3 - Joy of Life |
CHALLENGE :
- To increase happiness and fascination in life
- To minimize periods of lesser joy
RANGE :
| | | |
We take it as a self-understood natural fact that disagreeable experiences should end quickly. Yet any similar limitation of positive circumstances we wouldn't even like to consider. We regard it as our inalienable, fundamental right that agreeable life-conditions continue forever.
And with this we have exactly the right notion. We sense - consciously or subconsciously - a state of existence where nothing restricts the immense abilities we deeply sense within.
To directly access the vast dimensions of fascination
and zest for life that constitute the very basis of our
existence, is theme of this challenge.
How to start?
| The Origins of Our Feelings | [TOP] |
From earliest childhood on we've been taught that feelings are caused by external events. Yet this association is entirely arbitrary and leads astray. It bars us from influencing one of the main factors of our life's happiness.
Pleasant and unpleasant emotions have no original connection to the physical events we usually take as their very cause.
All our feelings originate in desires (and dreads) we carry within. Once these themes of life get triggered, they color our present emotional state in a positive or negative mood.
This explains why activities or events we usually experience with joy, sometimes for no apparent reason are marred by negative or indifferent feelings.
In this case a different feeling got activated than the one we were 'accustomed' to. If we now attempt to influence the event or its assumed cause to reinstate the joy we used to feel, we usually fail.
As long as we expect certain events to 'produce' always the same emotions, we block all access to the real mechanism that makes annoying feelings persistently recur.
It pays to give up these expectations and to look deeper what the event - and our emotions - are trying to tell us. This is the first step to effectively prevent undesirable feelings and events from ever rising again.
| Negative Experiences | [TOP] |
Negative experiences are always and exclusively the result of our own actions and attitudes. Uncomfortable life-circumstances, problems, lack of recognition etc. are nothing other than signs that now or at an earlier time we ourselves created the basis for this problematic environment or harmful feeling by attaching emotions to themes that restrict growth.
Though all negative experiences are limited in time, they have the troublesome tendency to lay the ground for new unpleasant events of the same type.
When something obstructive manifests in our life, we often react with irritation and other intense emotions. Yet these very emotions only renew our attachment to this same theme, which again programs similar events for our future.
To break this chain of endlessly repetitive experiences we first need to become aware that this particular mechanism exists in the first place.
| How to Get Rid of Recurring Problematic Experiences | [TOP] |
Negative experiences inform us that a certain theme of life is not completed yet, - similarly as pain points out which part of our body needs attention. Since unresolved themes doggedly recur until we neutralize them, there's no point in trying to ignore their presence.
Each negative event directs our focus towards one particular theme of life. More often than not the accompanying emotions seem so embarrassing and uncomfortable that we'd love to ignore them.
Yet these very feelings show us precisely what theme we need to neutralize.
Only when we identify the very theme that interferes with our life can we home in and dissolve the exact emotions that attach us to the event - and thus prevent their future occurrence. We e.g. need to become aware that it's our readiness to get irritated that interferes with our joy of life, not the long queue at the supermarket check-out, or the 'slow' car driving in front of us etc.
To fundamentally end negative themes of life, it helps
- to dispassionately examine whether we are not arbitrarily ascribing negative feelings to events, persons or objects that have no real connection to them
- to realize that all emotions - even those we don't like - originate within US, - and that this gives us the precious chance to change or to neutralize them
- to find out what an event wants to tell us
- to consider the ultimate consequences if we'd really act on our negative impulses - and whether the prompting event is worth that price
- to ask ourselves whether we need to react to a 'negative' event in the first place, and
- to decide to follow an entirely different - positive - line of thought or action
A poised, neutral attitude at the occurrence of uncomfortable feelings and experiences generally prevents an automatic negative emotional reaction of ours - which would only attach us to similar events in the future.
