Exploring the Interconnected and Systemic Nature of Reality We are embedded in the systems that surround us whether we like it or not. Once we recognize that we cannot be separate from anything else in any meaningful sense, we can begin to set in motion changes that benefit the whole in more profound ways. This […]
Make this Weekend a Night to Remember and Wake Up Feeling Great For many twenty and thirty year olds, barhopping is the go-to activity for Friday and Saturday nights. Young people spend a huge amount of time socializing around alcohol. While there is nothing morally wrong or even unhealthy about moderate consumption of alcohol—in fact a […]
Here’s How Space Will Keep You Stuck and Limit Your Spiritual Growth. A lot of people like to have a quiet place just to themselves when they meditate or pray. It feels like the only way to escape the stress of the day and the myriad distractions calling them away from peace. Fine, but if […]
What’s The Point? Most of you guys know that I love author/philosopher/integral badass Ken Wilber. His expression of the integral way of being truly does change people’s lives, usually over many many years of consistent practice and learning. It’s tough to share, partly because it tends to cover all of the bases, partly because it […]
How can I hold both of these seemingly contradictory truths?
I have to let go of the assumption that two contradictory ideas cannot coexist at the same time. Beyond relativism, where I can be both tall and short from different perspectives, it is quite possible to be both happy and sad at the same time—from the same perspective.
Easier said than done. We are socialized to draw distinctions and create absolute boundaries because they can be extremely useful. Yet when it comes to the complexity of the self system, psychology, and human emotion, a more encompassing way of understanding is necessary to be more accurate and caring.
So once I let myself experience both the desire to fix my own problem (of wanting to fix other’s problems), and the desire to not fix my own problem (partly in order to fix it), I relax into that paradox.
And whenever I feel myself relaxing into the paradox in order to resolve it, I notice that and laugh. If I notice myself using that relaxation as a technique to fix myself, I just stay with it, noticing the feelings of disappointment and frustration, of wonder and excitement.
Can you imagine what the world would be like if the weapons of today were in the hands of our conquering ancestors? The people who counted slaves as ⅗ of a human or not human at all? Those who killed people of different religions, or started wars with tribes who shared family members?
There is something that makes modern times different, that keeps us from physically annihilating our competition or challenging them to life or death duels. Most people are not aware of it because it is hard to see from the inside, it is difficult to talk about, and it can be misconstrued in a way that seems oppressive, arrogant, and judgemental.
Most people look at what is directly in front of their faces and forget to zoom out and see the context of the entire story of humanity. Doing so the difference can be seen more clearly. Although it is by no means universal, there is a worldwide moral and social development that is more inclusive of others and more tolerant of differences.
And of course our previous way of existing in the world—the hate towards our closest neighbors, the ego and ethnocentricism—still exist. That’s exactly what makes nuclear weapons development in Iran and North Korea so frightening. Yet they are the extreme minority, whereas in the past their point of view was commonplace.
6 Word Review: Easy to Read, Pragmatic, and Deeply Spiritual This book is a rare combination of easily readable, pragmatic, and deeply spiritual. After reading it I find that my perspective around conflict has changed dramatically. Most people see conflict as something to avoid, diffuse, or confront—something to get rid of in the end. Diane […]
What to Do When the Pursuit of Spirituality Becomes an Obstacle to Spiritual Realization I was talking to a friend earlier today who said to me, “Jordan, you know I love all this Integral stuff and A Course in Miracles, but sometimes I feel like it’s always work. And I never get to relax. Sometimes I […]
Stop Wasting Your Energy on Things You Can’t Change and Start Changing Those You Can. Put another way, for other people nothing is about you. For you, nothing is about other people. We as humans are really good at internalizing things we have no control over, and externalizing the things we do have control over. […]
Are You Secretly Ignoring Your Achievements and Causing Unhappiness? If you look at your feet when you climb a mountain, you never realize how far you have come until you are done. Each step feels as difficult—perhaps even more difficult—than the last. If you never look at the broader context of your journey, you might assume that […]
Whatever You Do, Do it With Love “I’ve often said you could give a wonderful workshop just reading the phone book and if you read it with love and that love infuses every name you read; then you teach it.” – Ken Wapnick The secret to succeeding at anything is to do it with love. […]
Get What You Want: A Crucial Fact Your DailyHap Author Forgot to Mention Serving others is a very important part of happiness, and I have not talked about it nearly enough. