I suppose it is only natural that people want to be comfortable, safe, and free of suffering. It seems today that the effort is only aimed at the so-called “creature comforts”—physical suffering, physical difficulty, and the fear of disease and death. Although people may complain about things like “meaning” and “purpose,” they don’t seem to put forth much effort in satisfying those primal drives. At least not so much that I am aware of as a practicing psychotherapist.
Lovely! But I would qualify the "consciousness of the intellect". Most people only function at the level of their gonads - eating, sleeping, excreting, engaging in intercourse. And if that goes smoothly, with as little effort as possible, then 'life is good'. A few have some consciousness of the emotions beyond this consciousness of the body, primarily with relationships, but, again, if it smooth and requires no effort and causes no physico-emotional upset, 'life is good'. There are a few who actually grasp something greater with a consciousness of the intellect, but they stop far, far short of getting anywhere remotely significant enough to provide anything more beyond the comforts already cited. And there are a very, very rare few who relentlessly pursue the consciousness of the intellect to its natural end (or beginning, depending on how you perceive it), which is the same as that end of what you term the consciousness of the heart, i.e. revelatory awareness/understanding/experience of the source of all being, and of all heart and mind, and within that, of the inescapable interconnectedness of all that is ( ... and is not, and neither is or is not, if you're into Zen). I think, therefore, that to downplay the consciousness of the intellect is a mistake.
Most people who are smart just aren't smart enough, or they are slothful and refuse to follow through, without ego getting in the way and mucking it all up. That's akin to downplaying the capacity of the body by only looking at the average Joe - mildly overweight, with borderline high blood pressure, weak muscles and so-so coordination - and thinking that is all that can be, rather than looking at superb athletes or dancers at the peak of their lives doing the most AMAZING things that, sometimes, seem to defy physical laws. Similarly, a razor sharp intellect, uncompromisingly honed by great effort, can defy limitations, as can a heart that is bursting with the highest of virtues known to our kind.
Also, Jordan Peterson responded to a question as to why so many young men come to see him speak.
Freedom and liberties don’t necessarily bring happiness without meaning, and society doesn’t encourage anything beyond shallow pleasures. In life, storms always come along and if you are shallow you will be wrecked. He also talks about man needs religion, the Greeks knew this, and goes on to say if you think you don’t need God, good luck with that Bucko.
IMO the left is fostering and promoting the sensitivity to destroy our society. Remember, since Trump, the left claims words are violence and can be answered with actual physical violence. The alphabet people (LGBTQ-BIPOC) and specifically the transgender community have extreme hatred towards others and are often violent while projecting their anger hatred and violence on the rest of society
Hi Todd, a good part of the problem is so many people feel no connection to God or a higher power. They believe that they create all the good in their life and when that good doesn't happen (or at least, easily), they become a victim - it is someone else's fault whether because of their sex, race, income, etc. It all gets nauseating. Let's face it sometimes shitty things happen to us (rarely does anyone go unscathed); however, having faith to get through it holds a big part to the key of surviving it.
Arguably this is the first time in history that the world has lost touch with the sacred on such a scale... and it is the Divine and Nature that nurture our very being. Perhaps, the concrete jungle of urbanisation is also a contributing factor to weakening our psyche + all the 'retail therapy' (what a bastardization of the word, therapy) and comfort-seeking in the world cannot compare to the pure joy and spirit nourishment that is evoked by a sunrise or sunset, especially reflected over water or peeping through the trees; or the ghostly spectre of an early morning mist hanging over a field like delicately woven lace...
I haven't read "The Course in Miracles" but--my understanding is that it's person-centered--the person is manifesting reality. I kinda think the opposite is true.
I agree in your premise though--we are not at peace, we are not well.
How could we be? We are addicted to comfort.
The remedy for that, weirdly, seems to be embracing discomfort: allowing ourselves to be cold (shower), hungry(fasting), being hot(sauna). All things our ancestors dealt with. We are too thermal neutral, too bloated, too stuck indoors. Too soft.
And too stuck in our own heads.
I think of that line from Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" ---"You made me forget myself"
It used to be that a problem or challenge was an opportunity to work something thru maybe seek professional help , learn and “grow “ …… problems now seem to be a badge of honour!
By coincidence I was listening to Mere Christianity on audiobook this morning. The chapter was about how morality is about more than just trying not to offend or hurt others.
CS Lewis says that if we want to be fulfilled, to truly flourish as human beings, we need to cultivate moral virtues such as courage, compassion, humility, and love. And we should strive to limit such traits as greed, cowardice, egoistic pride, and callousness as much as we can.
He said that when we think about our inner morality, we end up doing more than just avoiding harm to others. We end up contributing to their good and seeing our good as intrinsically connected with theirs. Which makes us happier within ourselves.
Such advice felt like it was from a completely different age.
The human psyche has indeed been weakened, as you correctly point out. Opinions, real conversations, disagreements, debates, soul connection, and robust sanity have left the building, like Elvis.
Claire Fox wrote an excellent little book entitled 'I Find That Offensive'. I have highlights on almost every page.
I think there are many who have become more spiritual in this mess and far less concerned about the material comforts. Focusing on the Course’s message of what is “real”. I think focusing on the material comforts is a comfort for most as it gives feedback that “I’m ok and safe”….or not. And it gets mixed up with being spiritual. I think most are living from the ego vs the spiritual and I keep having to check in with that too. I think “they” have got us if all we do is focus on stuff and feelings
Powerful truth! Wow! I can't love this enough!
