Various religions and spiritual doctrines promote denial as the necessary path toward spiritual growth. I disagree. Nothing great has ever been achieved through denial. In fact, the greatest hindrance of humanity has been our consistent denial of truth. Some will argue it’s impossible for the human mind to comprehend the Truth, but I believe that is exactly the reason why we shouldn’t allow our thinking to deter us from striving for it.

Experience is the first manifestation of consciousness. We have come into this life to experience variety, to work through our needs, desires and judgement, to comprehend the truth. We do not seek the truth in order to give up things, but to define the meaning we attach to them. Of course, engaging in endless pursuit of pleasure is also futile, for we must experience all sides of life: good and bad, right and wrong, pleasure and pain. In our pursuit of a holistic experience we must always exercise moral responsibility: “How are our actions affecting the immediate environment, other beings, and our planet?!”

The path to uncovering the true meaning of life runs through aware self-examination, holistic experience and consistent growth. For many years I kept some of the more expensive things I owned locked away, because I needed to work out who I truly was and where I wanted to go. I needed to know whether I was getting my identity from material belongings, or was I simply enjoying the variety and the beauty of life.

The great Buddha summed up all his teachings in less than two words: Non-attachment. His advice: Explore the inner and outer worlds and consciously work through your needs and desires. When you’re done you will discover you own nothing, you are nothing, but the silent presence within. There lies all our riches, all that we truly are.