Ignorance is the Only Enemy
Ignorance is the root of all illusion and suffering and is the only true enemy of Man.
“The first reason for man’s slavery is his ignorance, and above all, his ignorance of himself. Without self-knowledge, without understanding the working and functions of his machine, man cannot be free, he cannot govern himself and he will always remain a slave and the plaything of the forces acting upon him.”– G.I. Gurdjieff
All of the human being’s problems stem from ignorance.
Ignorance is the root problem.
Ignorance is the only evil, the only enemy.
It is human ignorance that has created all suffering in this world.
Ignorance of oneself and ignorance of the truth. Ignorance of the nature of life and the structure of existence.
If human beings knew the truth of themselves and of existence there would be no separation, and therefore no conflict, no exploitation, no suffering.
With the simple act of dispelling the ignorance within oneself, the entire Earth can be transformed.
Ignorance of Ignorance
Ignorance is so dangerous because the ignorant one is ignorant of their own ignorance.
It is the nature of ignorance, that one does not know that they do not know.
That you are not aware, that you are not aware.
The worst type of hell is the one that you do not know that you are in.
For then you never even think of attempting to escape.
Like the prisoners chained to the wall of the cave entranced by the shadows upon the wall, there is no hope of waking up before one recognizes the nature of the illusion and their unawareness of it.
Self-Ignorance
The biggest problem of ignorance is that thing that we are ignorant of above all is of our very own self.
And if the self is not known – nothing is known.
If your eye is in darkness, then so is the world.
You may know all kinds of information, facts, and trivia,
But if you do not know the knower then nothing is known.
And worse, you then have the arrogance of having great knowledge.
And so, you think that you are right, that the way you see reality is actually the way it is rather than merely your belief, your perspective, your perception.
The reality we perceive is only a reflection of our own consciousness.
Self-ignorance leads to creating one’s own nightmares, hating them, and fighting against them.
Ignorance that what you’re fighting against is yourself. That what you hate and resist you give reality to and perpetuate.
Ignorance is a Misperception
Ignorance is simply a mis-perception.
To not see what is, what is true, what is real.
To not understand what you are experiencing.
The misperception caused by ignorance creates the belief in separation, which creates the experience of separation, and therefore the struggle between beings who see themselves in conflict caused by this fundamental ignorance.
We look but we do not SEE.
Primordial intelligence and wisdom is in pure seeing of what is.
Our World Encourages Ignorance
To be born as a human is to be born into the Veil of Forgetting. To pass through the mythical river of forgetfulness and to have your soul memory wiped away.
We are born into ignorance of who we are and where we have come from.
We then are indoctrinated into a society steeped in ignorance of Truth. A civilization that teaches and reinforces limiting materialistic beliefs and initiates you into a false reality.
The chaos in our world today is due largely to human ignorance.
Most people just don’t know what is real, what is true, what is really going on, who they really are, what life really is.
They THINK they know and they believe they know, and so they zealously fight for their particular ideology against others similarly in confusion pushing a different ideology.
For it is often those who are most sure that they know who are most lost.
This is our Great Task, to be born into such deep darkness, forgetting, and ignorance. Yet to still find the strength within us to overcome it and discover light, remembrance, and wisdom.
Ignore-ance
Ignore-ance is the deliberate ignoring of the truth by those who know better.
Some are simply ignorant, who know not.
They are like children who can be forgiven for their blindness.
The correct word for this is nescience – they simply are unaware.
But it is those who are in a state of ignore-ance that are truly dangerous.
For they know what is good, beautiful, and true yet choose to ignore it.
How Does One End Ignorance?
The end of darkness, ignorance, and illusion requires a deep inquiry into Truth. A deep desire to know truth even if it is uncomfortable and pierces your illusions. This is a subtractive process of questioning all your beliefs and assumptions and discovering that which is true always.
One must extricate themselves from all external sources of “truth”. From cultural programming through media, to what the “experts” and “authorities” figures have taught you is real and true.
Before attempting to know truth, first become very intimate with your ignorance and illusions. Through self-awareness and meditative self-inquiry become extraordinarily aware of the movements of your own mind. Shine a light into every dark corner of your own being.
The end of ignorance begins and ends within your very own self. Seek to know thyself.
The ending of ignorance is the key.
For when one sees clearly and knows what is true and what is false, it is impossible to act in ignorance and create separation and suffering.
Know Thyself
Know Thyself is the essential dictum for those who seek truth.
Knowing your own thoughts, desires, wants, passions, identifications, compulsions, addictions, wounds, traumas, etc.
Beyond ignorance, beyond belief, beyond even knowledge,
is KNOWING
In KNOWING without ignorance, all is light.
There is no darkness and all is seen for what it truly is.
All is known in the light of understanding.
From that perspective, even ignorance, darkness, and evil has its place and purpose.
Even ignorance is seen as the temporary forgetting of an infinite and omniscient being who wishes to re-member itself anew.