YATL posts and videos can be viewed freely here on this site. If you feel grateful for all that has been given and all you have received here, you are invited to give back.YATL posts and videos can be viewed freely here on this site. If you feel grateful for all that has been given and all you have received here, you are invited to give back.Spirituality Is Not About Being a Good Person
Category
Ego, Enlightenment, Healing, Love, Non-duality, Religion, Surrender
The idea of being a “good person” is just another false sense of self that we can buy into. Being a good person is not the point of spirituality, interestingly enough. It is not the goal. It’s not about being some superloving and compassionate saint. It’s about realizing who you really are. With this realization, you may find that you naturally become very loving and compassionate, just like the many others who have done so before throughout history, but that’s secondary. It’s not the primary focus. It’s a superficial change that tends to occur in the presence of the deeper inner realization.
One identity that I’ve been playing for a long time is being “a good person.” I was a good student in school, avoided getting in trouble, was a law-abiding citizen in life, and so on. There’s nothing wrong with any of this at all. It’s simply that none of these define who you are.
self-definition
If you stopped being “a good person,” would you cease to exist?
Well no, of course not. Then it’s not who you really are.
You are not a good person.
But what does the mind do when it hears the phrase, “You are not a good person?”
That’s right. It goes straight to its opposite. “If I’m not a good person, then that means I must be a bad person.”
But is that true? If you stopped playing the part of “bad person,” would you cease to exist?
Again, no. You are neither a good person nor a bad person. You are not definable along any part of the made-up spectrum between good and bad. In fact, you are not definable at all. You exist beyond duality.
Integrating the Dark and the Light
Inside you you have the potential to be a very dark person. A killer and a rapist.
Inside you you have the potential to be a very light person. A healer and a lover.
You have the potential to draw forth from any energy and play any part. You are ALL that is.
Getting stuck in being “a good person” is only half of the story. You are the good AND the bad. You are the light AND the dark. And yet you are neither for you are beyond both entirely.
With this comes the acceptance of the dark portions of yourself and the willingness to face everything and be anything if necessary, for it is all you. With this realization that the darkness is just as much a part of you as the light, any remaining unresolved darkness within may come rising to the surface to be released now that you have stopped repressing it. As it comes up, it’s almost saying, “Are you really willing to face me?”
You may experience fear, powerful emotion, tears, and even the feeling of dying, yet none of these experiences are you. You are the awareness which is witnessing these experiences.
As the darkness arises, it is accepted and loved as it is without being judged or asked to change and thus you are healed as you transmute the darkness directly into light with the Love of the Self. You become lighter. More enlightened. Filled with light.
This is about accepting yourself FULLY as you are, warts and all. It’s about being willing to look directly at all aspects of yourself without running away, no matter what. It’s the willingness to bare your soul and be who you truly are.
Accepting Others Unconditionally
The world we experience basically functions as a mirror to reflect back to us our own internal state of being. One interesting thing about accepting the darkness within yourself is that you find you automatically begin accepting the darkness within all others.
You’ll begin to drop the need for others to change in order for you to accept them. Thus your love flows ever more freely and unconditionally. You no longer hold back your Love for any reason. Your Love becomes truly unconditional.
Is Who You Are Actually Okay?
We have this deep dark fear that if we are who we really are, we won’t be acceptable.
Religions teach us that we are sinners by nature. Original sin, as it’s called. We need to do the right things and be the right person in order to (hopefully) get into heaven.
Advertisers tell us we aren’t good enough by default and need their products to make us better.
As little kids, we play naturally and those around us tell us “no” or “yes, good boy, good girl” as a way to get us to conform to their standards rather than be ourselves. We learn that we’re not acceptable as we are and need to change who we are to fit in and be loved, to be safe and secure and protected.
There’s this movement in our society today for self-improvement, often based upon the idea that we’re not good enough just the way we are and we need to become something or do something or achieve something to become valuable and worthy.
There’s this deep deep drive in our society to be a “better” person, whatever that means to us.