This may not always be easy. It takes a major effort to give up swift blame of others and to stop an habitual animosity towards specific outside factors. Specially in the beginning it requires real honesty to admit to ourselves that our own prejudices triggered our unpleasant emotion.
It takes considerably more energy to build this new understanding than to succumb to well-known, familiar irritation. Yet this is only a small price for freedom from an automatic reaction that in the long run would cost us far more energy.
Each single block, restriction, effort and obstacle we confront is a vital tutorial element of our present existence. Once we stop regarding these difficulties as insurmountable barriers, but rather interpret them as challenges to grow and to test our inherent abilities, we are well on our way to a far broader and more fascinating scope of life.
| Positive Experiences | [TOP] |
Positive experiences are also always the result of our own actions and attitudes. Comfortable conditions of life, friends, affluence, high status etc. indicate that now or at an earlier time we ourselves created the basis for this agreeable environment. And we certainly have the right to enjoy this.
However - one aspect of this situation is somewhat problematic: All positive physical experiences - as well as negative ones - are limited in time. Sooner or later they all come to an end.
We usually see two ways to deal with this:
- either we enjoy the agreeable situation till it ends - and try to regain the positive conditions we got accustomed to once negative or dull influences start to increase
- or we assign some part of our present means to generate sufficient positive influence in advanceso our agreeable condition will continue.
In both cases we merely react to influences instead of intentionally structuring them. This keeps us on a low level of experience which only seems attractive because we are unaware of more advanced ones.
Yet there is a third way
Dormant within us there exist immense depths of knowledge, love, power, abilities and joy. We can access these regions and experience these qualities directly - without being hampered by old desires and dreads.
This third alternative is always open, though sometimes we block access to it through restrictive attitudes, actions, longings and fears.
Yet even then we often get a glimpse of it. It's entirely our own responsibility if and how we use these opportunities.
Going for this third alternative not only unfolds our inherent potential, but also generates an abundance of positive energies for future growth.
| We can accelerate our progress. Impulses for compassion, charity, forgiveness, helping others etc. make us break out of egoistic mechanisms and widen our understanding.
Yet only spontaneous impulses matter. Charity for mere formal reasons has no effect on our growth.
Each time we e.g. feel an urge to help others, - a tendency to reconcile, - an impulse for compassion etc. - we are offered a way out of the dense, hypnotic veil emotions and activities weave around us on STAGE 1.
Yet impulses of this kind last only seconds. If we don't act on them spontaneously, but decide to do it later or postpone our decision, this almost always prevents the inspired action. Most gateways to new activities open only fleetingly - as our flash-excursions to higher stages do. Remembering afterwards how we missed the impulse usually leaves a sense of deep regret. Yet when we spontaneously follow the impulse, this always regales us with deep satisfying elation, harmony, happiness and an inspired outlook for our future.
Example: We know the situation: Driving at rush-hour, the traffic is moving slow, so slow that we get irritated. And then that one car off a side-lane wants to move in in front of us. Now the impulse pops up: 'Just let him in, ten seconds more won't make a difference'.
How do we react? -
Allow our anger to get the upper hand? Close up the space so he can't possibly squeeze in, decide for selfishness, against compassion and understanding?
- If we could only see our face now. Already full of impatience, anger, irritation, we just added disappointment at ourselves, regret for a chance forever lost and remorse however hidden. We feel ugly, and that annoys us even further.
- Or do we stop, one friendly gesture with our hand and he moves in, relieved that someone took pity? - Just look at the reward. - We feel good. Our anger, our impatience, our irritation is somehow diminished and some new, positive energy mysteriously reached heart and mind. It seems unexplainable, but it is there.
| Why the 'Bad' Ones Seem to Have More Fun | [TOP] |
Our present world easily gives the impression that people acting ruthlessly - 'bad' - have far more fun than those restricting themselves to 'good' behavior.
