Freeing Your Mind - The Affirmation Spot for Friday October 24, 2008
Today's idea:"The mark of a moderate person is freedom from his own ideas. Tolerant like the sky, all-pervading like sunlight, firm like a mountain, supple like a tree in the wind; she has no destination in view and makes use of anything life happens to bring her way."Tao Te Ching, Verse 59
Most of us like to consider ourselves open-minded and fair. We like to think we look at things objectively and tolerantly. The fact is, however, that our life experiences have indoctrinated and biased our views.Most of us are not, as Lao Tzu suggests, "free from our own ideas."The mention of certain words or concepts evokes waves of emotion that have little to do with the concept and a lot to do with the mental baggage we have accumulated. Worse, our views are often formed based on what other people have told us rather than what we ourselves know.Since awareness is the doorway to understanding; let's do a little test.I'm going to list some words. As you read each word, take a moment to listen to your reaction. I'm not saying you should feel one way or the other about any of these words or the concepts they conjure. I'm simply suggesting you become aware of your blind spots and prejudices so that you can release them and truly deal with life in the open and honest way you want to.Some of these words may cause little reaction within you, while others may cause a strong, visceral reaction. Becoming aware of your reactions is a very empowering way to take back control of your own thinking.Ready? Read the words one at a time (silently if you like) and pay attention to your reaction.
- New and Improved
- Capitalism
- Communism
- Sarah Palin
- Barack Obama
- Democrat
- Republican
- Christian
- Jew
- Muslim
- Buddhist
- Hindu
- Immigrant
- Labor union
- Russia
- Israel
- Corporation
- Old
- Young
- Fat
- Freedom
- Fear
- Math
- Wall Street
- Science
- Religion
- War
- Peace
- Terrorism
- Love
- Hate
- Rich
- Poor
- Environmentalism
- Profit
The Greek sage Socrates said, "The unexamined life is not worth living." The more you examine and pay attention to your auto-reaction to things the better able you are to look at each circumstance with fresh, unconditioned eyes.The key to freeing your mind is to ask yourself why. Why does this word evoke this emotion? What information is that feeling based on? Where did I get that information? How do I know that information is accurate? It takes a lot of strength to really examine your unconscious assumptions.You don't have to use this list. You can make your own list of emotionally charged words and explore your feelings.The fact is that - for better or worse - words that create unconscious reactions when they are even uttered hold the potential to be used as manipulation. An empowered thinker is able to set aside the initial reaction and explore what is being said beyond the word.We see this all the time in political campaigns. Labels start getting tossed around. The labels are a kind of psychological warfare because the labelers know people react to those words.You may find that this approach helps you break free from old programming and allows you to move forward in your life.Know thyself!Ray
