It begins at school and you go through life repeating what others have said. You are therefore second-hand human beings.

‘second-hand human beings’ This phrase of J. Krishnamurty felt like a sledgehammer blow. It clobbers the ego which has grown fat believing in its superiority. 

When delved deeply into, the truth of that ‘demeaning’ phrase shines a light on our pathetic minds chained to a mode of being, handed down to us through DNA — the DNA of ancient beliefs, political dogmas, religious indoctrination…gurus, philosophers, psychologists, the medical fraternity… all custodians of our fearful minds.  The fear is manipulated and arranged into imperceptible micro packets of phobia that shut down our thinking and reasoning. We become programmed apps, slaves to built-in commands and solutions. 

Our minds carry the debris of past histories and hurts; the tumult clamouring for retributions; the dirt and dust that won’t allow clear vision; the clanging manacles of ingrained culture. We are afraid to take responsibility of our lives and of the consequences of our decisions. Our minds become impoverished and turn us into blind rats scurrying to put on thinking caps thrown enticingly at us. Caps that could be either too small or too big for our heads. 

Yes, second-hand people with blaming fingers. We believe the lies we are told, scared to step out of our comfort zones; we trundle along a rutted, worn path to be safe; we smother our vulnerabilities in the deep, labyrinthine recesses of our minds and believe we have secured ourselves. We live out dramas scripted for us by others because we know only the language they feed us. 

Yet we fall, make wrong choices, are hurt even devastated. That happens when we take the power away from other people; when we don’t allow others to pull our strings. We clamber out of our safe havens and rise against the tyrants who would snuff out our freedom to be ourselves; we ignore the well meaning hands pulling us in every direction away from the trail we want to make as we go along. We have discovered within us the courage to face the rawness of our chosen way; to look our fears in the eye, find a way around the obstacles they create and move towards light from darkness. It means we have learned to run our own show and refuse to be ‘second-hand’ people.