Fear of Surrender to our True Nature
There’s this fear that if we let go totally and just be ourselves, whoever we find ourselves to be, maybe we won’t be good enough. Maybe we’ll act out all those crazy thoughts that our mind thinks if we totally let go of control of resisting.
There’s the fear that our true nature is somehow evil and through surrender we will fall into the darkness, never to return.
Are you willing to find out? In the name of Truth and no longer living a lie, are you willing to be who you really are, at all costs?
Are you willing to face your own death? I’m not saying you need to want to die, but are you willing to face it? Are you willing to face the destruction of all sense of self? Are you willing to lose everything you’re now holding on to and think is real?
Are you willing to let go of being seen as a good person, as opposed to something else?
Are you willing to let go of ALL sense of identity and all beloved sense of self and dive straight into the unknown?
Are you willing to sit here, not knowing, not trying to figure out, not trying to fix it, and not trying to get anywhere to escape who you are?
Are you willing to just be?
Continued Discussion | 2 Forum Comments_______________________________________________________________________________________
If you enjoyed this article, subscribe to updates via RSS, Twitter or email to receive fresh content free of charge.
This site is supported by your generous donations. If this site has provided you with value, consider donating as a way of expressing your appreciation. =)
Print This Article
Related Posts
38 Responses to “Spirituality Is Not About Being a Good Person”
Comment on the Forums
Blog comments are now closed. You may continue this discussion in the Forums by following the link below.
Continued Discussion | 2 Forum Comments
Read Ariel's responses to questions about:
Subscribe to Updates
Eckhart Tolle had a quote: “Your thoughts are not spiritual- your still consciousness is spiritual. Spirituality is your stillness not your beliefs / a spiritual dimension-state of consciousness-beliefs are not spiritual- only to point to the stillness – heaven right in the midst of you-Heaven does not come with signs to be observed-it is within you.”
The journey of discovery about one’s true nature is revelatory in that it spotlights all that is about the consciousness one takes themselves to be. Always good to visit YATL because you bring up so many excellent points about discovering, seeking, letting it go and just ‘being’. Although quotes like Eckhart Tolles’ are helpful and useful use as pointers, it is up to our true Self to discover what we are not and then to see how we are connected to the One consciousness.
One Love
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:06 am
That Eckhart quote is a great start. Ultimately EVERYTHING is spiritual, including fear and hate and resistance and even our own thoughts. Nothing is demonized or rejected for ALL is Divine. All is consciousness, including that which arises within consciousness such as thought.
But yes, the context of what Eckhart was pointing to in his quote is precisely what you said, Psiplex. “The journey of discovery about one’s true nature is revelatory in that it spotlights all that is about the consciousness one takes themselves to be.”
im not sure if spirituality was the goal for the movement of zeitgeist but, on there website they talk about how is not its not nesscary to define yourself as good or bad.
–If you wish to visit the website, there are movies you can watch to better inform of you of the movement.(Caution: not for the faint of heart)
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:00 am
Zeitgeist, ehh, some good eye-opening stuff in there, but the overall vibe doesn’t particularly resonate with me very much…
(Though I see it still does to some degree given that you posted about it here.)
Hey Ariel,
Well said! It is another the straight talk. In the name of spiritulaity ‘all’ the religions teaches being a good person.
I recall the story of Mao. When his mother went for some days trip away, asked him to take care of flower. What Mao did is very interesting. He washed the leaves and the petals with great passion. Within a day the whole flower became pale. he surprised, how could it be possible inspite of such care! He didnot know then the caring meant to be watering to the root.
Trying to be good person means to washing the leaves and flower rather than the watering to ‘root’.
With Love
The Journey Withins last blog post..The Best Spiritual Teachers
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:01 am
That’s a great story, Netra. The idea of being a good person, while well-intentioned, is still a bit superficial. Truth is going straight for the roots of who you are, beneath appearances.
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:03 am
It is by no chance that I came by today and saw the perfect article for me.
By the way Ariel … I saw that you had another link on FB and popped by the other day. Wow … I mean, WOW! Those photos are gorgeous!
