Today I have a visual metaphor to explain the fundamental problem most humans face. It’s about the sun, the clouds and us.

Here’s how it works. The sun is always shining. Always. From the time it was created, the sun has always shone.

But sometimes we here on Earth can’t tell. Why? Because clouds come between us and the sun. They get in the way. But we still know the sun is there.

Our consciousness is like the sun

It’s similar with our inner worlds. In this case, the sun is like our consciousness, which is the essence of who we are. It is timeless and eternal.

But most of us, most of the time, don’t realize that. Why?

Because we have clouds obscuring our contact with that consciousness. If the sun is our consciousness, what’s analogous to the clouds?

Our EGOS.

Yes, those pesky egos. They prevent us from realizing who we truly are.

What are those ego clouds made of? All the experiences we had in life that we did not allow to pass through us. They’re composed of all the things we held onto.

Experiences we held onto

Like what? Like being made fun of frequently as a kid because you were chubby. Or slow. Or had a lisp. Or your girlfriend broke up with you in tenth grade because she found somebody more popular. Or your parents split up when you were ten and you developed abandonment issues that plagued you for the next forty years.

Here’s a highly personal one. We had a share day in fourth grade where we were supposed to bring in something that meant a lot to us. I had just won a tennis tournament so I brought in the trophy I’d won.

When I shared that with the class, a kid named Dave Truesdell blurted out, “Tennis is a sissy sport!” I was devastated. His comment verbally decked me.

Dave was a football player, the tough guy’s sport. And guess what? He was one of my best friends, and actually didn’t mean any harm by the comment.

But that was an experience I held onto. That I did not let go of…For many years. And I’m not exaggerating.

All the way into high school, I was embarrassed to talk about my tennis or be seen in tennis clothes. I was also afraid to go to the beach in the summer because I had a tennis/farmer’s tan!

Princeton cures my tennis image problem.

It wasn’t until I got to Princeton University that I felt comfortable about being known as a tennis player. Why? Because it was considered a “cool” sport among the prepsters that dominated Princeton.

And I swear to you, had Dave never said that, I’m confident I wouldn’t have cowered in the darkness about my tennis for all those years.

We all have examples of these experiences that we held onto that, collectively, created a thick cloud that blocked us from accessing our conscious selves.

The world’s biggest problem

And as the title says, it is those clouds that, together, serve as the main problem plaguing humanity. Get rid of these clouds and the world would be a radically different, infinitely better place to live.

How do we dissolve these ever so damaging clouds within us? First and foremost, we have to become aware of their existence. That’s the main point of this, and many other of my articles.

If you are more than a few French fries short of a Happy Meal, and most people are, it is those clouds that are the reason.

We can dissolve the clouds

And the good news is, you don’t have to live with those clouds. Just about everyone on Earth believes that not feeling very good is inevitable. It’s life. It’s the way it is. So you just deal with it as best you can.

NO!

It’s not inevitable. Why? Because you can dissolve those clouds.

How? By letting go of them when they come up. Don’t fight with them. Let go of them.

Getting quiet inside through meditation and mindfulness helps that letting go process immensely. I know I’m a broken record in saying that, but I do it because it is so central to attaining well-being.

The takeaway

So use that image. Your consciousness, your fully realized being, is deep within you. It’s there. Right now. It’s always been there. Just like the sun. But you developed these ego clouds over the years that prevent you from realizing that.

Get quiet and let go.

Dissolve the clouds.

Let the shine through.

So you can be a source of warmth for the world.