Just One Look Forum Archives

Last night, I had some "insight" that I want to share. It is currently helpul for me, I think it could be for others as well. But in any case I am curious to learn about your comments if you feel like dropping one. As John explained - most clearly in his blog entry: "the mind" - the mind is where the experience of the world and it's evaluation happens. I realized my mind constantly tried to find or build an unknown and non-existant reference, or standard - a great blueprint of one own's, and life in general. This is a big stress, source for anxiety, and distortion of reality, and I believe it is a common human belief that such a standard DOES exist, although nobody knows it. At best, one can could get some fleeting glimpse at it. With the looking one realises (in the sense of "knowing", not "deducing from evidence") that such a reference does not exist, it is crazy to assume there is some unknown truth that threatens or validies every thought and experience in the mind. It is useless to compare and evaluate each and every experience to build the great masterpiece in the mind, to unlock meaning of one's own, or life in general. A greater meaning, a treasure that only a few heroes can find, does not exist. The experience of life in the mind is not lacking a "big" interpretation. So whatever happens in the human mind, no need to scan it, to constantly evaluate whether it conforms to a diffuse standard nobody knows.

Yes exactly and totally understandable that we would seek to escape this madness anyway that is available to us..I certainly did. This seeking has such a frantic momentum that perhaps the looking is just too simple a solution for most of us. I interact a lot with young children and adolescents and since there are many moments in conversation and education to interject this message I think it bypasses this tendency of the mind to evaluate everything in a complicated way. I can make simple statements, acknowledge their feelings and remind them "you are here". They feel a sense of relief that I am not over analyzing the situation and find their own solutions pretty quick ( self reliance).

Maureen, yes, you do what is so needed, thank you.

You mentioned: "This seeking has such a frantic momentum", and that is so true. It is exploited by many, actually by most leaders. A very low point was achieved by the Nazis or the Communists, and it always fascinated me how people whole heartedly, blindly followed these or any other ideologies. (I started studying history for these reason, but then stopped. Why studying madness to become sane.) Now I understand.