How to Tell Fake from Real

Separating real from fake is possible when we know our true selves and feel our true value.

I’ve noticed that many people live without knowing what’s real and what’s fake. They have trouble discerning true from false. The massive amount of information those who tune in are bombarded with and the dense layers of ideas and emotions that we have inside make knowing real from fake especially hard.

As a result, so much of the world has become “fake.” So there’s little around us that’s worth our respect or sincerity. This leads some people to be fanatical about athletes, politicians, entertainers, and entertainment. Liking such things, though, does not increase their truth or value. They merely give us the ability to hide from what’s real.

Left without a sense of truth, many people hold onto the ephemeral structures and systems they can see. These systems and tribes become as or more important than their lives, because they seem to give people value. With each person holding onto what they think defines them so strongly, different groups and systems have become polarized against each other and become ready to wage war.

But if people could know the real value of humanity and of each human being, they won’t need to be threatened by differences or by changes. Knowing that value shows us what’s true. With our eyes open to the truth, we won’t need to be bothered by what’s fake.

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What Is Our Value?

The thing I was awakened to more than forty years ago as I meditated for twenty-one days on Moak Mountain was that “I am cosmic energy, and I am cosmic mind. Cosmic energy is my energy, and cosmic mind is my mind.” This was my answer to the burning question I’d had inside since I was a teenager: “Who am I?”

Because I was so determined to find the answer and practiced so hard, when it came to me, it didn’t come as a whisper. It felt like my head was exploding, and the knowledge resounded through my body. It felt like Truth. The more I shared this awakening with other people, the more I became sure that this answer is universal.

Another way of putting it, as many spiritual teachers throughout history have shown us, is that we are one with the Source of Life. When we can fully feel that oneness, we can understand that everything has the same origin. And that is our value.

We Can Know Truth for Ourselves

We don’t need to sit and meditate on a mountaintop for days and days to discern real from fake or to feel a connection with who we really are. We can do it by meditating in our own homes, by watching our thoughts and emotions from a mental distance, and by treating ourselves and others as the precious beings they are.

It’s a matter of returning to our center, our zero point, the point at which our mind is fully present in the moment and is spotlessly clean and clear. A mind so clear can tell real from fake. It is the cosmic mind that is who we really are.

Any form of meditation that releases thought and emotion and helps us focus inside ourselves in the present moment can help us have such a mind. You may not be able to create it the first time you try, but training and practice will never fail you in the end.

Meditations for Feeling Our Value

It can be difficult to gain clarity if you’re knew at sitting still and focusing inside. Since the thoughts and emotions we need to clear are also energy, I suggest doing these energy meditations to help you reach the zero point more quickly.

One of the places they are taught are at Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi centers. Body & Brain created these easy-to-follow videos for their members that you can use to practice for yourself.

1. Body Tapping

2. Brain Wave Vibration

3. Abdominal Breathing

4. Feeling Energy with the Hands

When We Know Our True Value, We have Real Self-Esteem

Central to our value is having esteem for ourselves. Knowing our worth and having self-esteem have nothing to do with worldly success, prestige, power, or academic history. Having been successful in the world doesn’t mean we have real pride, or that we’re happy or wonderful.

Seeing the truth of our value leads to stable, sustainable happiness that wells up from within. Without this kind of genuine self-esteem, we may become arrogant or be overly affected by others’ praise or censure. Knowing our value means loving ourselves.

Editor’s Note: Get help and regular practice with Brain Education meditations for feeling your value at a Body & Brain Yoga and Tai Chi center. Find a center in the United States at BodynBrain.com.

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• True Power Comes from Nothingness
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