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, August 19, 2020

A Shift in Consciousness

 There is a lot of buzz in many quarters regarding a shift in human consciousness, specifically a raising of that frequency.  Such an event has been long predicted and now, it seems, to actually be occurring.  For some, a statement like “a shift in consciousness” is a woo-woo crystal up the nasal out-there nonsense.  It’s not.  The low tide of human consciousness for thousands of years is now rising.

A rising tide lifts all boats.  Even those that don’t want to float.

That can be stressful and is the source of dis-satisfaction, dis-comfort, disturbed feelings and so on.  Not “going with the flow” takes a lot of energy.  Learning how to rise with the incoming tide is the shift, for many.  It is possible, especially if we consider a few things.

Upon seeing someone (usually for the first time) it seems instinctive to immediately assess the person and notice everything that is “wrong” with him/her and counter with a solution of what he/she should do to correct the “wrong.”   Sound familiar?  That’s a focus on someone else and what that person needs to make you feel better, more comfortable.  Now add to that response the same evaluation of everything encountered – that yard needs to be mowed, who chose that color of paint, what moron designed this parking lot, you need to lose about fifty pounds, what an idiot...  It’s a long list - a long list of noticing (giving attention) to things, situations, and conditions you don’t like.  Your attention to such guarantees that you will see more and more of the same.  The Law of Attraction always says “yes!” 

Observing so many people, places, situations and conditions that displease you results in, well, not very good feelings.  And, a curious logic suggests that “of course I feel lousy, look at what I have to put up with?  If only those people would get their act together, then I’d feel better.”  If someone has “mortgaged” their happiness (feeling good) to the behavior of others, then feeling good “ain’t gonna happen” as they say.  Some people work very hard and devote tremendous energy and resources to make others do what they “ought” to do.  Heck, you could even spend a lifetime at it.  And you won’t feel any better because that way you feel isn’t about what others are doing (or not doing) and so forth.

What’s happening here is not an instinctive assessment of everyone you meet and the situations you encounter.  Instinct is an immediate reaction to something that comes from the most basic part of the brain – the reptilian brain  It is a fight or flight preparation.  That does happen.

Assessing what’s wrong about someone and what they need to do to correct it is not instinct.  It is a habit.  You can’t change your protective instinct for survival, fortunately.  You can change a habit.  Like instinct, a habit is unconscious, or automatic.  You do something (including a manner of thinking) and you are not aware of it.  That’s what a habit is – something you’ve established that you’ll do without having to give thought to it (a very clever method of freeing up your mind for other things!)

And those people who have the habit of assessing (a.k.a. taking inventory) of everyone around them probably came by it honestly.  That is to say, there’s a good chance that as children they watched the adults around them do the same.  Children are hard wired to learn.  Regardless, right now, IF someone who makes snap judgments about people/situations around them wants to feel better, relief can come quickly.  Habits can be changed.  A habit that no longer works for you can be replaced by one that does.

And that, in the proverbial nutshell, is what this shift in consciousness is about – people are going to elevate (change) the way they perceive the world around them.  If you wish to live a happier, more satisfying life, this shift will move you in that direction.  But you must be willing to release old ways of thinking to allow a new manner of thought.  It’s the classic definition of insanity – continuing to think/act/do in the same old manner but expecting different outcomes. 

Take the habit of making snap judgments of people as an example.  First, it takes an awareness that one is making snap judgments of people.  Gaining that awareness is a major step – remember that a habit operates without awareness, but practicing real time awareness of what one is thinking will reveal the habit of thought.  A desire to feel better is the reason to replace snap judgments with another thought-action.  One method is to replace the “judgment of what is wrong” with a desire to see something good about the person, situation, or condition.  This isn’t making up something, or pretending that something is present that is absent, not at all.  It is a desire to see what is good.  The desire becomes the mental action and, cueing the Law of Attraction, you will begin to notice pleasant things.  They didn’t suddenly show up, just that the previous thinking was too focused on judging that it couldn’t notice the good.  The circumstance or situation doesn’t change, what you are allowing to see is the change.

That is a shift in consciousness.  A personal shift that can become habituated such that the default thought in any moment is the desire to see the good, the pleasant, the uplifting, the positive and so on.

If you’ve ever entered a room (or situation) where everybody is angry, pissed off, or depressed, then you know what is meant by “atmosphere” when describing something.  The atmosphere was gloomy and tended to smother whatever your disposition.  Vice versa for entering a room filled with happy, joyous folks.  You can’t help but feel good with them.

The shift now occurring on a global scale is an elevation of the “atmosphere.”  The base line thinking is going up a notch (or more for some folks) to allow a greater perspective of Life and the planet.  It’s a better perspective that will find more people feeling better about their lives and the lives of all. 

It’s happening.  Go with the flow and enjoy a better perspective.  You can choose not too.


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