Compass of the Times 231

Raise Our Inner Pressure

Keiko Takahashi

Life at the Mercy of Outer Forces

Every one of our lives, without exception, is threatened by outer forces. Everyone on the path of their life encounters unexpected problems, suffers sudden trials, and can sometimes lose sight of their life’s goals.

That is not all. When we are subjected to great outer forces and pressures, we become unable to keep our own minds functioning properly.

First, we lose the ability to accept reality as it is because the initial reception and recognition of this become distorted. For example, if a person tends to think of things negatively, this tendency will be exacerbated under outer pressure. Increasingly, they think about things even more negatively.

If recognition is distorted, what about subsequent decisions? It is impossible to make the right decision or take an action that will bring a good outcome. As a result, our actions will also be affected by such distortions.

To begin with, some people succumb to outer pressure and immediately change their behavior. It is no exaggeration to say that doing so means that they are at the mercy of and are controlled by the outer world.

Depending on the outside forces, we repeat feeling happy and then sad, going through a series of ups and downs of pleasure and pain.

At first glance, that may seem like nothing because that is what happens to many of us. And yet, we cannot truly create our own lives when we are being driven by the outer world.

Maintain an Inner Pressure to Resist the Outer Pressure

It is well known that the water pressure we bear underwater is much greater than we can imagine. For example, at a depth of 100 meters, one square meter, which is two-thirds the surface area of a human body, is subjected to 100 tons of pressure. A metal barrel, which would not normally be crushed, will collapse like a paper balloon in deep water if it is filled with air.

Divers who dive to depths of several tens of meters can withstand the water pressure because the pressure inside their bodies is raised to the same level as the pressure outside. The inner and outer forces are opposed to each other, allowing their bodies to fulfill their mission without having any physical problems.

This is also true for those of us who are constantly exposed to outer pressure.

We are incessantly threatened by outer pressure, and therefore what we need is to maintain an inner pressure that will not succumb to the outer pressure. Inner pressure is the force that pushes back the world from within us, the force that tries to maintain the order of our inner side against the force that tries to hold us down from the outside.

What Raises Our Inner Pressure—Seek a Blueprint

What does it mean to raise our inner pressure or create new inner pressure? It is to harbor strong feelings.

A typical example of what makes this possible is a wish that resides within us: “It would be wonderful to have something like this here,” “I want to change this situation like this,” “I want to create this kind of reality here,” “I truly wish to bring about a new reality,” “I want to move even one step closer to a better reality,” and so on. Harboring such strong wishes increases our inner pressure.

This wish is not our personal or impromptu desire, but it is a feeling that can be described as “this reality is truly needed right now.” Such a wish is accompanied by a clear mission or a strong level of necessity.

In other words, it is our motivation to constantly seek a blueprint entrusted to each situation and circumstance that keeps our inner pressure growing.

A blueprint is an Idea, an ideal form of how things should be. Everything is entrusted with a blueprint. We try to access and realize that blueprint at all costs. This movement of the mind creates and increases our inner pressure against the outer pressure.

We are exposed to various outer pressures daily. When we feel an outside force pressing down on us, we should think about our own inner pressure. I would like you to examine whether you have the inner pressure to confront the outer force.

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