According to some of the Hindu traditions (and its family of religions and spiritual masters), a Guru or a preceptor is the best person to hold as an idol. In a materialistic world, the Pilgrim sees leaders and idols who inspire others are often deemed very successful in their commercial fields of work & profession. Nothing could be wrong with that, for work, when done in the right way and with the right intent, leads to building a disciplined life well in lines with the Laws of Karma (as described in the Bhagavad Gita).
No matter whether one follows a spiritual preceptor or a life coach or mentor, with dedication and trust in the mentor, one slowly starts to imbibe the qualities of their idol. Hence a true preceptor or mentor has the power to change the disciple & direct their effort to something more subtle & definitely something much higher than their immediate materialistic mindset.
The one he truly is. It is said that Maya (from Sanskrit Indian Vedic literature Maya implies an illusion where things appear to be present but are not what they seem), prevents one from knowing one’s true Nature. Nature by design limits our mind & made our brain such that it filters out a lot of the cosmic information from the universe but allows only those that are most necessary to preserve our life & existence.
Very few have been able to circumvent these strange plays of the mind & go into a state of no-mind, where one’s mind is perfectly in tune with the microcosm & the macrocosm. To them, Maya is a Tragic Comedy. However, the ones who are Realized souls, have called out the need for Self Effort to make the transition from the one who is controlled by their mind, to the one who is able to control their mind & achieve complete bliss. The True self is a silent observer of the plays of consciousness, quite unperturbed by the body-mind games of this ritualistic world.
The Pilgrim feels blessed! For over 20 years he struggled in conflicts with these three selves – the dilemma was heart wrenching but eventually his persistence to find the best way forward and not give into the excuses of having to play any of the lesser important roles seems to have paid off. His faith in his preceptor is going to be his sole spiritual support in the days to come.