Playing with Perspectives

[UnbornTao]

A sense that arises from our deep-seated self-doubt is the tendency to trust the veracity of another’s expression more than our own, which often seems to ring hollow. Since we make a distinction between the objective world--external to and independent of ourselves--and the workings of our own minds, what comes from this “objective world” is given precedence over our own fabrications. We are acutely aware that our experience is profoundly subjective, and we would do well to recognize that the same holds true for the experiences of others--even though, for each of us, "others" belong to what we regard as the domain of the objective world.

Edited Tuesday at 01:37 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Investigate how resisting your present experience relates to anxiety.

Edited Tuesday at 03:11 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

It's Ralph all the way down.

Edited Tuesday at 03:12 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Watching The Simpsons:

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:13 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

Edited December 4, 2023 by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

The emotion of anger is generated by you in order to protect the hurt and vulnerable person hiding behind the emotion. In this case, being more honest would require allowing yourself to experience the feeling of hurt.

Edited 9 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

As a week-long exercise, do not judge anything, not even subtly. Take notice whenever it happens, and stop it.

Edited 8 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

What roles do you take on in relation to others? What do you assume about yourself—and about how others should perceive you?

In the presence of others, I feel I have to be, play, or show up as...

1. Social / Identity Roles

• The rebel, the “bad one”
• The good one, the obedient
• The charismatic leader
• The loner, the lone wolf
• The princess, the prince
• The macho, the feminine one
• The intellectual, the wise one
• The ignorant, the fool
• The spiritual, the mystic
• The religious
• The conservative
• The progressive, the liberal

2. Emotional / Affective States

• Vulnerable, exposed
• Strong, invulnerable
• Shy, reserved
• Angry, intimidating
• Ashamed, guilty
• Loved, cherished
• Admired, respected
• Doubtful, insecure
• Apathetic, disconnected
• Anxious, restless

3. Attitudes / Behaviors

• Controlling, dominant
• Submissive, compliant
• Funny, sarcastic
• Serious, rigid
• Agreeable, approved
• Disagreeable, confrontational
• Mysterious, reserved
• Open, transparent
• Inquisitive, skeptical
• Disillusioned, cynical

4. Self-Perceptions / How I Think Others See Me

• Problem, burden
• Inspiration, example
• Victim, misunderstood
• Center of attention
• Invisible, ignored
• Strange, unexpected
• Stupid, clumsy
• Intelligent, competent
• Eccentric, “crazy”
• Charismatic, charming

Edited 8 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

 

Edited Tuesday at 03:21 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

In what way am I being such that:

1. I seem to be stuck?
2. I’m approaching this (experience, event, person, object, whatever) the way I am — whether powerful, weak, afraid, brave, reserved, curious, confrontational, etc.?

On another note, the following dynamic may be self-validating:

I assume X about myself, then act like X, and am therefore perceived by others as X, which gives me feedback that validates my initially adopted self-image: “I am indeed X. See? This [response, effect, circumstance] is the proof.”

Edited 9 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Try to shift into the place where you are the source of--and the cause in the matter of--your experience. For example, deliberately create a joyful state now as a real experience. It is always the case that you generate it, but now you're invited to do it consciously.

Edited 9 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Various inaccurate analogies for "enlightenment"--illustrating how no method is direct.

Direct consciousness is like:

• catching your own shadow
• taking steps to arrive where you already are
• building a bridge to reach the place you’re standing
• an eye trying to see itself
• biting your own teeth

You can’t find yourself within experience, which is the only place you can look, and yet, perhaps paradoxically, you can become conscious of your nature.

Edited 8 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Why do things always seem to or appear as? Is there something beyond our impression of things? Why is it that, when examined closely, things are far less certain and fixed than they first appear?

Edited Tuesday at 06:27 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Effectiveness tends to increase in proportion to how much you get yourself out of the way.

Recognizing when your actions veer off-purpose, and immediately correcting course, requires careful attention to every step of the process.

Edited 8 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Is love a function of accepting what is? When it comes to others, is it about accepting what they are wholesale?

Edited Wednesday at 04:46 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Social constructs.

Edited Tuesday at 06:31 PM by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Being alone, without any distractions, tends to provoke strong emotional reactions, as you're confronted with your bare, mundane experience. As a culture, we focus on acquiring things--whether possessions, entertainment, relationships, and so on--hoping to find something external that will enhance our experience or finally make us whole. In doing so, we completely overlook our own personal experience.

We assume that joy must come from external factors, rather than being internally generated. We believe we need something out there to justify the emotion--otherwise, it feels like we're faking it when there's no obvious external cause.

Why is there such a strong urge to avoid confronting one’s experience, stripped of artifice? Why, for example, is meditation difficult to practice, or even actively resisted? Could it come down to disliking one’s life and self as they are?

You might feel existentially lonely or uncover long-ignored pain, among other unpleasant things. Have a look.

Edited 8 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Quote

Etymology of Cruel, from Latin crudelis, from crudus:

1. marked by the primitive, gross, or elemental or by uncultivated simplicity or vulgarity
2. existing in a natural state and unaltered by cooking or processing
3. rough or inexpert in plan or execution
4. lacking a covering, glossing, or concealing element : OBVIOUS
5. tabulated without being broken down into classes
6. archaic : UNRIPE, IMMATURE

crude, noun:

• a substance in its natural unprocessed state

Quite revealing.

Edited 9 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Presuming that listening has occurred when it hasn't is a trap.

Edited 7 hours ago by UnbornTao

[UnbornTao]

Your actions aren't caused by your way of being. Your way of being and your actions arise together. 

Edited December 19, 2023 by UnbornTao