Thoughts on Thinking

"When somebody persuades me that I am wrong, I change my mind. What do you do?" John Maynard Keynes

"If you're unhappy with your life, change your thinking." Charles Fillmore

"The primary cause of unhappiness is never the situation but your thoughts about it." Eckhart Tolle

"People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them." Epictetus

"The unexamined life is not worth living." Socrates

"Consciousness is a terrible thing to waste." PunditGeorge

Wednesday, January 31, 2007

Fear. Not.

Much of the time we seem to go through the day reacting to what we see and experience. How we react to these observations determines whether we will continue to see and experience more of the same. Reactionary Living - constantly reacting to what seems around us. Reactionary Living presumes that a person is separate and unconnected to everything else. In short, a soul moving through an “out there” and capricious universe where anything can happen without warning. That’s scary living, especially when bombarded with messages from television, radio, internet, email, magazines, etc. that attempt to “help you” with your life by making you more afraid of it.

Notice how many commercials, news reports, magazine articles, conversations and so forth are about your “health.” What is the message? Buy this/take this/do this or you’ll suffer. Wait, what do you mean by that, George?

According to these messages, whatever happens to you (health, wealth, happiness) has nothing to do with you but with your genes, your environment, forces of nature, drugs, or the actions of other people. In this worldview you are an evolutionary victim, tossed around a sea of life, subject to waves, winds, tides and maybe getting gobbled up by a big bird or huge fish!

Nonsense.

According to these messages you are helpless, vulnerable, and victimized. You need help. All sorts of people are willing to “help you.” They decide for you what you need. Yet who knows what is best for your other than you?

That which you fear, you draw near. The Law of Attraction is simple: whatever you give your attention, you bring into your experience. The immediacy of experience is influenced by the force involved. Strong emotions indicate strong force. This means that anything that you really fear is more likely to enter your life sooner than later. That’s not your desire, but that’s where your attention is. What we hold in our thoughts will show up in our experience. This is the means by which the perception = reality philosophy is based.

A recent news magazine had a cover story of people using private laboratories for genetic testing - to learn if they carry genes associated with diseases. This could be useful, or not – depending on the attention given. The story told of a woman whose mother and aunt died of certain cancers and she was afraid she would meet the same fate. She was tested anonymously and the gene associated with these cancers was detected. She took action. Two radical surgeries later the potentially offending organs were removed. She " beat" a cancer she did not have. Her fear, her perception of the disease, ruled. Her perception became her reality.

There no end to the noise and actions of those who seek to protect themselves by correcting all of the perceived dangers of the world and people around them. Not long ago coffee was bad for you. Now it’s good for you. Enjoy your day. Enjoy your “now.” That’s the healthiest thing you can do! There’s nothing on the outside that ruins your good life - it’s what you think.

Charles Fillmore said it well: “If you’re unhappy with your life, change your thinking.”

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