Yes.
- First you see yourself as okay, and the world as deprived (in need of fixing). That’s the separated state.
- Then you see the world as okay, and yourself as deprived (in need of fixing). That’s seeking.
- Then you see both the world and yourself as deprived. You see pain and suffering in you and you see ignorance in other people. That’s self-realization/awakening. In the deeper stages it manifests as compassion, but it’s still not the end.
- Ultimately, you see both the world and yourself as perfect in their imperfection. That’s enlightenment.
Most “enlightened” people glimpse from #2 into #3 and jump back straight to #1. They see themselves as wise now (“enlightened”) and most people around them as ignorant (in need of fixing, or, at the very least, subject to their pity). Nothing’s changed much, but the vocabulary changed profoundly. So they are now telegraphing their lack of acceptance of everyone in spiritual language, from the imagined position of spiritual authority.
This is understandable. There’s too much pain between #3 and #4. Self-realization is only the beginning of real spiritual work.
Don’t make the same mistake. Surrender to the depravity of the world. It is ugly, yes. Profoundly so. The perfection of perception and the deepest inner peace come from accepting reality for what it is, and accepting people for what they are, not running away from it, or trying to change it. You just make your peace with it. Accept it.