“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts.
With our thoughts, we make the world." - Buddha
I've had multiple incidents lately with various people that have just left me feeling kind of "bleh". If I know the truth, and you know the truth, then why bullshit me? Do you think you're ego can't take it? Do you think mine can't? Word of advice... I plan on seeing the sun rise tomorrow... so just go ahead and be real with me. I will deal with it because I MUST.
I've gotten to the point where the words coming out of someones mouth mean nothing to me unless their character backs it up. It as if... if you want to know the true meaning behind something you must take someones words, compare those words to their actions, and only then can you really ascertain the true meaning.
The worst... I mean WORST thing about it is... most people have been so full of their own bullshit for so long that they've forgotten how to wipe properly. I'm not immune to this, but, I can honestly say I actively try wipe myself once in a while.
Seriously though, just be real. If you want to tell me I'm a jerk, then do it. If you think I'm a sexy beast, then say it. If you think I'm ignorant, dumb, a genius, wierd, etc... then JUST SAY IT. What really stinks is you can't force someone to do this. Yup, free will ... its a butt kicker. All you can do is sit back and hope that a miracle happens.
I think I just find this whole thing annoying because it is just a waste of time really. It's wasting my time... and your time. Honestly, if were just going to sit around and toss sarcasms, lies, games, fluff, bullcrap, ignorance, and everything else that shields the truth then whats the point? Do people really think they can have lasting relationships under those terms? It's no surprise that 50% of all marriages these days end in divorce. I'm going to take that statistic one step further:
If you can't communicate with yourself properly... then you certainly wont be able to with your husband/wife.
If you can't communicate with your husband/wife... then you certainly wont be able to with your friends.
If you can't communicate with your friends... then you certainly wont be able to with strangers.
If you can't communicate with strangers... then you have nothing.
So, the way I read that statistic above is that 50% of the people in this country are so full of bullshit that they are utterly and completely miserable because there is no truth in their lives. Being real is the only way forward in my opinion. And that starts with the self.
Here is a great movie scene that descibes some of my rant:
“Believe nothing, no matter where you read it, or who said it, no matter if I have said it, unless it agrees with your own reason and your own common sense.”
- Buddha
LIFE IS STRUGGLE WHICH HELP US PREPARE FOR WHAT IS TO COME
A buddy of mine at work was telling me about how his friend was talking to a priest. The friend said to the priest, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" The priest simply responded, "Because this isn't heaven." While I like the statement i think it could be better explained. Bad things don't happen. Events happen, and we as human beings love to attach meaning to those events. I remember reading about a guy that got hit by a drunk driver. What a terrible thing! Yet, while recovering at the hospitals the doctors found and removed a malignant tumor thereby saving the mans life. Praise the Lord! In that case, most would probably say getting hit by that drunk driver was a good thing. Get the point? Events happen and 'OUR LIFE' unfolds based on how we interpret those events.
It's only until recently that I have viewed God as the ultimate parent. If God was a parent that handed everything to us on a silver platter ... what then could we possibly learn? We would be weak. Life is struggle. And thats Gods way of strengthening us for what is to come.. The scene below is from the TV show LOST and it says pretty much the same thing:
SELF-INTEREST REIGNS ABOVE ALL
Everyones actions are dictated by feelings. Therefore, i belive everything people do is based off of self-interest. Please don't mix that with selfishness. Selfishness is being exclusively concerned with ones self without regards to others. It is merely self-interest with an evil twist. Cooperation is what i would describe as the ideal path. Cooperation is essentially helping yourself and helping others at the same time. The best of both worlds so to speak. The way i think of it is, "If what i do is good for me and everyone else... then it is ultimately the best choice." Below is a scene from the movie Coach Carter in which the young man recites a very famous quote by Marianne Williamson:
As we conquer our own fears and our own problems in what appears to be a purely selfish endeavor, somewhere along the way, our struggles have given hope to another. We all benefit individually, and as a whole.
PEOPLE ARE BLINDED BY THEMSELVES
I've been number one on this list a few times!
You... what is you? You are your interpretation of all the events of your life. The physical world you create around you is a projection of your internal self. That old saying, "You are the company you keep" is absolutely right. The people you hold close around you speak volumes to what you value and believe. How you dress, what you say, what car you drive, what you do for fun, etc. are all glimpses of you. Somewhere during your life an event happened in which you interpreted specific truths as to how things are and how you should be. If you saw a guy and a hot girl in a corvette you might believe that corvettes can score you a hot girl. Likewise, your view of what a hot girl is most likely has something to do with events you reasoned to believe certain things.
I like playing poker. It's actually taught me a lot of truths. One thing a lot of poker players will tell you is that it is easier to see what is going on in a hand between two people if you're sitting on the side watching. Yet, when you're the one in a hand... things get a little dicey. Why? Because we blind ourselves. We start wanting to believe things that aren't true even when the facts stipulate otherwise. We get in our own damn way! So, if you want a clear interpretation as to whether or not you migh be doing something dumb ... listen to a few people who are on the outside looking in and aren't blinded by their own emotions, needs, and desires. Try and get a clear perspective.
We are all victims of looking foolish because we can't break free of stupid beliefs that are obviously wrong (see the previous paragraph for reason). Common stuff:
You've traded your car in seven times in one year and opted for a better one each time. You're now 20 grand in the hole and things aren't better. What did you do... you did it again for the eith time. And guess what... things aren't better.
Twenty pounds of muscle will get me where i want to be and ill be satisfied. Nope... hmm... lets do ten more... nope. WTF?
I'm going to win back my money this time playing blackjack. Nope... sucker. This time im going to win it back! Nope... sucker.
I need a line of coke because i feel like crap. 10-4 ... here you go. 2 hours later ... i need a line of coke ...i feel like crap.
Those shoes will make me the coolest kid at school. Yup... just like snorting that line of coke will make you uber cool and feel ultra great.
Dude... this time its different with this girl! Where did you meet her? Same place as the last one! What does she like to do? Same things as the last one! No bro... she's different! Okie-dokie
My point is. We're all suckers because we all have sucker belief structures to a certain degree. And the only way to make progress is to constantly question them. All the bullet points above stem from corrupted deeper beliefs. Nothing I write in my blog that comes from my mind is without question. I question all of it all the time. The scene below is from a famous movie and the deeper meaning behind it is what i love. There are two key lines that i think are really important... one at the start and one at the end of the clip.
"You must unlearn what you have learned." - Yoda
"Luke: I don't believe it! Yoda: That is why you fail."
If what you're doing isn't making life better then the beliefs you've grown up with are corrupted and you must unlearn what you have learned. Finally, if you don't believe in yourself, if you can't take the risk, conquer your fear, or take a leap of faith...well... then you have failed before you've begun. If you can't commit with you're whole body and mind then it is also pointless. As Yoda says (its actually a buddhist teaching), "Try not! Do, or do not! There is no try!"