Actions perceived as 'good' often seem boring, fettered by duty, governed by rigid rules and prompted by intellectual accord rather than gut-feeling. And further these kind of actions more often than not remain unrecognized - except by a type of dull and uncreative people who define adherence to firm rules as major purpose of their life - and try to motivate or force others to conform to this belief as well.
In stark contrast to this many actions we regard as 'bad' carry the thrill of the forbidden and are inspired by excitement, daring and creativity. When we engage in 'bad', 'forbidden' action, we often experience heightened intensity of life, substantially more energy, and in the end attain a high degree of satisfaction - irrespective if we were successful or not.
And this gut-feeling is basically right. Excitement and the exploration of unknown (forbidden) areas of life are generally far more intense and satisfying than the performance of any socially 'correct', formal duty could ever be.
But the conclusion is not that we should choose 'bad' actions because they just seem more rewarding, - the conclusion is to take THE BOREDOM out of 'good' action.
As long as we perform 'good' actions only because we follow mere formal, religious or social motives, or because we want to please someone advocating the boring kind of 'good' behavior, we'll always envy those having 'fun' with their 'bad' actions - even though we might outwardly condemn them - and even though we may take high pride in how much 'good' we supposedly accumulate by sticking to boring rules.
Yet this purely formal pursuit of 'the good' without real inner understanding, without real inner engagement and conviction only attaches us to ever more boredom, rigidity and negative emotions (resentment) against the 'bad' guys who seem to have all the fun.
We need to fundamentally understand why we are performing 'good' actions that further our and others' growth. We need to realize that exploring higher dimensions of consciousness is infinitely more exciting, vibrant and rewarding than any 'bad' - i.e. selfishly motivated - action governed by greed, deception, anger, pride, carelessness, obsession or laziness could ever be. Only with inspiration deeply rooted in our emotions will our 'positive' activities produce the sovereignty and freedom from persistently recurring uncomfortable and frustrating situations and emotions.
We also need to discard the misleading idea that 'good' actions necessarily have to be in harmony with commonly accepted views of society. Mahatma Gandhi's life excellently demonstrates that positive action can be adventurous, daring, exciting, highly creative, powerful and much more, yet he certainly upset all established opinions and disrupted much of the prevalent social consensus of his time.
To seriously go for higher dimensions takes far more courage, steadfastness and strength than adhering to the accepted, egoistic views of a society which essentially only wants to preserve its current stagnant status-quo.
| - That what supports inner growth, what removes obstacles, error etc. from our path to sovereignty and freedom, what helps us perceive our original radiant nature, generally produces an agreeable, happy feeling that is not brought about at others' cost.
- That what obstructs us to experience this agreeable feeling, what blocks growth and impedes the perception of our original, radiant nature, generally produces feelings of discontent, unhappiness etc.
- Any passionate - positive or negative - reaction to an event tells us that the respective theme of life is still active, and that we - consciously or subconsciously - want further confrontation with this theme.
- Attempts to ignore disagreeable experiences do not remove the irritation. This only shifts our inevitable confrontation with the respective theme into the future.
- We certainly can keep on believing that an 'inescapable force of nature' causes distressing events we cannot possibly prevent. Yet this easily creates feelings of helplessness and anger towards this (unfair) world.
- It doesn't really help the dissolution of unpleasant experiences if we add these feelings of weakness on top.
- As long as we assign negative circumstances to outside causes, we block all access to its real origin. Giving up this belief opens our eyes for ways to stop recurring unpleasant experiences and feelings once and for all.
Next: - CHALLENGE 4 - Aggression / Anger
Author: Hermann Kuhn
Book-Title: 'Unlimited Horizons'
ISBN: 978-3-9811466-9-1
Copyright 2008 Crosswind Publishing, Wunstorf, Germany
Available in pdf-format at DOWNLOADS
www.unlimited-horizons.de
|
| Challenges How to dissolve Challenges |
Copyright Policy - Contributions - Imprint - Privacy Policy/AGB - Disclaimer