REALITY DISTORTION SYNDROME: Believing too much of your own bull …
*RDS proves to be a mental-block-builder rather than a building-block-for-lasting-friendship. *Once I recognize the intricacy of a mental maze I grow quiet for this reason: I've experienced how readily emotional mazes swallow my attachment to common sense quick as a vaccuum cleaner sucks in a pile of dust.
Speaking as one who's mind has been sucked into mental mazes, I can tell you that's not a healthy place for me to feel stuck, again and again. Stuck once? Stuck twice? *Struck three times points out this fact: I may be stuck in a mental block of my own. At this point in my evolution, if I sense the inertia of inner conflict creating a maze within me, thus defying my connection to common sense, you'll watch me choose to divert my time and energy toward identifying the mental block, which may be mystifying my sense of clarity, right now ... Seriously, if all of my energy is invested in working to identify the mental blocks of others then guess what stalls? My personal growth. I mean, what's to be gained from figuring out what's taking place in another person's head if confusion, based in inner conflict, blocks my sense of clarity from sensing a simple solution seeking plan that frees me to enjoy life more than my limited viewpoint had proved possible before.
*Upon reflection, I've come to see how much of my mental energy had concentrated upon figuring out the complex thought patterns of others instead of focusing my smarts on pulling my head out of the sand in order to confront painful memories, which had once scared my spirit half to death! As an overachiever, who is no slouch at solution seeking, I proved to be no slouch at depressing when reality shoved denial aside, opening my conscious mind to become aware of how lonely my marriage had become. That was twenty years ago. Thank goodness, depth in terms of self awareness has had sound reason to expand since that earlier time.
*Between then and now, I learned why my spirit chose depression over separation. With help, I came to see how much energy had been expended in repressing the depth of my unhappiness, which had simmered within a lonely pocket of my subconscious over many years. The depth of my loneliness went unidentified, because my mental block would not allow me to feel emotion, which proved too scary to acknowledge, express or release. Eventually, this self-imposed pressure of denying myself a natural outlet to experience emotional relief exhausted my mind and extinguished my spirit—while, on the up side, my little voice of intuition continued to inspire my smarts to disassemble my defensive wall by seeking professional help. Thank goodness my active mind felt compelled to understand what caused my enthusiastic zest for life to plummet and crash ...
Though it's true that with therapy some semblance of reality began to filter from my subconscious into my conscious mind, my defense system refused to confront reality with clarity until my thought processor was cleansed of confusion, based in denial. *This natural depression of my spirit offered my brain the solitude of a mental cocoon, where insight into each stage of my life began to make sense of defensive patterns, which had led me into a series of emotional mazes where mental blocks played havoc with decisions that depended upon clarity to make sense of any aspect of reality, which had scared me so much as to have numbed everything I'd longed to experience until denial caved in under the weight of the truth, which pressed me to descend into a depressed state of being where I could feel nothing but pain before gain in terms of clarity led toward necessary change. That story, ladened with details rich in insight into mental blocks, will exemplify what happens when we are so selfless as to deny our spirits access to that which we need most to thrive.
*When mental blocks play havoc with clarity, certain aspects of personal growth are placed on hold. Each time clarity cleanses my mind of confusion, the solution seeking portion of my brain re-energizes; my spirit rebounds, and resultant of moving cautiously forward while at the same time retracing each stage of my life, I regain control over carving the unique path that eventually respects my needs as well as the needs of my loved ones. With clarity into an existential view of life, one simple plan of action inspires another until independent thought frees itself from struggling against the herding instinct, which had compelled me to deny my needs, repeatedly. Today, my existential needs and my family's need of me thrive, side by side, suggesting that my attention to self respect and mutual respect feel harmonic, at last. In truth, I can't give the best of me to everyone I love when a defensive mental block runs interference with my being true to all of myself, through and through. In short, I can't be true to anyone else until I'm true to the whole person I prove to be at my core. Hence my conversation with the spirit of the sage, who swoops down from on high each time denial bamboozles me into believing that a passion, which I've repressed, is no longer empowered to grab me by surprise each time insight into deeper truth jolts my smart heart into admitting that clarity proves otherwise.
At this point in my life, it's reassuring to know that I've experienced the full spectrum of emotion—from soaring with lighthearted joy to spiraling into the devastating darkness of desperation where self awareness fueled my spirit with a hopeful sense of positive focus that inspired me to rise like The Phoenix, empowered to transform vulnerabilities into personal strengths, which prove necessary to peel away layers of defensiveness in order to expose mental blocks that must be identified before delayed stages of personal growth are mine. (Having read most of his novels, rich in character development, that's a Henry James sentence if I ever saw one!)
*Each time I consciously open my mind in hopes of soaking in insight, which serves to deepen my relationships while enriching my experiences, I come to see why it's necessary to employ generosity of spirit while working to overcome emotional chasms that separate us from those we love.
