As humans, we have much less of a hold on reality than other species. Other species seem to be integrated in creation while humanity is for ever struggling to fit in. We are as if an outsider in a foreign land. We do not appear to be so well suited to survive on this planet either, without exploiting it, without causing harm. And, yet, we are made of the same biological stuff as everything else, so there must be a way in which we belong on this earth.

We have buried our humanity under layers of intellectual compost. Everything that we learn and use, such as signs, names, words, concepts, images, numbers and money, are symbols that we have given a common agreed meaning to, and this is how we communicate, think and collaborate. Different cultures have adopted different symbols, interpretations  and meanings. Some symbols and meanings are shared across cultures and others are not.

One way to look at how we cope with and experience life is to say that each one of us creates a personal reality through which we can interact with the world and other people. This personal reality is our set of meanings and interpretations of our own and shared symbols. It is the case that our personal reality is vital to us as it is the medium through which we may find truth and freedom.

We are creating and refining our personal realty throughout our lives. As we are social beings, we are constantly performing a balancing act between our personal reality and the common reality we share with other people. As important as this balancing act is, it is critical that we express our personal reality as our sanity and health depends on it.

What often happens, as we run with the herd, is that our personal reality is gradually eroded to the point where we no longer have any sense of it; we then feel lost and helpless. When we hit this all-time low it is good to know that there is a way to get your personal reality back.

We already have the talents we require to make the right choices and to have fulfilling and rewarding lives, standing on our own ground. Our day-to-day life and our spiritual journey are one and the same thing. This is so as we hold life to be sacred. In life, as in spirituality, actions have consequences and it is for this reason that we need to make the proper choices.

We should process information that comes our way and filter out what is not useful to us. We should not elevate information, presented to us by others, in person, on paper or through screens, to the status of truth. Our choices and our personal reality should be based on the experiences that we have through our direct perceptions, of that which is immediate to us in the moment as we stand in a natural environment. This we should consider to be our ground zero. I hold this ground to be who we are and what really matters.

Be as critical of yourself as you are of others- David Marinelli

Whatever you may call transcendental reality, consider this to be the goodness of creation. Always aim high and go higher, never lower. Identify this, your highest principality, as a form with whom you can have a relationship, one that you can ask for guidance and show gratitude towards.

Give this principality your attention, face in its direction. Having established your highest truth, constantly try and align your personal reality to it as your ideal. Be flexible and adjust your position if your experience leads you to an improved understanding but, otherwise, resist bullying and stand your ground.

Find common ground with your adversaries and make friends of like-minded people. Conflict is wasteful. Hate and anger are self-destructive emotions. Prioritise physical connections with things, situations and people. Cultivate self-sufficiency.

Learn to let go of that which harms you mentally, religiously or physically. Life is not about convenience. Life is about the process and physical interactions. Convenience may be a Trojan Horse. Finally, improve and maintain physical health through diet and exercise.

We should also be aware that we may need to protect our personal reality as it is vulnerable to attack from those who may mean us harm. We should never assume that national or supranational institutions know what our best interest is, or even care. There is also the question of unintended consequences.

To start with, we need to know ourselves. The latter is a life-long endeavour and starts with being mindful of our thoughts, our emotions and behaviour. We should approach mindfulness with humility and compassion to­wards ourselves and others. This is not an intellectual exercise but one of critical observation. It does require an understanding of causation, meaning that most, if not all, things are a consequence of something that preceded them.

When you have opinions, these need to be challenged and not held without justification. One needs to be discerning as events happen in a context. History is important when interpreting international events. One needs to master logic; in other words, arguments need to make sense. Be as critical of yourself as you are of others.

We also need to learn how to deal with the grief that arises from letting go of a long-held point of view or an entrenched state of being.

We should not be afraid to stand up to that which is harmful to us.