Mindfulness Lists Podcast

Temporary Roles, The Monk With Sweaty Palms and                                  Happiness As A Role Vs. True Happiness are the names of the next sections of A New Earth.

The next two sections of A New Earth are titled Letting Go Of Self Definitions and Pre-Established Roles. Defining ourselves or others takes the infinite and makes it finite. By making judgements and beliefs of someone, somewhere or something that is limitless we make them limited. We can tell ourselves billions of different stories of who we are, who they are and what the world is like. It's ok to tell stories but we Must remain grounded and stable enough to not get confused into believing that our stories are absolute truth or a part of our identity. The roles we play in our lives are necessary at times. Once you have done your best to do the tasks needed of the role, return to the subject/ object relationship with the role and let go.

The first two sections of chapter four are titled, Role Playing: The Many Faces Of The Ego and Villain, Victim, Lover. Sometimes we role play to get what we want, we think we have to put on a certain act or say things in a contrived way to get what we need since we're not comfortable or secure with being ourselves in these situations. I imagine villains love to see their names in the tabloid headlines and the shocking crimes they've perpetrated, since any attention is better than no attention for a struggling ego. The victims who read the tabloids about the heinous acts committed by the perpetrators are able to feed the story of their minds and solidify their identity from the past misfortune of life. The lovers who watch a documentary on Netflix about villains and their victims agree that it's very insightful, although secretly they both wish they could be watching their favorite shows. ...I apologize for that convoluted little fairy tale , I was trying to tie all those different roles into one nice daisy chain! All roles are about manipulation and feeling inadequate, be yourself and free yourself. Roles are a lot of  extra work.

The Ego's Need To Feel Superior and Ego and Fame are the names of the next two sections of A New Earth. The ego's need to feel superior is driven by it's underlying feeling of inadequacy. In these days of social media and YouTube addiction it seems like a high percentage of people want to be famous and think their life would be complete if they were. People that aren't aware of the constant changing conditions of life , get lost in their thoughts, dreams, fears, roles, jobs, problems, hobbies, desires , aversions, and everything they do. The driving force of our mind is Desire. I want this and I don't want that. I want because I feel inadequate. I think when I get what I want I'll be complete and although I've had these thoughts since I was a child and when I got what I wanted, it never ended my desire, I still want to shoot myself in the foot! ...The things I say about the ego and desire are just my opinion, they are not the absolute truth. These opinions are just pointers to the truth. The truth that we all are, awareness, is the only absolute truth. Opinions are like email addresses everyone has one. I suggest reading or listening to books on the subject of mindfulness, philosophy or psychology. Find the tools and practices that suit you, bring more peace into your life and help alleviate these human conditions we're discussing.

All Structures Are Unstable is the name of the next section of A New Earth. All structures, everybody, everywhere, all thoughts, emotions, sights, smells, sounds, tastes and sensations are unstable and temporary. Awareness is stable and eternal.

Do You Want Peace Or Drama and Beyond Ego: Your True Identity are the names of the next two sections of A New Earth. In the past the limbic system was responsible for keeping us safe from danger that no longer exists. Instead of saving us from wild animals I believe it has taken the job of saving our egos. The reason why we get so upset and agitated when we're in an argument or debate is that we're identified with our beliefs to such an extreme degree that we consider them part of us. Obviously if our beliefs are in an imaginary sense of peril we are in a perilous situation as well. When our life/beliefs are threatened the limbic system signals the sympathetic nervous system and our bodies go into fight or flight mode... Since there's no real emergency the energy has nowhere to go and instead turns into toxicity and adversely effects our health. The same girl in the same party dress is the solution luckily! You, awareness, are the subject. Your thoughts are the object. To stay cool and not play the part of the fool, you must Always stay centered in awareness and steadily maintain the perspective of the subject object relationship...Homies!

War Is A Mind-Set is the name of the next section of A New Earth. War has probably been around as long a civilizations have been around. By direct observation we know that war has never stopped war, it's an endless downward spiral of perpetration and retribution. Mother Teresa said... I will never go to an anti war rally , but I will march for peace... Think of solutions, don't dwell on the problem. What you resist, persists and what you fight you strengthen...

The Ego Is Not Personal is the name of the next section of A New Earth... "Only if you mistake it for who you are can observing it within you can be threatening to your sense of self."(awareness)

The next section(s) of A New Earth are called, In Defense of an Illusion and Truth: Relative or Absolute. In most arguments or debates the reason why people get angry, hostile or passive aggressive is we think that we will be less or inferior if we don't convince or force another person into agreeing with our opinion. Since people get confused sometimes and think they are their thoughts , they think if they lose an argument or debate they will be mortally injured by the defeat. Don't waste your energy defending the illusion of yourself. Agree to disagree and realize you're defending your ego and almost all thoughts in life are relative truths anyway. There's only one truth. The definition of absolute truth is something that never changes. What creates our lives and the world is constant change, our awareness of those changes is the only thing that doesn't change. We are the absolute truth.

Reactivity And Grievances is the name of the next section of A New Earth. When we over react life responds to our observations! In my experience when you look for problems in your life, there's endless things to whine about. Reactivity is a wonderful thing for the ego to find a sense of self in. "This is an Outrage!" ... "I demand a recount!" ... hahaha The ego will settle for almost any identity... The identity of person who has been done wrong sounds great! Being pissed off is serious job security for the ego. Grievances serve the same purpose, they're useless and only aid in spreading fear, anger, resentment and give the ego a stronger sense of self by not forgiving and condemning others.