Impermanence and Fluid Creation (pt. 2)

　
Truth be told, changing one's self requires changing one's world views as well. Because clinging to our preconceptions of the world is the flip side of refusing to accept the reality of the impermanent and illusory nature of the considered self.

The yang side of our brains is geared to envision things as being stable and consistent. It feels more comfortable with the familiar. It's easier to plan, calculate and function when things are stable and consistent. It's really quite useful, but that stability needs to be taken with a grain of salt. Neither our lives, nor ourselves, are as stable as we'd like to imagine.

The yin side is fluid, adaptable and ready to flow with the changes of life, as they occur. It's creative and inventive, and thrives on dancing with the rhythms of the fluid world. It's equally useful to be adaptable, ingenuitive and able to think on ones feet.

Both need to be embraced. They function best when both work together in tandem. In order to facilitate this, we need to adopt a perspective outside of both realms. This is where the non-self, witness consciousness or higher self is necessary. When we can sit outside of both processes, seeing the value each offers and reap the best offerings of the two, we become our optimal selves.

Ideally, living is a continuing process of personal creation and evolution. Our attention is the breath of life for all our inner actions and manifestations, which ultimately drive all of our outer actions and manifestations; thereby, determining what contributions we make to the global community and what legacies we leave in our wakes.

There's no enforcement agency to keep tabs on us, no possibility of finding a permanent perfect state and no universally right way to be. The only real issue of contention is a lack of awareness and oversight, which leads to arbitrary and habitual states of mind, and the ensuing cacophony that's the primary source of all stress, divisiveness and discontent.

There's a slew of schools, teachers, techniques and philosophies available to help guide one along the way (some worthy, some not); but ultimately, it's up to each individual to do the work on themselves for themselves.

As ever-evolving beings, we will always need diligent attention and continuous adjustment, if we wish to live, and influence our world, deliberately. To begin to intentionally compose one's self requires an on-going practice of finding and refining the connection to, or sense of Self. To clarify; here "self" refers to the conceptual self, and "Self" refers to the more ethereal experience of feeling and embodying the untainted, deeply connected and ever expansive presence, that accompanies our bodies and brains throughout their brief journeys in this life. There are many avenues on which to begin the journey of Self discovery, but the only path that actually reaches the ultimate destination of living in the present, is meditation - in conjunction with study and contemplation.

There's no intrinsic moral mandate to walk this path. Obviously, folks can travel from beginning to end in this odyssey of life without ever taking conscious charge of their attitudes and actions. Truth be told, most people sleep walk through their entire lives, completely unaware that they are doing so.

It is, indeed, of great benefit to the individual to trade in the idea of self for the sense of Self. But seeing the bigger picture also yields the realization of our kinship with the rest of existence - bringing a fuller feeling of involvement with and connection to all else. This feeling of oneness with the greater world automatically begins to alter priorities, attitudes and actions. Then, living is no longer solely about serving our own needs (immediate or long term) but equally, about tending to the needs of everyone and everything within our capacity.

This is another notion that a great many will baulk at, not understanding that it's in one's best interest to shift focus and energy elsewhere. It's been said globally across the generations that "As ye sow, so shall ye reap." Give of yourself to others and the world will find a way to give back to you. It may come from another source all together and it may happen after some delay, but it certainly seems to be the way it works.

Note: Intention being as important as attention, doing for others for personal gain is not the same as giving freely for the sake of benefitting others. For many, it's necessary to begin with a "fake it till you make it" approach, and this is just fine, really. It's how we begin any change. First we imagine it, then we move in the right direction, then we manifest the change. But in the personal evolutionary process, we have to monitor and refine our intentions, so that positive action comes naturally, rather than out of a conflicting sense of imposed obligation.

There is no inherent right or wrong, no grand plan to execute, no supposed to or meant to be - only cause and effect. Nor is there any great arbiter of the universe to punish or reward according to intrinsic morality, no one right view or truth, not even familial obligations beyond those we accept or impose upon ourselves.

Further, living strictly in accordance with a fixed code or set of prescribed regulations is disempowering - another facet of auto pilot programming. True, many golden rules spell out what actions lead to desirable and/or undesirable consequences, and using these as guidelines is not a problem, provided it doesn't become habituated and dogmatic.

I hope this doesn't all feel too weighty. It may sound like an enormous undertaking, and it may require a significant change in the way you see things and the way you operate in daily life. But it's just a home coming - it should feel good and right. And it's really quite simple.

Living in a world within our minds can become such a familiar way of functioning, that the work required to hold the illusion together feels perfectly normal. Living in the moment is so much lighter and happier. Once conscious living becomes the norm, life is seen simply as what it is. All the "problems" that we perceived before are seen without the personal bias. And the joy of basking in a beautiful day or hearing good music and children's laughter is more vivid without the distraction of all that mental banter.

This isn't just a goal for ascetics living in caves. It's a birthright for us all. It's the way we all want to feel - the world we all long to live in. Anyone can do it. Just stop getting in the way and let it be. It's already here, eagerly awaiting your awakening.

All it takes is earnest desire, dedicated commitment and whole hearted openness to your own evolution. What do you have to lose - besides some old erroneous notions? Come on, step into the flow, the water's perfect.