Irene | Light Beckonss last blog post..Buzz Buzz
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 1:02 am
Thank you Irene. One of my other loves.
Accepting and embracing our true divine feminine energy – regardless of if we’re male or female – creates within us a desire to be ‘good’ because we feel the love we have for others… not because someone told us that we are ‘unworthy’ if we don’t behave ‘good’, but because it is an intrinsic desire. Religion, and certain spiritual ‘paths’ have tried to ‘teach’ this as the way you ‘should’ be… however it can only be attained if you stop trying and believing you ‘should’, and just allow yourself to be. When you trust and accept and love yourself exactly as you are then this compassion will consequently be felt for others as well. When we’re told to be ‘good’ it gives the impression that we’re not… ’cause we’re being told to be :-)… so this creates an internal conflict of assuming we must be ‘bad’, or we wouldn’t be being told to be ‘good’… So yah, helping others to know that we are intrinsicly ‘good’ is best attainted by not praising people, or using words to condition them to what you believe to be ‘worth approving of’… if we just trust and allow people to be, observing and making owning statements if we so desire – but not praising – society will start looking inward for value instead of relying on external validation. This in turn excellerates the journey of discovering self-love, and then love-for-others, thereby creating a person who is truly ‘good’… because they then view all as an extension of themselves rather than feeling guilt/fear/grief because of something they ‘should’ do, but don’t really feel. The secret is in the FEELING… and it must come from within :-)
Love and blessings,
-Wendy
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 3:45 am
Beautifully put, Wendy. I loved the part about not actually praising people, but allowing them to be. It’s more like loving, accepting, allowing, and appreciating others as they are, rather than feeding them treats to boost their egos.
It’s a pretty radical shift from how people traditionally relate to one another…
“Excellerates” heh, cool.
Marko Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
Wendy/Ariel,
Ah, you sound like praising is a bad thing or not well serving. I disagree.
You can over praise or under praise, both serve only to show imbalance.
I get it that we need to grow more toward self validation without the need for it outside of ourselves to gain good self worth. However, we are also the outside as well. That is, if we are all one, we are the others too.
So getting validation outside ourselves is valid and fine, useful and desired. It’s still self validation.
To need no validation outside ourselves to me is dysfunctional individualism, arrogance and ego run amok. Just as needing constant validation is a dysfunctional imbalance.
Acceptance is also praise in the right perspective that is, beneficial and serving our higher more desirable visions, for ourselves and other.
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
Ah Marko, context, not content.
It’s not that praise itself is good or bad. The question is whether or not the energy of the words are arising from a sense of awakening the Self or reinforcing the illusion.
We all know praise feels wonderful. It helps with behavior modification, raising self-esteem, and all sorts of things. There’s many wonderful qualities of praise.
When it comes to realizing the Truth which is the context of this website, loading people up with beliefs, even if they’re “better” beliefs such as “you are wonderful,” well… it’s kinda missing the mark. Even praise must be let go of, attachment to it and need for it anyways.
To receive praise and validation from outside is WONDERFUL! …unless it’s not. I love all forms of Love, whether from within or without.
DEPENDING on external validation for one’s self worth, that’s a different story.
Of course anything one says can be used to strengthen the false sense of self or help let it go. It is always up to the recipient how it is received. It is out of the speakers’ hands and beyond their control.
It’s funny to say things like “praise is good” or “praise is bad” because the reality is that it is BOTH and NEITHER.
EVERYTHING we say is true and simultaneously NOTHING we say is true. Non-duality.
Every point that we can make can always be validated or invalidated.
Thus the necessity of looking at context arises, not just focusing on the words themselves, the content.
My question to you is what is wrong with needing no validating outside yourself? Needing it and not needing it are both an imbalance, the way I understand what you’re saying. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.
Marko Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 2:10 pm
“My question to you is what is wrong with needing no validating outside yourself? Needing it and not needing it are both an imbalance, the way I understand what you’re saying. Damned if you do, damned if you don’t.”
Your are assuming, in this particular instance, that those outside of ourselves are not part of us or are us?
