I've kept names out of these 'discussions' but I'm reminded of that NDE article that says, from a spiritual point of view, there are ABSOLUTELY no secrets. Everyone is aware of everything you have ever said & done & thought ... but I'm paraphrasing ... must remember to include the link ...
Include that NDE link {This one MAY be it - but I'm not online right now - so no way to verify it}
"I've lived my whole life on a knife-edge. This is nothing new to me."
{"People talk about the road less-traveled. Schizophrenia is the road less, less, less traveled. In fact, most of the time there isn't even a road. You make it up as you go along ..."}
There was also a fledgling thought about all the meditation people do (including myself) ... and it's ONE thing to say you're not angry when there's no real provocation ... the only TRUE test is how you respond and how you choose to react when there is significant provocation ...
... if one reverts automatically back to past dysfunctional behaviours (like blaming others for one's own feelings or directing anger at them for daring to think or behave differently) then one may not have made quite as much 'progress' as one might like to believe one had made ...
"You're doing what you think is best for me? I'm sure the Spanish Inquisition used pretty mush the SAME argument to justify their actions"
Yes, unless you're suddenly claiming omniscience & infallibility, then how can you possibly know what is best for another human being? You cannot.
"I don't tell you the truth very often because you're not really equipped to handle it ..."
"I have observed that the quality of one's thoughts can heavily influence the quality of one's experiences. And vice versa."
"If you want a foolproof fromula for making yourself miserable, then this is it: Allow yourself to get angry anytime another human being dares to think or act differentl from your own thoughts & actions. Works everytime."
"You don't have the right to do what you are doing. Okay, maybe legally society allows you to do it, but morally you have no right to impose your will on another and deep down I suspect you know this though I doubt if you'll ever admit it to yourself ... and that's such a shame because you're really doing far more damage to yourself than anyone else ..."
"I realise I am absolutely THE most challenging human being you are ever likely to meet or interact with. In fact, if you hadn't given birth to me, you'd most likely never encounter anyone like me. Birds of a feather truly do stick together.
And the reason I am so challenging is that I dare to question every single one of the ideas that you CLING to and that you would very much like to believe are beyond being questioned. This is because you secretly fear that if you ever ALLOWED yourself to question them, then the entire basis for your existence would dissolve. And this can be a scary thought.
It's entirely your prerogative to cling to ideas which simply don't work. Just as it's my prerogative to listen to them all and decide they are inadequate and look for something better ... even if I risk going insane in the process ... "
{something else about something which produces genuine happiness rather than the pretend variety most people seem 2 settle for ...}
"Maybe I am crazy. It's hard to be objective about one's own behaviour. If I am mad, then you're engaged in the most futile exercise ever undertaken - no sane human being has EVER won an argument with a lunatic ..."
"You're in pain right now. I know ALL about pain. When you are in extreme pain, you want to blame everyone & everything except yourself. And you want everybody else to be in pain as well. And it's infuriating if they are not ..."
"You may believe I am making a mistake and it's entirely your prerogative to hold onto such an opinion. It is NOT your prerogative to impose that opinion onto me. Even if it IS a mistake (and I don't think it is, obiously), then it's still my prerogative to do it. You seem to want to protect yourself from any potential pain that other people's actions may cause. Bad luck - this particular universe doesn't work like that. Any attempt to control another human being (even if you don't call it control) invariably causes even deeper pain.
Believe it or not, these times of greatest pain are also the greatest windows of opportunity. Because they provide the strongest incentive to look deeper at the REAL source of the pain. Sadly, most people have yet to arrive at this realisation & spend their entire lives trying to control situations & other living beings in the hope of avoiding or minimising the pain ...
Update:
I thought of a slightly tweaked phrasing ...
... the incentive to completely rethink (or unthink) your entire existence ...
{I was also rmeinded of the Tibetan book of the Dead and the first INSTANTS after death ... for a bit more info try reading the first chapter of this book -
click here
{& scroll down to 'Supreme Reality' - you could use the 'Find' function, which is on the 'Edit' menu of your web browser}
"You have very rigid ideas about the best way for human beings to live and I just happen to disagree with all of them ..."
"I would suggest that the person with the most anger has the biggest problem. I'm not angry (despite enormous provocation) because I realise that anger is a CHOICE and not a REACTION. Have you ever noticed that the things which 'make you angry' keep on cropping up? They just keep happening to you - the location may change as well as the protagonists - thoughout your life. They keep cropping up until the penny drops and you realise aha! anger is a choice. It is not automatic. The same priniciple applies to all other brands of human pain which human beings experience ...
Sadly, I have observed that most human beings will ferociously resist any such suggestion, even if the pain is literally killing them ...
Include link to Zukav on anger?? ...
A couple of weeks later ... see 'The Gift' by
clicking here ... {not a bad Leunig either ...}
www.zukav.com
"It's only when the pain is at its zenith that you have sufficient incentive to re-think the true basis & cause of that pain ..."
"I really wish I could take away your pain, but I can't. Because I didn't create it."
"I've got to where I am now by totally ignoring every piece of advice normal people have ever given me ..."
"Like it or not, there are very practical reasons why you can't lock people up simply because they're not bubbly & cheerful. Psychiatrists are only really concerned with whether you are dangerously unhappy ..."
May as well stick in a couple of recent links just to round off this little file ...
Excellent piece - esp about setting aside all attack thoughts ... FAR easier said & contemplated than done ...
{The actual phrase to scroll down to is 'the release of all attack thoughts'}
Or just search for all instances of the word 'attack' ... cos we humans are currently a bit too fond of doing that to our fellow beings ...
Quantum Happiness (very apt)
Oh yes ... there's also the 'Vice Versa' meditation, which I've often found extremely useful. Infact I have a photcopy of it just sitting on the sofa in the loungeroom ...
And finally (?) ...
click here ... and why not read the section entitled 'I used to' ... :)
Testing ...
}
click here to read it ... {the others in that file are worth a gander ... like the gibberish meditation that somehow springs to mind ... }
