"FIRE VS. FIRE" — WHY YOUR BRAIN IS SELF-SABOTAGING YOUR PEACE!


Introduction: The Loop of Endless Noise

We all want peace. It’s the universal human desire. Yet, almost everyone is stuck in some form of suffering, anxiety about the future, regret about the past, or just a low-level hum of dissatisfaction.

But here is the strange thing, the grand paradox of the human condition: The very tool we use to try and solve our suffering—our mind—Is the exact same tool that created it.

Think about it. The same mind that generates fear, anger, and pain is the one we beg to fix those issues. We tell ourselves, "Mind, stop worrying," "Mind, be positive," "Mind, figure this out."

It never works for long, does it?

If the mind is the generator of the noise, how can it possibly create silence? It’s time to stop asking how to end suffering and start asking a much deeper question: If the mind creates the mess, why is it incapable of cleaning it up?

Drawing on the profound, direct teachings of sages like Ramana Maharshi, let’s walk slowly into this question. Because the answer isn't about adding more strategies to your life; it's about a fundamental shift in how you see yourself.

The Mechanics of Misery: Pain vs. Suffering

To understand why the mind fails us, we need to make a crucial distinction between pain and suffering. They are not the same thing.

Pain is inevitable. It is physical discomfort, a lost job, a breakup, a rude comment. These are events that happen in life.

Suffering is what the mind does with pain.

The mind takes a simple, neutral event and wraps a story around it. A sound becomes a "danger." A critical word becomes an "insult" to your identity. A memory becomes present-moment "trauma."

As Ramana Maharshi pointed out, suffering rarely exists right here, right now, in this exact second. If you look closely, right now, you are likely okay. Suffering exists only in thought, thinking about past pain or projecting future pain.

The mind is a storytelling machine, and unfortunately, its favourite genre is tragedy.

Why You Can’t Fight Fire with Fire

Here is the crux of the problem. When suffering arises, let’s say, anxiety, what do we usually do? We mobilise our thoughts to fight it.

One thought says, "I am terrified I'm going to fail." Another thought rushes in to say, "No, don't be afraid! You need to be confident! Think positive!"

What have you just created? Conflict. A mental civil war.

The mind becomes like a dog furiously chasing its own tail. Ramana Maharshi observed something shocking that most of us miss: The mind creates the problem, so it cannot solve the problem.

Why? Because every solution the mind offers—every plan, every analysis, every pep talk is still just another thought. And thought is the root of the issue.

Trying to end thinking by using more thinking is like trying to put out a fire using a flamethrower. The mind is brilliant at analysing, engineering, and remembering facts. But it is utterly incapable of generating peace. Peace is not a product of mental activity; it is the absence of it.

The Turning Point: The Power of Self-Inquiry

So, if we can't think our way out of this trap, what do we do?

This is where the direct path of Self-Inquiry comes in. Instead of asking the endless question, "How do I stop this suffering?" Ramana shifted the entire perspective.

He suggested asking: "Who is suffering?"

When fear arises, don't analyse the fear. Ask, "Who is afraid?" When anxiety comes, ask, "To whom does this anxiety come?"

Do not try to answer this with words or intellect. Just look inward.

This question is a crowbar that pries open the closed loop of the mind. When you turn your attention sharply inward to look for the "thinker," something strange happens. The mind becomes quiet. Even for a second.

Why? Because the mind cannot observe itself. The moment you step back to watch the mind, you are no longer trapped inside it.

The Great Realisation: Awareness vs. Thought

This practice leads to the ultimate realisation, the one that dissolves the need for any middleman, external or internal.

Thoughts come and go. Emotions rise and fall like waves. The body ages and changes. But there is something in you that remains totally unchanged.

What is it that knows the thoughts are there? What is it that witnesses the anxiety without actually being anxious?

That is Awareness. That is the real "You."

You are not the noisy mind; you are the silent Awareness in which the mind appears.

  • The mind is full of fear, judgments, and problems.

  • Awareness has no fear. It has no problems. It just is.

Suffering only exists when you identify with the thought—when you believe you are the voice in your head. The moment you recognise you are the Witness of the voice, the suffering loses its roots. It has nowhere to land.

Conclusion: It’s Not a Practice, It’s a Recognition

We often think peace is something we have to build, achieve, or earn through years of arduous practice.

But the truth is more radical. You don't need to destroy the mind to find peace. You just need to understand it. When you see the mind for what it is—just a mechanism generating noise—you stop taking it so seriously.

Ending suffering isn't about fighting a war inside your head. It’s about resting in the Awareness that you already are. You don't need a guru to give this to you. It's already right here, just beneath the noise.

Be still, and know that you are the one watching the noise, not the noise itself.


Thanks,

KC.

Location: Hyderabad, Telangana, India

Comments

  1. BalajiJanuary 12, 2026 at 6:19 PM

    This is really great analogy. This will give a good idea on how one can examine inside rather than rushing to solution for every worry. This will even reminds people who know it and forget in day to day rush. love it.

    ReplyDelete

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