Because if we are all one, that which appears and seems as outside of us as other people events situations, is Us as well. Therefore, validation outside us from others is really still really validation from us.
It’s appears outside of ourselves, but really isn’t, that is, in the big picture, there is only one of us.
I’m being technical here. All validation then, is from within. In the larger picture even when it appears as being outside of ourselves, expressed as others, it’s really us appearing as the other reflecting back to us.
Technically we are both right, but the nuance is different. It’s very healthy not to need outside validation as I think you mean it. Yet since we are more than our bodies and our own self concepts, that is, we are the world as well and even the Universe.
Nothing is truly outside of us, yet we can at this time experience things as outside, as duality as part of the human experience and contrast.
We appear separate, even when we theoretically are not. At some point we will decide and choose not to experience that separateness. Yet before we do that, I’m guessing we will delight in being able to do both at the same time and go back a forth to greater degrees based on what we desire to experience. Does that help?/Make sense?
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 3:02 pm
Ah, this is getting a little too heady for me Marko.. starting to hurt my brain.
“We appear separate, even when we theoretically are not.”
Theoretically? What?
At this point, silence is the only thing that actually makes any real sense to me…
hmmm
Marko Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 3:27 pm
Oh it’s not so heady my friend. We know in truth that we are all one. That is our theory that we are basing this on at this moment. However, we are not always able to demonstrate our theory that we are all one. We are working and playing toward that end it would seem.
So in truth we are not separate but one. Our human experience can and may say otherwise.
Silence is great, but the world we live in is more than silence, but by silence we often mean, quiet brain activity and that’s a nice place to be for sure.
Sometimes this stuff gets a little much, I get that too.
So we can light heartedly go about being and doing what gives us the most joy at this
given moment.
Very timely post for me! I am currently trying to work through a lot of darkness that I have found within myself. I’ve been feeling really bad because I haven’t been as “good” as I think I should be. This post has made me think that maybe I shouldn’t try so hard to erase the “dark” parts of my personality, but to face them and accept them. I wonder, though. how exactly do I get started? Simply by acknowledging them, and then telling myself that they’re a natural part of myself?
Jay Schryers last blog post..The Glory of Love
Ismaelia Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Jay,
I completely agree with julie and might add to simply look at the dark aspects of yourself as they arise.There is no need to understand them or explain them or tell yourself any thing about them. There is no need to change them, only to look at them in non-judgment and as much acceptance as you can at this point in time. If you can not fully accept some aspect of yourself right now then accept that you are unable to accept that aspect right now. It’s ok. All is meant to be. All has a purpose as Julie said. That is ALL you need to do.
Ego may want to make more of the process. Emotions may arise. Anything that arises is meant to and is necessary to your growth.Just keep looking at whatever arises. All is well! As Ariel says, underneath it all is nothing but love.
Well, that is how I see it now and what currently works for me. It may or may not be helpful to you. At any rate, awareness desires to express this to you through me. So be it.
lots of love.
This is exactly what i needed to hear now. What a great post, as always. Thank you very much Ariel!
Jay,
In order to evolve, and prepare ourselves for this exact time here on planet Earth we have all chosen to live out the behaviors of what society labels as ‘good’ or ‘bad’, ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ etc… when in truth it has all been chosen by us as part of the greater plan to now assist in our planetary ascension process. So… when we’re willing to go deep enough, when our higher-self knows we’re ready, we become aware more consciously of the times/events when we played on ‘the dark side’. Accept this, forgive yourself, LOVE… there has always been purpose to everything :-) so that you may now rise up and know that you are worthy, no matter how you act, just ’cause you’re you… and the past has served you and others as the glorious foundation for evolution — soul growth. Woo-hoo… as Ariel would say :-)
Ariel, my friend, I meant to say accelerates :-)… although now I see the humor in it being ‘excellent’ hee-hee. There truly are no mistakes, are there?
Much love,
-Wendy
You are right, spirituality is not about being a good person. One Indian avatar said that spiritual arrogance was the worst kind of arrogance to have. In my experience, I have found that to be true. I have seen people compete whether it has to do with meditation or the amount of books read. It kind of sad to observe.
