2012-06-28

Positive Attitude vs Life Problems

  • How do we see the world around us?
  • Does it pose too many threatening aspects that we are constantly reacting to?
  • Do we think that if we look at things with a positive attitude then our life
    will improve for us?
  • What do we mean by a POSITIVE ATTITUDE?
  • Can our mind somehow become a positively oriented instrument?
  • There can be numerous questions in the realm of POSITIVITY versus NEGATIVITY.
    What do we really understand about all this?
  • Have we been taking other people's ("AUTHORITY'S") opinions on POSITVE THINKING?
  • A better understanding of this subject could have far-reaching effects in how we understand and perceive our experience of life.
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The emphasis on POSITIVE & and POSITIVITY is a fad
that has been going on for at least 50 years
and more so in the last 25 years.

Of course it is always much pleasanter experiencing in the
limelight of POSITIVITY. But things change, and one's view
of what works in a 'positive sense' can always change to a
negative.

For example sugar is nice and pleasant to sweeten up some
favourite food. This may put one in a positive state.
However, too much sugar and the effects may be quite
negative.

So, the very same thing can be positive at one time and
negative at another time, or positive in one circumstance
but quite negative in another.

To a golfer rain is not a very positive circumstance for a planned
one day golf outing. However, that very same rain may be a
blessing to the farmer who is waiting to market a healthy, income
producing crop of corn. So again, the same thing -rain- can be
positive or negative, depending on the circumstance.

When we rely on the dualistic nature of things in our life experience
to fulfill us, or to make us happy then we are never certain what the
next experience will bring.

Our mind and emotions are dualistic in nature. We react in such a
way as to shy away from that which discomforts us and towards that
which gives us pleasure. The dualistic nature of the mind and emotions
is constantly juggling with good-bad, nice-ugly, rich-poor, positive-negative
and so on.

Therefore, it is not a positive attitude that will make you happy, or bring
you peace in your life experience - because, as we have seen, the direct
opposite can quickly manifest and confront us just when we are least
expecting it, or our positive may really peeve the person we meet if for
that person our positive is seen as a negative.

In actuality POSITIVE THINKING is an illusion the mind creates for itself to
feel some comfort - but actually isolates it from interaction with the rest
of the world.

The mind by its very nature is, in the main, a reactive instrument. If we
put ourselves in the position of a detached 'witness' of events going on
around us then we reserve judgement when it is unnecessary and attain
a much more peaceful attitude in our life experience. There will always be
so-called POSITIVE & NEGATIVE things/thoughts presenting themselves to
our awareness, and addressing from only a positive attitude, which may seem
productive at first, will eventually succumb to the mounting 'negative' aspects
that we tried to overcome by the positive attitude.
We unconsciously judge these negative attitudes to be wrong or unpleasant
or as "this shouldn't be" and so on.

The attitude of equanimity, frees one from the entanglement of the
opposites in the experiencing of the dualistic nature of manifested life.

As the enlightened teacher Ramesh Balsekar explained it:
There are two kinds of mind manifesting in our life experience.
The "thinking mind" and the "working mind".

The "working mind" is the one that does not get INVOLVED in all the "dramas"
of life experience that bring suffering (mainly on the psychological level). The
"working mind" is the mind that attends to the business of survival, and
truly meaningful accomplishments.

The "thinking mind" on the other hand, is the source of all of humanitiy's
problems. It is the reactive mind, the mind that takes offense, the mind
that can feel insulted or unloved, the mind that constantly seeks perfection
but invites more suffering by doing so. It is the personal mind, the
possessive mind and so on, and so on, and so on.

Creativity can be sourced through the working mind but never through the
thinking mind which has a reactive character. The world of cause and
effect is the occupation of the thinking mind.

Take this as you will.

2012-05-13

Addendum to "A Radical View of Personal Development"

Is the answer out there, or, is it already available to you but you are not aware of it?

Why does one try to achieve something, anything, beyond the necessary things in life?

When is enough, enough?

Why do people feel that it is important to compare oneself to anything or anybody?

  • one’s standing in life
  • one’s abilities
  • one’s income
  • one’s wealth or lack of it
  • one’s health or lack of it
  • one’s good fortune or lack of it
Why should it even matter?

If Personal Development has any importance or meaning at all then it is in the direction of helping one to see your own misunderstandings, shortcomings, and how they relate to others, and life.

So it all boils down to “Who are you”?
Not the “defined”, conditioned you. That, you have to realize before you can proceed any further.
But, who are you beyond the obvious?

If Personal Development interests you at all,
then the above questions must not escape your careful attention.

2012-03-28

= A Radical View of Personal Development =

The term "Personal Development" has been around for a while.
I suppose most people have a general idea of what it refers to.
Very technical definitions turn most people off, since they do not really care what it means, but what it can do for them.

Often the term "Personal Development" is used quite loosely. Then there are various facets of PD such as building specific skills like:

  • communicating via public speaking
  • conveying ideas clearly through writing
  • improving one's character traits to interact with more appeal in the "business world"
  • overcoming some personal inhibition - relating to others with an open mind
  • learning how to present ideas from an appealing perspective
  • etc.
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Material such as how to become rich or how do to things better do not really fall under basic personal development.
These are more in the category of how to sell an idea.
It can be part of the activity one brings into one's personal development, but in themselves, the "how to"s do not actually develop a person, they merely 'add to' their knowledge base.

There might be some side effects in terms of developing character traits, or having more material to draw on in speeches etc.
Can you see anything more here?
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The radical view on personal development that came to mind goes something like this:

  • What if we were to understand personal development as an unveiling and enhancement of who we are?
  • Taking it from the other end. Who are we?  -at the core-in depth    -at the heart  -in essence?
  • We have been conditioned by environment, by circumstances, by society, to believe and accept our life situation in a certain way. That conditioning is always at the root of how we function in our relationship with the world (people, ideas, everything).
  • Can we unveil, uncover, gain an understanding to see beyond those conditioned limitations that affect our activity and performance in daily life?
  • Instead of chasing "cure-all"s, methods, formulas and the 'X' steps to success (which may work for a time, for some), can we see the truth of what our potential actually is?
  • If there is a natural ability or talent within us, how will we find it or 'see' it?
  • And then, how could we develop or enhance it?
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Personal Development
- The discovery and enhancement of who we are!

Are you waiting for someone else to define who you are?
Or, are you ready for the quest of discovering who you are?

  • Introspection, self-inquiry, relentless pursuit of the truth of oneself
  • These are all key elements of the radical view of personal development.
  • And then what will you find?
Will there be a sweetness to life that escapes one in the pursuit and struggle for such things as

  • "success as the world defines it"?
  • or 'making your mark'?
  • or to become "a somebody"?

You already are a somebody!

  • What do you really know of the powerful depth of being that is you?
  • Who will define you?
  • Who will discover your true potential?
You can look to others for examples, but in the end, you must see your place in the task of personal development.

It will not happen without your insight, without giving yourself over totally to finding out what the truth of yourself is.

What is personal development?   Who are you?
.