It is largely a matter of chance, where we find ourselves in the world- our surroundings, the people around us, the values that we are exposed to- in the end, it is the circumstances that shape our views, concepts and ideas. Most of our psyche is deeply colored by external influences and conditioning.

These in turn govern how we react to our surroundings and approach events and people in our own lives. This sets the pattern for our worldview and determines our expectations, opinions, reactions and experiences in this world.

These views which run our whole lives, originate from the diverse influences on our body-mind from an early age. We imbibe the attitudes of people around us-  our family, friends, peers, teachers, mentors, society or media.

A lot of these acquired attitudes and behaviors are absolutely essential to live a productive life in the human society. The problems come from not being able to discern their true value, role and purpose in our lives.

Thoughts produced from our conditioned mind often convince us to act upon them and shape the course of our entire lives. They make us who we believe to be our real Self. Our expressions, activities, interactions, inner and outer climate of our lives, our whole approach and behavior is tinted by these influences.

It is alright to use behaviors molded by these influences, as practical tools in our daily lives. But we risk compromising on our genuine integrity and true values that originate in our authentic selves, if we are ruled by these influences indiscriminately.

What are our true values? These can only be rooted in our real Self, at the source of our being. Our true values, cannot be borrowed from outside influences and conditioning, they are an attribute of our own original real identity.

The mind is conditioned by a million little things, all those seeds of conditioning grow and expand into big trees, producing new seeds to spread further.

Understanding the mechanism of how our body-mind acquires and adopts its patterns of unconscious tendencies, is vital for determining, recognizing and embracing our true values.

We routinely adorn ourselves with a million inconsequential titbits, clothed in these glaring habitual persuasions- that we sincerely believe to be authentically ours! We project an image, then completely identify with it, placing all our confidence and trust in its validity.

We learn these patterns, integrate them in our psyche, nourish and nurture them with our trust and strengthen them over time with repetition.

We quickly forget, that we were not born with them, these were all outside influences and conditioning! We may even feel offended if someone suggested that this was not who we really were.

The choices we make may be good or bad, but the true essence of all such implants is, that they do not originate within our real Self. They are not rooted in our authentic wisdom. They do not emerge from our source and are not connected to our real identity, in contrast to what we sincerely believe in.

We become a prisoner to our own mind, which is run by numerous unknowingly absorbed and carelessly adopted bits and pieces of random external influences and conditioning.

When we act on these, we create a dichotomy between our natural wisdom and what is imposed upon us from outside. We ignore our true values, and in absence of an alignment with them, we create conflicts around us, and suffer.

A lot of these influences were flung upon us when we were young, innocent and did not know how to discern. We were open and received these influences into our impressionable minds, consciously or unconsciously. We were the unwitting recipients of these effects, which were transmitted to us through words, expectations, approvals, criticisms etc., both explicit and implied.

They have come from outside, invaded us and completely hijacked our mechanism! Our original pristine potential is under a seize of myriad concepts that propel us into ignorance. They control our body-mind, we suffer under their rule, forgetting our original Self who was the legitimate emperor!

This original true Self is still brightly glowing at our center, hidden under heavy piles of accumulated influences and conditioning.

If for mere intellectual entertainment, we were to start stripping away these influences and conditioning one by one- we have innumerable layers acquired through our lifetime- it would be impossible to remove each such layer.

But even if it were somehow possible, what do we expect to find in the end? Where will we stop? If we are at our centre, where does the inside stop and outside start, where is the margin, the edge, the boundary between our real Self and the other? We could continue peeling until there was nothing left! So, approaching this problem from outside may prove futile.

Our only hope against the pervasive invasion and long term occupation of the outside influences on us, is to approach our original innocence from inside. The only one who can take back the control from external influences and conditioning, is our inner presence, the legitimate owner of our body-mind, our real Self. The original true emperor!

We are in absolute innocence and purity at the centre of our pristine presence to which all our perceptions point. This is the pure uncontaminated Self that we were born with, before we were conditioned, where we have always remained absolutely untouched by any outside influence.

We are this conscious reality, the original blue sky, ever present in its purity behind the countless clouds of conditioned thoughts that come and go by. The sky of unadulterated awareness, which is not tarnished, even with countless ignorant reactions flying through it!

Every tendency arising from ignorance, thrives when we do not receive it into our alert aware presence– when we get distracted, our attention moving away from our real Self, the silent passive awareness.

A gentle reminder to turn our attention back to its source, can rescue us in the moment and nudge us to choose a path of our original wisdom, instead of being misled by the myriad influences and conditioning propelling us towards ignorance.

Our true values are always available to guide as lamp posts on every turn of our lives. A simple turning in, to align with them, a simple welcoming openness and trust, to receive them in our effortless awareness in the moment– is all we need, to reclaim our innocence from all the influences and conditioning superimposed upon us.

Any action coming from awareness aligns with truth. A decision made from our whole wisdom, in our alert presence, cannot contradict our true values. Every time we consult the inner guide inside, our innocent Self- we always choose the right path!

There is no ambiguity, no confusion, because the light of our presence and wisdom always shines brightly, even through gathered layers of many influences and conditioning.