You are right about the importance of accepting yourself as you are and doing that inner work. It is one of the best things a person can do in life. Because when a person is at peace with themselves, they can be at peace when dealing with the world and that is one way of spreading peace.
Nadia – Happy Lotuss last blog post..How To Be Green Without Spending Too Much Money: An Interview with Renée Loux
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 5:25 pm
Spiritual arrogance, yeah. Yet another sneaky little ego trap. I’ll admit I’ve been caught in that one before!
Humility really does seem to be much more in alignment with one’s true nature as the ego subsides.
I love what you said about being at peace with ourselves, Nadia.
I couldn’t agree more!
We tend to play the roles that get us the most acceptance in life, it’s what we do. We have light and darkness in us. Many different religions make you feel unworthy if you don’t measure up to a specific standard, which actually affects the way one feels about themself. You find yourself striving instead of being!
If we were taught to be a specific way, we will strive to be that even if it is not what we want because we were taught that this was who you had to be loved and acceptable.
We all just want to be loved and accepted and also be able to love others back as well.
I find it interesting that we naturally learn how to get along and create the most harmonious moments with each other by just experiencing existence. No rules…just living!
I think that if we focused more on loving ourselved and others instead of right and wrong that this place would be even lovlier.
Lissas last blog post..
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 5:27 pm
Oh, fo sho Lissa!
Ariel, I love your article so much that I twittered and facebooked about it. It was lovely to read a great piece of gems first thing in the morning!
Oh, by the way, I accept every bit of dysfunction in me. I can be pretty cranky at times…LOL!! But in every imperfection, there is perfection.
Have a great weekend!
Evelyn Lims last blog post..My Personal Creed
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:18 pm
lol, thank you so much for the plugs, Evelyn. I really appreciate it.
And I LOVE the fact that you’re accepting yourself fully as you are. Love Love Love!
From the Tao te ching:
“When the Tao is lost, there is goodness.
When goodness is lost, there is morality.
When morality is lost, there is ritual.
Ritual is the husk of true faith,
the beginning of chaos.
Therefore the Master concerns himself
with the depths and not the surface,
with the fruit and not the flower.
He has no will of his own.
He dwells in reality,
and lets all illusions go.”
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 13th, 2009 at 9:25 pm
What a beautiful and perfectly fitting passage, Florian. Thank you for sharing that with us! I really resonate with its message.
Yes, this passage has been on my mind for a few days now, I just waited for an occasion to finally post it, lol
“There’s this movement in our society today for self-improvement, often based upon the idea that we’re not good enough just the way we are and we need to become something or do something or achieve something to become valuable and worthy.”
Well that’s one way, but I would tend to see self improvement as a way out of the Matrix of hypnotic conditioned codified collective consciousness that no longer serves us in any real beneficial way.
Being a good person on a more spiritual level is really more about self acceptance. Self acceptance does not mean you don’t need, desire or want improvement. It just means your self esteem is not based on it. That is, wanting to be a better person can mean you have self acceptance and improving yourself is a way to expand that even more.
“There’s this fear that if we let go totally and just be ourselves, whoever we find ourselves to be, maybe we won’t be good enough. Maybe we’ll act out all those crazy thoughts that our mind thinks if we totally let go of control of resisting.”
I get this. However, if you have self defeating or dysfunctional behaviors or addictions that are very severe and that don’t serve your or others higher good. So to total let go or give in, sometimes leads to excess and it’s opposite. But I’m sure you get that.
“Are you willing to just be?’
Good question, but just “being” is not the end all to the human experience. It seems to be a very well serving beneficial question to consider for many right now, especially in this fast moving society with its waves of distractions, conflicts and obsessions in the modern world.
But it’s more than being. It’s acting on that being to have the experience of whatever it was, that we desire to be.
I was “just being” last night swimming, doing pool laps and feeling connected to our cat 10 miles away in our house. (I tend to think animals are “just being” by design and by nature.) I was so at peace, so, in the flow of the moment, I knew this is what I’ve been desiring to manifest even if just for several minutes or a 1/2 hour or so. What a great state to be in often.