*I've come to see that repression of inner conflict creates confusion that must transform into clarity before simplicity can resuscitate a relationship that's deeply valued on both sides ...
*I've come to see friendship as a living being in need of nurturing, nourishing, growing and thriving or it will shrink and starve until it just can't survive. You see, friendship is not likened to a thriving bond between parent and child, where one meets the needs of the other. A thriving friendship feels mutually nurtured, and that cannot be when conversations smash into subliminal mental blocks that rule supreme, thus delaying personal growth until readiness to embrace deeper truth ripens on both sides ...
*I've come to see that lasting friendships depend upon a double dose of positively focused hopefulness coupled with simple solution seeking plans. I mean seriously, hope is in need of a simple plan of action to float a boat that's in the process of sinking fast.
Speaking as one who's mind has been sucked into mental mazes, I can tell you that's not a healthy place for me to feel stuck, again and again. Stuck once? Stuck twice? *Struck three times points out this fact: I may be stuck in a mental block of my own. At this point in my evolution, if I sense the inertia of inner conflict creating a maze within me, thus defying my connection to common sense, you'll watch me choose to divert my time and energy toward identifying the mental block, which may be mystifying my sense of clarity, right now ... Seriously, if all of my energy is invested in working to identify the mental blocks of others then guess what stalls? My personal growth. I mean, what's to be gained from figuring out what's taking place in another person's head if confusion, based in inner conflict, blocks my sense of clarity from sensing a simple solution seeking plan that frees me to enjoy life more than my limited viewpoint had proved possible before.
*Upon reflection, I've come to see how much of my mental energy had concentrated upon figuring out the complex thought patterns of others instead of focusing my smarts on pulling my head out of the sand in order to confront painful memories, which had once scared my spirit half to death! As an overachiever, who is no slouch at solution seeking, I proved to be no slouch at depressing when reality shoved denial aside, opening my conscious mind to become aware of how lonely my marriage had become. That was twenty years ago. Thank goodness, depth in terms of self awareness has had sound reason to expand since that earlier time.
*Between then and now, I learned why my spirit chose depression over separation. With help, I came to see how much energy had been expended in repressing the depth of my unhappiness, which had simmered within a lonely pocket of my subconscious over many years. The depth of my loneliness went unidentified, because my mental block would not allow me to feel emotion, which proved too scary to acknowledge, express or release. Eventually, this self-imposed pressure of denying myself a natural outlet to experience emotional relief exhausted my mind and extinguished my spirit—while, on the up side, my little voice of intuition continued to inspire my smarts to disassemble my defensive wall by seeking professional help. Thank goodness my active mind felt compelled to understand what caused my enthusiastic zest for life to plummet and crash ...
Though it's true that with therapy some semblance of reality began to filter from my subconscious into my conscious mind, my defense system refused to confront reality with clarity until my thought processor was cleansed of confusion, based in denial. *This natural depression of my spirit offered my brain the solitude of a mental cocoon, where insight into each stage of my life began to make sense of defensive patterns, which had led me into a series of emotional mazes where mental blocks played havoc with decisions that depended upon clarity to make sense of any aspect of reality, which had scared me so much as to have numbed everything I'd longed to experience until denial caved in under the weight of the truth, which pressed me to descend into a depressed state of being where I could feel nothing but pain before gain in terms of clarity led toward necessary change. That story, ladened with details rich in insight into mental blocks, will exemplify what happens when we are so selfless as to deny our spirits access to that which we need most to thrive.
*When mental blocks play havoc with clarity, certain aspects of personal growth are placed on hold. Each time clarity cleanses my mind of confusion, the solution seeking portion of my brain re-energizes; my spirit rebounds, and resultant of moving cautiously forward while at the same time retracing each stage of my life, I regain control over carving the unique path that eventually respects my needs as well as the needs of my loved ones. With clarity into an existential view of life, one simple plan of action inspires another until independent thought frees itself from struggling against the herding instinct, which had compelled me to deny my needs, repeatedly. Today, my existential needs and my family's need of me thrive, side by side, suggesting that my attention to self respect and mutual respect feel harmonic, at last. In truth, I can't give the best of me to everyone I love when a defensive mental block runs interference with my being true to all of myself, through and through. In short, I can't be true to anyone else until I'm true to the whole person I prove to be at my core. Hence my conversation with the spirit of the sage, who swoops down from on high each time denial bamboozles me into believing that a passion, which I've repressed, is no longer empowered to grab me by surprise each time insight into deeper truth jolts my smart heart into admitting that clarity proves otherwise.
At this point in my life, it's reassuring to know that I've experienced the full spectrum of emotion—from soaring with lighthearted joy to spiraling into the devastating darkness of desperation where self awareness fueled my spirit with a hopeful sense of positive focus that inspired me to rise like The Phoenix, empowered to transform vulnerabilities into personal strengths, which prove necessary to peel away layers of defensiveness in order to expose mental blocks that must be identified before delayed stages of personal growth are mine. (Having read most of his novels, rich in character development, that's a Henry James sentence if I ever saw one!)
