The trilogy written in
Portland Oregon, December 2019
is the prequel to
Breakthrough In Family.
ForewordToOnBeingWithTheAutomaticity:
You'll notice that unlike many other essays in this
Conversations For Transformation
internet series of essays, the body of this essay contains no
hyperlinks.
That doesn't mean anything, and nor does it bode anything for the
future of these essays.
Rather it's just the way this particular one turned out.
Given the premium we, our culture, our society, indeed our entire
western way of life put on our individuality and our power to control
our own lives, it's almost totally unconfrontable (at least at first)
exactly how much of our lives are on full automatic, a fact that
relentlessly and unmercifully pierces the illusion of our having any
control. Individuality and control, it seems, appear in an entirely new
light and are challenged disconcertingly when the truth's told about
our automaticity. Watch this:
Thoughts and memories come ... and they go, automatically. "No they
don't!" you protest, "I think my thoughts.". I'm
sorry, but that's an ancient illusion that dies hard. There's a simple
test which shows exactly how automatic thoughts coming and going are.
It's this: if you're the one thinking your thoughts, then
stop thinking them. Try it. You can't, can you? Thoughts
and memories are on automatic.
Feelings and emotions come ... and they go, automatically. "No they
don't!" you protest, "I feel my feelings and emotions" ("I
feel" them, in the sense that "I control" them). I'm sorry, but that's
another ancient illusion that dies hard. There's also a simple test
which shows exactly how automatic feelings and emotions are. It's this:
if you're the one feeling your feelings, then feel good when you're
feeling bad. Try it. You can't, can you? That's r-i-g-h-t:
isn't feeling good when you're feeling bad, the holy grail of emotional
control? And as of now, have you found the holy grail of emotional
control? Tell the truth: really? Feelings and emotions are
on automatic.
Bodily sensations come ... and they go, automatically. "No they don't!"
you protest, "I control my bodily sensations.". I'm sorry,
but that's another ancient illusion that dies hard. There's also a
simple test which shows exactly how automatic bodily sensations are.
It's this: if you're the one who's controlling your bodily sensations,
then put your hand in (or even close to) a furnace without experiencing
heat. Try it. You can't, can you? Bodily sensations are on automatic.
Representations come... and they go, automatically. "No
they don't!" you protest, "I conceive representations.".
I'm sorry, but that's another ancient illusion that dies hard. There's
also a simple test which shows exactly how automatic representations
are. It's this: if you're the one who's conceiving your
representations, then open your eyes in the city without
seeing buildings; open your ears on the freeway without
hearing traffic. Try it. You can't, can you? Representations are on
automatic.
So at least until we have a new context in which to consider this
strange, almost unconfrontable state of affairs (that we have any
control, is one of our greatest and most cherished misconceptions),
it's arguably true to say it's all on automatic, which
begs the questions "Who's (or what's) in control? Who's (or what's) in
charge?".
But that's a subject for another conversation on another occasion. For
now, let's see if we can just be with the automaticity (you have to be
with it to get to know it).
Rather than "I think my thoughts", the truth is closer to "Thoughts
think me.". Rather than "I feel feelings and emotions", the truth is
closer to "Feelings and emotions feel me.". Rather than "I control
bodily sensations", the truth is closer to "Bodily sensations control
me.". Rather than "I conceive representations", the truth is closer to
"Representations conceive me.". Consider letting in ie consider the
possibility that it's all on automatic. Start considering
being (ie how to be in alignment) with all the automaticity. If it's
all on automatic, then being in alignment with (living with) all the
automaticity, is an easy and limitlessly powerful access to being truly
authentic.