So I recently finished A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle and wanted to share a little bit of what I learned. This is the same author who wrote The Power Of Now a book i read a year ago. This book has the same kind of lessons but focuses more on the ego and how much it can stop us from advancing to where we need to be in life and I'm going to give some details on some of the important chapters. The beginning chapters talks about human consciousness and how much realizing that can transform us. The word enlightenment is brought up and this is a word that has been heard multiple times and also in different places.
The transformation of the human consciousness is seen to fall in hand with enlightenment which is seen as a period of peace and an ending of the suffering that we seem to go through. Others terms that are also used are liberation and transformation which fall hand in hand because liberation is seen as a form of freedom. An important quote which really caught my eye was "The greatest achievement of humanity is not its works of art, science and technology but the recognition of its own dysfunction, its own madness" What it is trying to exclaim is that as human beings, being able to recognize the impact of how dysfunctional we are and finding ways to build on that is a form of awakening in which only those that are heading towards some form of enlightenment are able to find. When we are able to recognize our demons and how we go about navigating it will help us heal from them and also be better prepared for the ones that may be coming by.
Following this the author also talks about A New Heaven and A New Earth. This is of course taken from the saying in the bible in which it talks about how us humans will be able to enter into a New Heaven and a New Earth after the Earth we are living in right now passes away. The author goes further and talks about how "Heaven is not a location but refers to the inner realm of consciousness". Earth in the author's view is the outer manifestation which is also a reflection of the inner. The way the author describes this is a new heaven is the emergence of a transformed state of human consciousness and a new earth is its reflection in the physical realm. So in conclusion it is important to seek a new heaven and a new earth in our minds first before everything else. The consciousness that starts with change will further impact everything else.
The other thing I'm going to touch on is the author bringing awareness to how we look at objects in the world and how much of a source those objects can have. The example the author used was a stone and how something as simple can show you back to God and to yourself. We can hold on to all types of different objects and just by letting it be and not bringing any thought towards it we are able to find something inside of us that we can use as a reflection to the world. Now the world may not fully understand or comprehend this as we do and that is okay. A terrific example used is Art and the creativity behind it. Victor Van Gogh's painting "chair" has been met with different perspectives. To Van Gogh it wasn't just a chair but a way for him demonstrate his brilliance.
Van Gogh was able to bring so much into just a simple chair and used his canvas in a way that the painting has become one of the most prevalent in the world. The author said the chair itself would have sold for just a few dollars today but the painting made by Van Gogh of that chair is worth millions. The point the author was trying to make is if we are able to be in the moment and not have labels towards things around us and in the world, we are able to access a newfound depth and freshness. We kind of have to disengage from reality and go against the norm of how the world thinks and regulates. The labels and thoughts of the world should not apply to us and we should head into everything with a clear mind like a kid just coming into the world and not knowing anything of it. Thank you to Eckhard Tolle for writing another fantastic book. Here's a link to purchase for anyone interested.
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