Enlightenment

Recently, while reading a Facebook post on the subject of enlightenment, I saw the following comment:

"I don't think enlightened people are allowed to be rude."

It caught my attention, because it made me wonder about the different perspectives from which the enlightened are viewed.

To those who have never had an awakening experience, enlightenment is at best an abstract intellectual concept. It would be a little like devoting your life to the study of salt -- where it comes from, what it's used for, and how world salt markets fluctuate -- without ever having tasted it. You have knowledge, but little understanding.

Enlightenment is something that cannot be understood until it's experienced. There is no one path to enlightenment, and each person who attains it is guided to use their unique gifts in different ways.

A truly enlightened person may, in fact, come across as rude -- not from an intent to do harm, but because there is no longer a need to conform to societal norms solely for the purpose of pleasing others or receiving praise and approval.

When we intellectualize rather than spiritualize the concept of enlightenment, we miss the mark. How the unenlightened view enlightenment has no impact on the experience of it.