mind, energize your body and nourish your soul. And it is no tragedy if the love is not appreciated or reciprocated. You are loving someone because you want to love, not because you want to “be loved“.

(P.S. – Again, that does not mean otherwise. A two way relationship will always be more fulfilling and satisfying. My only point is that it is not the condition of love.)

Conclusion
In our side of the world (eastern), the illusion formed by these myths is termed “Maya“. We make everything real which we perceive by our senses, for example, if we see, feel, hear and smell something, it is very ‘real‘ for us rather than just an imagination created by our mind based on senses. For eg – If all doctors say that someone is not going to live more than 1 year due to some critical disease, it becomes reality for us, rather than just the illusion which our thoughts have created because doctors are meant to be experts in their fields.