*Each time I consciously open my mind in hopes of soaking in insight, which serves to deepen my relationships while enriching my experiences, I come to see why it's necessary to employ generosity of spirit while working to overcome emotional chasms that separate us from those we love.
*I've come to see that repression of inner conflict creates confusion that must transform into clarity before simplicity can resuscitate a relationship that's deeply valued on both sides ...
*I've come to see friendship as a living being in need of nurturing, nourishing, growing and thriving or it will shrink and starve until it just can't survive. You see, friendship is not likened to a thriving bond between parent and child, where one meets the needs of the other. A thriving friendship feels mutually nurtured, and that cannot be when conversations smash into subliminal mental blocks that rule supreme, thus delaying personal growth until readiness to embrace deeper truth ripens on both sides ...
*I've come to see that lasting friendships depend upon a double dose of positively focused hopefulness coupled with simple solution seeking plans. I mean seriously, hope is in need of a simple plan of action to float a boat that's in the process of sinking fast.
It's important to remember that, for the most part, we're unaware of how often subconscious shadows cloud the clear-sightedness of our emotions, thoughts, actions and decision-making process. If we have no clue as to when subconscious fear is coaching the conscious mind then how well can we know ourselves in depth? If you ask me, there's no subject more fascinating than the intricacies of the human brain. I mean how in the world can the same brain that gets us to the moon and back have no clue as to how to raise a self confident child. See what I mean? Thank goodness for division of labor, right?
So, here's what I'm getting at: Socrates said, "Know thyself," because each time we hide our deepest emotions behind denial, we drop the hand of someone who longs to hold hands with us. The bard penned plays, both tragic and comedic, concerning that sad fact, which proves classic, universal and timeless. Socrates' peers killed the messenger in hopes of shutting up the sage, who felt compelled to spout truths that his peers had feared to hear. Thank goodness 'killing the messenger' did not silence Socrates insight, because, every generation passes his magic wand of wisdom to the leaders of tomorrow. Unfortunately, our leaders, today, can't get their heads out of the sand for long enough to recognize that their hands are so busy grabbing for power and money that they fail to see the baton of wisdom dangling within reach.
As centuries have passed between centurians and we who soldier forth, today, it seems like the human brain is slow to absorb classic truths. Why? Every conscious mind is pretty much a clear slate at birth. So whatever we're taught at home and in school, day after day, year after year, becomes most deeply imprinted into our minds. It's as though life is a game of follow the leader, where innocent children are brainwashed, just as was true of Hitler's youth ... Kamikaze pilots ... human bomb terrorists, kidnapped children enslaved as soldiers, sex trafficking sacrificial lambs, whose stolen lives serve the greedy needs of manic, power-hungry minds ...
Thus am I inspired to write one post after another, day after day, in hopes of igniting a grassroots movement where children will be home schooled to comprehend the contradictive nature of the human brain in hopes of developing an insightful, curious attitude concerning reality, not as we perceive of it but as it clearly exists, one family at a time. As an instructor of family communications, I hope to impart the impact of transforming subconscious confusion into clarity, which saves friendships (and nations) from separating into opposing camps, unnecessarily..
Once my mind began to conjure up simple plans of action, which proved successful at home, intuition directed me to teach those plans, infused with common sense, at the college level; publish them in magazines, and send them into cyberspace in hopes that more of today's adult leaders will feel inspired to fill the young minds of tomorrow's leaders with insight into transforming confusion and greed into clarity, concerning generosity of spirit, throughout the world ... one home, one city, one nation, one step forward at a time. And each time I am in need of taking time out to know myself more deeply than ever before, the spirit of Socrates, whispering 'know thyself', smiles down at me until my little voice of reason feels encouraged to write a new post or edit an older one that proves in need of clarity just as decisions made yesterday may be in need of revision, today. And such is life ... moving forward, step by step, until we are presented with sound reason to embrace a leap of faith into the great unknown from which we sprang as infants, whose minds were clean slates until societal contradictions muddled our sense of clarity up.
As eternity offers no beginning or end, it makes sense to make good use of your whole brain to regain as much clarity, concerning living life to the fullest, as soon as possible, which means starting right now. And with that insight in mind ... here is my last train of thought for today: Maintaining sanity depends upon gaining clarity, because a mind divided by denial is not a healthy place to dwell. As to the success of my grassroots movement ... on the downside, gotta get those numbers up ... on the upside ... 76 nations and counting ... (When this post was originally published 76 was 58 ... suggesting why my strong sense of hope reigns supreme ...)
PS ... I tried to find a photo of an ostrich with it's head in the sand. No luck.
PS ... I tried to find a photo of an ostrich with it's head in the sand. No luck.