Thursday 5 July 2012

100% Responsibility


The world is as it is and it is only our inability to accept this truth that causes us to suffer. This is difficult to unravel because we never quite see the world as it is. By ‘world’ I mean everything that is. At the same time that we are observing the world we are usually already contaminating the evidence. That is we are adding a story or a meaning to what we observe. Based on this story or meaning we form conclusions regarding what we have observed and what we should do. By adding a story we have inadvertently distorted what it is that was originally observed. The ability to create a story came about as a survival mechanism so that we could communicate and cooperate with each other. A story can hold many meanings. A story can be factual and useful and we can have the simple intention of using our stories for that purpose, to be factual and useful. We can however use our stories and draw conclusions that are not factual and useful and serve no useful service to anyone. Anyone who commits a crime or tells a lie is clearly using some kind of negative story. Addictions and mental health problems such as depression must also be based on drawing wrong conclusions to a false story. It is important to understand that whatever story we construct we have to live. Any story with negative implications must result in us having to live that particular story. Simply put this means that if our conclusion about the world is that it is miserable and hopeless then that is exactly what it becomes. The world is as it is and there is no story or conclusion possible that could explain or describe it. There is power in our ability to create a story and we feel powerful when we do this. There is a sense of power in thinking we know what is happening regardless of whether our conclusions are right or wrong. This is why this problem is so difficult to correct. The power we feel in being able to create a story that gives us the impression that we are in control and ‘know’ what we are seeing or doing is addictive. When something is addictive it means that we want that something more than anything else. Wanting the power to control and ‘know’ means we do not want to lose this power which means there is a limit to what we want to ‘know’. We are responsible for every story we construct in the sense that we have to live that story. If the story constructed is ‘I am depressed and feel hopeless’ then we must take responsibility for that story. This means no excuses for why we feel the way we do. If you ask someone who is depressed why they feel depressed there is always a ‘because’ something is not the way it should be. This ‘because’ story is circular in that it always comes to the same conclusion that what we believe is correct. If we are able to stop using stories to confirm what we believe we may end up at the truth, which is that we have feelings that are continually changing in response to what we believe about the world. These feelings or physical sensations have no meaning we add meaning to them in order to control and ‘know’ what is going on even if that results in suffering. If we can accept 100% responsibility for what we believe and see that what we believe becomes the world we live in, that is the world we have created in our head that we are then required to live in. Further if we can accept 100% what we are physically feeling without adding any meaning whatsoever then we will see the truth that physical feelings have no meaning and that they come and go naturally. It is only in the story we create and add to our feelings that suffering can exist.

4 comments:

  1. Hi Ray,
    Long time no words from me but I have been contemplating all you said. Feels so true especially you’re last post on your blog except for 2 things, if you could help clear:

    1. What about positive beliefs? I know you said that to be weary of them as they could easily turn to a negative, but when I look around me, I see that many people seem happy with their positive beliefs including beliefs about themselves “I’m such a lovely person” “I'm so compassionate” “I am making a change to the world” “I'm so honest” “Gods will prevails” “I’m in control of my life” etc. These beliefs seem to fine with most people and they seem happy about it (unlike me). They never seem to be seen as problem and the proof is in their not wanting to escape from their suffering (unlike me)...so I would appreciate it if you could explain how and why positive beliefs could be a problem even if it is not the actual truth of things as they really are.

    2. Having the belief that 'I' have no control and that there is no Free will seems to have no tangible benefits. All that happens is hopelessness and unwillingness to make any efforts to change the negative beliefs that are causing so much damage. So if it really is the truth albeit a harmful truth then why should this belief (as it is only a belief after all since it can only be a story of an individual that has no free will) be taken on. In short what use is being truthful if it only causes one harm, or in other words if a lie is beneficial and liberating then why not use it?


    Thanks

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    Replies
    1. The reasoning I apply to all beliefs is - beliefs are ok by definition if they are practical and useful. It is not possible to 'know' the world or ourselves in any way except through belief therefore it is vital that our beliefs are practical and useful and as true as is possible. I cannot write this email without belief being involved somewhere so the only question is - is what I am saying practical and useful? As far as you are concerned this is not something I could ever know, all I am left with is my own intention and that is that what I say is practical and useful or I would not say it. All of this relates to the beliefs involved in the world of the ego in which most of the human race is trapped. It does not relate to the world of consciousness which is able to use beliefs only on condition that they are practical and useful. From the world of consciousness there is no need to believe any thing absolutely. In communication and in the use of all our senses beliefs operate naturally and reasonably in a practical and useful way. Consciousness itself is not concerned with any questions about existence. Positive beliefs can be very practical and useful in the sense that it is possible to heal ourselves just by believing it is possible to heal ourselves. The reason we have to be cautious about positive beliefs is because ultimately any belief positive or negative has a tendency to obscure consciousness, in other words our minds tend to get fixated on our beliefs rather than from the consciousness from which all beliefs arise.

      In regard to free will the words and feelings of hopelessness and unwillingness to make any effort are themselves based on a belief that you have the free will to feel hopeless or unwilling to make effort. The ego always views the idea of no free will in a negative way this does not mean that this truth is negative. The ego exists precisely because of this belief that we have free will. Without this belief we are that much closer to the real truth that what we are is pure intelligent consciousness. When we invented free will we also invented desire as part of the package. Once desire is invented it becomes possible to desire anything sane or insane, are not some of your beliefs and desires insane? Another word for insane is untrue.

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    2. Just one more thing though….if you say that free will is a belief then why isn’t the fact that you have no free will, also a belief?

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  2. Free will is based on beliefs that are not true. 'No free' will is either true or it is not it is not a question of belief, you could say a belief is a description of something that is either true or is not, like gravity on earth, if you drop something it will either fall or it will not, if it falls you can describe this as gravity but before it was described it was a truth. For me there is no free will and to say this means using words and all words are beliefs which I accept and use as clearly and truthfully as possible. Beliefs are always added on after the fact, things exist or they do not we can describe these things that exist and even the things that don't but the truth is that these things existed or not before the description.

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