The sense of security has disappeared to a large extent with the loss of certainty and comfort we felt in the past. People in the past knew that things would not change too quickly, which provided them with a sense of assurance and security as far as consequences of human actions were concerned.

Are too many choices good for us? Is too much competition beneficial to the society? Is unbridled desire for material well-being always good for human beings? Has the definition of "good" and "bad" changed? Has the "unacceptable" in the past now become easily "acceptable" in modern times? All these are very difficult questions indeed and can be addressed within the framework of a theosophical discipline as well.

The "immoral" is often treated or perceived as "moral" and the society is indifferent to this dilemma. Expediency often becomes more important than a set of moral principles. "The more, the merrier" may not always lead a person to an abode of peace and bliss. But who will make the value judgement?

It is now easy to be lost within the countless and confusing choices that modern times offer us. The more the choices, the more confused we become because we cannot decide what to take, what to retain and what to discard. We face distractions everywhere and are susceptible to losing concentration that we need in order to achieve inner peace and happiness. Sounds philosophical?

Are we becoming more and more restless? Is it because we have a conflict between the conscious and the sub-conscious states of our mind? Or is it because we have a tug of war between the "good" and the "bad" within us? We often do what we really don't want to do. The constant conflict between the conscious and sub-conscious states of our mind can hold us back from attaining the harmony we need to achieve inner peace in our mind.

The never-ending conflict embedded in our mind perhaps stands in the way of our moving towards the desired path of equilibrium -- a state where our thoughts, feelings and actions are all in accord with each other. But we are often unable to control our own thoughts, feelings and actions given the fast changing surroundings in which we now live.

The smaller the world, the smaller the space we have. We have made the world smaller -- thanks to the faster transport as well as the development, wider diffusion and ever-increasing use of information and communications technology. Now we have a lesser sense of inner space with the world becoming smaller and smaller as time unfolds in front of us. The so-called "information explosion" has led us to a path of distractions causing a lack of focus on things which are perhaps more important to life.

Is the smaller world with all the knowledge at our fingertips always good for us? Does not the "unknown" provide us with a sense of suspense and awe, which could be more satisfying? Who knows!

Is something missing in our thought process? If so, what is it? Is it self-consciousness? Is it soul-searching? Or is it a lack of understanding of something else? Does the missing thing provide the key to self-fulfilment? Perhaps we are missing something that we don't know or are unaware of. It may be because we are too busy in our daily lives or don't bother to think about what is missing. We just drift with the current of time.

Change in life is inevitable, good or bad. This presupposes conscious actions of mankind to influence the change for the better. Just living is trivial; how someone is living is more important if looked at in the light of the purpose of life.

How do we fulfil the promise of life? What promise? We don't remember we made any promise to anybody. Do we?

"Look and you will find it -- what is unsought will go undetected," said the Greek philosopher Sophocles. But ignorance is bliss. So why not live in the world of bliss!

Abdul Quader is a freelance contributor to The Daily Star.