1/ A different way to think about life.

Our lives are all too often governed by living up to other people's opinion of us. We have this fear of appearing foolish, fear of being seen as unsophisticated, fear of missing out on things, fear of losing face.

Prestige is a trap.

2/ Prestige is a trap we set for ourselves. Those are the worst kind of traps.

Liberation is getting out of those traps.

We get a sense of security from those traps. It is a false security.

After all, who amongst us is 100% certain of surviving the pandemic?

3/ In reality this very life itself is uncertain and could be snatched from us at any moment.

Deeply understanding that is liberation.

Once we achieve that liberation, we quit seeking that false security that mental traps provide.

Our actions are now untainted by fear or ego.

4/ That liberation is itself the biggest gift life can bestow us.

We don't seek the liberation to be able to achieve wealth or prestige or status. They may come to us and they may not. In a true sense, we are not slaves to those. We become masters of ourselves.

5/ we can make it easier on ourselves to achieve that liberation.

One time honored way, as religious saints have shown us, is to physically move ourselves out of the grasp of those traps.

Cities are full of prestige and ego traps. Moving ourselves *may* help with liberation.

6/ Another way out of prestige and ego traps is to truly identify with the suffering of people who are in far worse station than us. That helps us to see reality clearly.

We can combine both: move to smaller towns and identify with and serve people who have a lot of suffering.