Yet, there are many wONEderful states to be and choose from. Drinking wine with friends in great conversation, laughing, having fun, listening to music and enjoying life is just another. To me that too is just being in another way no?
Of course as always, great stuff, Great job! Ariel, really dig it.
I also thought of something else really cool, but even When that guy in the bible said to Jesus “Good teacher, what does it take to inherit the kindom of heaven.” And Jesus said “Why do you call me good?” Heehee…love it.
Evelyn- that was the cutest thing ever…We all can get crabby…every single one of us…pretty cute.
Marco- you know I’ve done alot of thinking on that whole addiction thing and this is what I have came up with:
I think the whole idea of an addiction is an misnomer…its only an addiction if you label it such.
My opinion is the ego develops and creates such a need for the label of something called an addiction because they are not subconsciously allowing themselves to have it.
It’s actually the thought behind addiction…such as…”I can’t have alcohol…it’s bad or a sin or wrong”…..that turns it into an addiction…it’s a constant “I can’t” or “this is wrong”…when really the person just wants to be able to have a drink without condemning them self…but they won’t allow it so it turns into this massive dramatic internal fight of “I want to”…”but I can’t.” Drama…ego.
What I am trying to say is there is no such thing as an addiction…the addiction is actually the dramatic internal fight that does not allow itself to just be.
It turns into excess when one tells them self “no” because of the internal fight. The ones who don’t judge themselves for a specific addictive pattern “action” tend to be balanced with it…”it’s just a beer” they say…they have a couple and it’s over with. There no over the top guilt trips and over-indulgence involved. This goes along in high school and college where you are experimenting and it’s taboo and you have kids puking their guts out…why? Because it’s not allowed…”No”. When the kids get older they have had enough because they are able to have it now and the NOness and the newness wears off.
We all go through many many cycles in our lives and it’s beautiful to embrace them all.
This goes along with any thing one would label an addiction. It’s all about being and saying Yes to the moment and what you want!
Marco, I am wondering if what you meant is that praise feels good.
Some people may grow up in a home that is rather on the negative side….lacking in positive reinforcement and strong in the negative labels. This type of child or adult may feel very unloved and still is searching for that loving, stable positive reinforcement that they did not recieve as a child…they feel deficient in that. So that person may still feel the need for praise and acceptence from the external world, and find themself searching for and performing to recieve it.
I think the cool things is when people find that we can be that person for ourselves…and we will never leave our side…that we are capable to love ourselves even if we did not recieve it as a child.
Here is an awesome quote to back that up:
“Feeling like someone special because others or events have lifted you is like living in a sandcastle that was built for you at water’s edge.”
I think basically what that quote is saying is that life is going to be pretty pooish if we rely on feeling good about ourself based on what anyone thinks of us.
The thing to know is you can love you and that you are loveable no matter what.
Once again…Thanks Ariel….this one really Rocks the House!
Lissas last blog post..Well it’s been awhile….
Marko Reply:
March 14th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Lissa, you said “I think the whole idea of an addiction is an misnomer…its only an addiction if you label it such.”
To me there is a difference between addiction and preference. We become uneasy, uncomfortable without our addiction be it drugs, tv, sex, blogs etc. While preferences are greatly desired but not necessary for our happiness to continue.
There is also chemical and or bio chemical addiction like drugs/alcohol and there is psychological addiction. You seem to be talking about addiction resulting from guilt of some sort that leads to unhealthy exaggeration, as opposed to the “it’s just a beer” they say…they have a couple and it’s over with. There no over the top guilt trips and over-indulgence involved.” Where it not an addiction at all, it’s a preference.
You further said “What I am trying to say is there is no such thing as an addiction…the addiction is actually the dramatic internal fight that does not allow itself to just be.”
I think this is a good but also somewhat shaky point when you don’t “qualify” that there are different degrees and kinds of addiction (chemical, psychological etc.) and the concepts of things like “soft addictions” i.e. spending lots of time on the computer instead of doing other things you really want to do.