Thanks. No I haven’t, but will check them out. I’m at lesson 300 in the ACIM workbook my understanding deepens with every reading
Loved this article and the beautiful comments.
Lovely! But I would qualify the "consciousness of the intellect". Most people only function at the level of their gonads - eating, sleeping, excreting, engaging in intercourse. And if that goes smoothly, with as little effort as possible, then 'life is good'. A few have some consciousness of the emotions beyond this consciousness of the body, primarily with relationships, but, again, if it smooth and requires no effort and causes no physico-emotional upset, 'life is good'. There are a few who actually grasp something greater with a consciousness of the intellect, but they stop far, far short of getting anywhere remotely significant enough to provide anything more beyond the comforts already cited. And there are a very, very rare few who relentlessly pursue the consciousness of the intellect to its natural end (or beginning, depending on how you perceive it), which is the same as that end of what you term the consciousness of the heart, i.e. revelatory awareness/understanding/experience of the source of all being, and of all heart and mind, and within that, of the inescapable interconnectedness of all that is ( ... and is not, and neither is or is not, if you're into Zen). I think, therefore, that to downplay the consciousness of the intellect is a mistake.
Most people who are smart just aren't smart enough, or they are slothful and refuse to follow through, without ego getting in the way and mucking it all up. That's akin to downplaying the capacity of the body by only looking at the average Joe - mildly overweight, with borderline high blood pressure, weak muscles and so-so coordination - and thinking that is all that can be, rather than looking at superb athletes or dancers at the peak of their lives doing the most AMAZING things that, sometimes, seem to defy physical laws. Similarly, a razor sharp intellect, uncompromisingly honed by great effort, can defy limitations, as can a heart that is bursting with the highest of virtues known to our kind.
Also, Jordan Peterson responded to a question as to why so many young men come to see him speak.
Freedom and liberties don’t necessarily bring happiness without meaning, and society doesn’t encourage anything beyond shallow pleasures. In life, storms always come along and if you are shallow you will be wrecked. He also talks about man needs religion, the Greeks knew this, and goes on to say if you think you don’t need God, good luck with that Bucko.
IMO the left is fostering and promoting the sensitivity to destroy our society. Remember, since Trump, the left claims words are violence and can be answered with actual physical violence. The alphabet people (LGBTQ-BIPOC) and specifically the transgender community have extreme hatred towards others and are often violent while projecting their anger hatred and violence on the rest of society
Hi Todd, a good part of the problem is so many people feel no connection to God or a higher power. They believe that they create all the good in their life and when that good doesn't happen (or at least, easily), they become a victim - it is someone else's fault whether because of their sex, race, income, etc. It all gets nauseating. Let's face it sometimes shitty things happen to us (rarely does anyone go unscathed); however, having faith to get through it holds a big part to the key of surviving it.
When we are feeling down, we should go find someone who needs our help.
Dante, in his Divine Comedy, presents the devil as frozen in an ocean of ice staring at his belly.
Arguably this is the first time in history that the world has lost touch with the sacred on such a scale... and it is the Divine and Nature that nurture our very being. Perhaps, the concrete jungle of urbanisation is also a contributing factor to weakening our psyche + all the 'retail therapy' (what a bastardization of the word, therapy) and comfort-seeking in the world cannot compare to the pure joy and spirit nourishment that is evoked by a sunrise or sunset, especially reflected over water or peeping through the trees; or the ghostly spectre of an early morning mist hanging over a field like delicately woven lace...
I haven't read "The Course in Miracles" but--my understanding is that it's person-centered--the person is manifesting reality. I kinda think the opposite is true.
I agree in your premise though--we are not at peace, we are not well.
How could we be? We are addicted to comfort.
The remedy for that, weirdly, seems to be embracing discomfort: allowing ourselves to be cold (shower), hungry(fasting), being hot(sauna). All things our ancestors dealt with. We are too thermal neutral, too bloated, too stuck indoors. Too soft.
And too stuck in our own heads.
I think of that line from Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" ---"You made me forget myself"
What do they call that now? Flow state?
It used to be that a problem or challenge was an opportunity to work something thru maybe seek professional help , learn and “grow “ …… problems now seem to be a badge of honour!
By coincidence I was listening to Mere Christianity on audiobook this morning. The chapter was about how morality is about more than just trying not to offend or hurt others.
CS Lewis says that if we want to be fulfilled, to truly flourish as human beings, we need to cultivate moral virtues such as courage, compassion, humility, and love. And we should strive to limit such traits as greed, cowardice, egoistic pride, and callousness as much as we can.
He said that when we think about our inner morality, we end up doing more than just avoiding harm to others. We end up contributing to their good and seeing our good as intrinsically connected with theirs. Which makes us happier within ourselves.
Such advice felt like it was from a completely different age.
The human psyche has indeed been weakened, as you correctly point out. Opinions, real conversations, disagreements, debates, soul connection, and robust sanity have left the building, like Elvis.
Claire Fox wrote an excellent little book entitled 'I Find That Offensive'. I have highlights on almost every page.
I think there are many who have become more spiritual in this mess and far less concerned about the material comforts. Focusing on the Course’s message of what is “real”. I think focusing on the material comforts is a comfort for most as it gives feedback that “I’m ok and safe”….or not. And it gets mixed up with being spiritual. I think most are living from the ego vs the spiritual and I keep having to check in with that too. I think “they” have got us if all we do is focus on stuff and feelings