The Bigger the Front, The Bigger the Back November 24, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Book Excerpts, Meditations, Personal Freedom , add a commentThe more outrageous the front, the more outrageous is the back. The back is the hidden; the unseen. When one understands that a show of bravado cannot conceal the opposite, then dealing with a showman will never be a mystery.
The words of someone skilled at talking it up, never present a reflection of the true story. This always rides on the back of deficiency or a lack of substance. Otherwise there would be no need for all the noise.
Watch the front very carefully! On the surface, it only masks the opposite. But we know the opposite is there. It has been there the entire time.
Someone that only shows you their smiley face is hiding their insincerity.
Someone that only shows you anger is hiding their fear.
Someone that only shows you sorrow is hiding their potential for joy.
In dealing with people, see the opposite in anything and everything.
This will allow you to see the whole story before the end of the first chapter.
If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
from ‘The Danger of the Secret’
More On Addiction – Short or Long Path? November 12, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations , 2 commentsEvan has suggested that ’seeing the goal can maybe give space to contemplate other ways to get there’. Yet, is freedom from addiction an achievement, something to become, somewhere to go? Or is it a way of living?
In other words, if addiction is the means whereby one is stripped of any meaningful relationship to sensitivity, it remains a dangerous proposition and is therefore something to be tenaciously and assiduously avoided. After all, sensitivity blooms only when dullness and repetition evaporate! How can replacement of a habit with a habit accommodate such a process? That’s like robbing Peter to pay Paul.
Along the way, no doubt, there will be those who find that addiction cannot be dissolved in an instant; that it is something one learns to manage gradually. This a bit like the enlightenment game. One can either follow the short path or take the long path.
Patanjali says,
‘Take your time. There is no hurry. Once you overcome this, you can then focus your attention on overcoming that. Eventually, you will get there.’
Sosan says,
‘Strike while the iron is hot! Seeing the truth is like witnessing an enormous bolt of lightning in the darkest sky. Now is the time to do it! Don’t muck around! If you see it, that’s it! There is no need to go back.’
Both ways have their virtue of course. Both ways have their time.
What is important is to recognise the relevance of each to one’s personal quest. In doing so, one will also realise the extent to which procrastination has become a justifiable response to the challenge of living – which means that excuses for not responding attentively, sensitively, immediately, spontaneously, have crept in. With excuses come blame. When there is blame, there is the victim.
So I guess I’m a fan of the short path!
Addiction: The Bane of Sensitivity November 7, 2008
Posted by Geoffrey Wilson in : Meditations, Psychology, Wisdom Notes , 1 comment so farAfter an early morning Tai Chi session in Centennial Park the other day, my friend and I discussed the subject of addiction – to sex, drugs, fine food, wine, distraction and many other things. It has long been my view that if the nature of addiction can be understood completely, then it is unnecessary to establish and promote rehabilitation as a means to an end.
What do I mean by the complete understanding of addiction?
It’s relatively simple to grasp. Addiction is attachment – to someone or something. Strengthen the attachment and the more resistance there will be to giving it up. Attachment then becomes dependency. If I observe how I depend on you for my happiness, my safety, to give my life meaning, I absolve myself of taking any responsibility for what is actually going on in my life.
When I see this clearly, it becomes apparent that I am shackled. Restriction of this kind is in essence the seed of unhappiness because if I remain dependent, I will never develop the sensitivity to respond to life’s challenges with a fresh approach. Without vitality of this kind, it is impossible to let go of negative attitudes and behaviours.
So the way forward is to contemplate taking a fresh approach that is not burdened by limiting sensitivity. Addictions erode sensitivity. They are killers not so much in disguise as they are insidiously venomous creepers.