“We all go through many many cycles in our lives and it’s beautiful to embrace them all.”
Yes
When you said
“I think the cool things is when people find that we can be that person for ourselves…and we will never leave our side…that we are capable to love ourselves even if we did not recieve it as a child.” I would agree, we need to learn to give the love and validation we wished we’d had or gotten from others.
When we give it to ourselves, people we continue to give back as well and we will give it back to them.
“The thing to know is you can love you and that you are loveable no matter what.”
Yes Lissa.
That is the place we are working and playing to be and stay in. It’s sometimes a solid place that we can stay without question. Other times however, our human vulnerability can move us out of it, and being ok and loving ourselves when that happens is still progress and a good thing in my book.
Marco-
I would say that there would be some truth to what you are saying but I’m not clear on what your situation is.
If chemical addiction is your only challenge then just stay away for a week or so and then you will be away from it. When I go from cooked foods to all raw foods there is a period of time where leftover artificial chemicals tempt me….
but if chemicals is your only challenge then I would say you have it made because that is easy to overcome.
Water, water…and more water really helps with any form of cleansing process.
The deeper issue in all this is there does tend to be an emotional component to it…
that one could maybe using food or alcohol as a way to avoid stuff that is coming up presently.
I have other concepts and ideas but it’s alot of info to put on a blog comment…such as their may be some nutritional deficiencies that can cause a person to stay hooked on something…like I’ve heard that alcoholics are B vitamin deficient. If you are ever interested in that type of info I’d be glad to share it with you.
We all just have to keep our heady head up.
About that oneness thing…Rome wasn’t built in a day….and we have been living this illusion of separation for some time now….so a transition like that takes time….for all of us!
For me, loving me helps me to love others, plus it helps them to love them….when we are all loved and well cared for we naturally work together better as a team.
Peace and have an amazing weekend Marco!!
Lissas last blog post..Well it’s been awhile….
Marko Reply:
March 15th, 2009 at 2:52 am
Lissa, I was not talking about myself, just pointing out that there are different forms of addiction and some are psychological like feeling your addicted to pot when it’s more psychological is different than heroine which to me is more chemical and can have painful with drawls etc. It’s all mental and emotionally connected.
There all always exceptions to these things and different treatments. I’m no expert on this matter and have never been addicted to anything in my life that I know of. Though I’m sure I have some soft addictions like spending to much time on the computer!
I try not to take much of this too seriously or take life too seriously.
I try to be lite and light-hearted about life.
There are exceptions though, I take emergencies, illness, emotional and physical pain seriously. The reason we sometimes have them is because sometimes, (not always) we are over serious about ourselves and life and that’s what causes pain.
Somethings are worth being serious over to some degree, much of it not. But that’s just my opinion at nearly 2:00am in the morning:-)
Lissa Reply:
March 15th, 2009 at 3:21 am
Marco- Whoah! Well that makes sense now..that sure was was confusing huh?!?!?!
All is well then.
I think alot of us have a love of the computer.
Lissas last blog post..Well it’s been awhile….
i have been tuned to lead a life which is need based, i.e. struggle for existence to a certain extent. In the process, i have been doing & am tackling matters, financially and otherwise, in the manner my father did; which was trying to keep all controls within the self. Today i have started to understand that all these were fear borne, but finding it hard to bring it to the realm of realization and dissolve it. i feel i am stuck up. i am practicing exercises, pranayams, early stages of meditations, reading your articles and other teachings.
i am inclined to come out of these blocks and lead a pure life spiritually in the realm of Oneness.
Would you help me ?
Ariel Bravy Reply:
March 15th, 2009 at 3:53 am
Hey Chandan,
Sounds like your life has helped lead you perfectly to the point where you are now. It’s all played a role.
As helpful as they have all been thus far in getting you here, what would happen if you let go of all the exercises and all the effort to get anywhere other than where you are now?
What’s here when you stop seeking? What’s here when you allow everything that’s here to be here, including stuckness or non-stuckness, meditation or non-meditation, pranayama or no pranayama?