It is indeed a marvellous thing isn’t it? Humanity’s ability to understand and control instincts. No other animal fasts. No other animal withholds sexual energy. That sets us apart from other animals but we have something much greater, the gift of imagination. To quote Leon MacLaren “please lend me your imagination and allow me to present a hypothesis”.
Imagine that everything you see is only an extension of your own mind, of your own consciousness. That it is all created; that the YouTube videos you never clicked on, don’t exist; that the people you cut off your life, stopped existing; that new people come into existence when needed, to teach you the lessons you need to learn; and that you’re part of consciousness itself, evolving and getting to know itself.
Then everything coming from another is really coming from yourself, only through a different embodiement. Imagine that separation is only experienced because we are compressed into a flesh body, that needs to feed and is fragile, and that it is all part of the lesson. A lesson that must end, only we never know when.
If you can go further, try imagine that when you die, it is not you that disappears, but everthing else. Everything is your mind’s creation, the dead bodies you might even have seen in person and your beloved family, that there will be no one to read your diary or suicide note, or to lament the money you never paid back; and it will all be gone.
These two mindsets put together allow one not only to enjoy life more on the certainty that it is not forever even if reality is just a trap in the realm of time, but also serve as a tool to deal with ego. When we meet someone smarter than us, it is only an extension of our conciousness bringing us the answers that we need and don’t have to spend 20 years studying, the answer is there when we need it; when we hear criticism of some sort, we understand that it is us identifying points of improvement, from an extension of ourselves; people who abuse us are a lesson of assertiveness, winning is a lesson of humility, and losing battles is a lesson of perseverance and endurance.
If the body is primate, then if anything, the process of self-control begins with controlling one’s own instincts, and aiming for a harmonious existence in nature; this could involve many practices such as meditation, fasting, physical exercise and sexual abstinence. The next natural step then, is to connect meaningfully, and with other humans it begins with having the other’s best interest at heart at all times, and always openly speaking the truth.
This concept can be applied in your work environment through self discovery. For example, we get questioned and challenged everyday at our work places and this sometimes leads to either conflict or growth. But what if it could all be growth based on the fact that we are all in a network that has the necessary tools to elevate those that dare to interpret reality in a more objective manner.
When there is an employee that picks on you, then that is an opportunity to learn how to deal with uncomfortable situations, or if someone keeps correcting you when you know you are right. That is another opportunity to dicsern what is right and wrong and not be moved by the waves of commonality.
Thus, challenging oneself to evolve and take hold of one’s imagination is the key to evolution and the gate to a new and better tomorrow where we all respect and understand each other in spite of race, class, gender or personal beliefs and choices.
#Dare to Imagine.