The state of being satisfied with what we have is necessary in order to have peace in this existence. The grasping for things in the world brings about certain anxiety. The overwhelming need to possess things that are beyond our reach brings about anxiety in the world. The need to be involved with or have things that are forbidden brings about disaster, brings about a complete inability to have gratitude, to be satisfied and to have peace.
So many people are looking for peace but they are looking in the wrong places. There is the story of a man who came to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and said to him “Satan is constantly bothering me, I can’t have any peace. Every moment he tortures me. Can you do something about this?”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “Come back in three days and call Satan to talk to him.”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said “Why are you bothering this man?”
Satan said “Bothering him? He’s bothering me. He wants everything that belongs to me… gold, women, real estate, money, possessions. He is constantly chasing each one of these. All of these these things are mine!”
The Prophet (peace be upon him) called the man back after the three days and explained to him the nature of what happens to you when you want forbidden things.
People have nightmares. Nightmares are often, at least in the way I see it, connected directly to your forbidden needs.
When I was young I used to be on stage, often. I acted in various little theaters and things like that. I would often have dreams about being on stage naked and terribly embarrassed. It came to me this morning that if you seek fame, you will end in shame. It follows that is what’s going to happen. because we are not supposed to be famous, we are supposed to be humble.
Have you ever had a nightmare about being humble? Interesting, there are no dreams that frighten you about humility.
Things that you can’t have often show up in dreams. They show up in sort of chasing after something,,, and this constant running and the inability to get it. And you run faster and faster and faster and things get totally out of control and chaotic.
They become nightmares.
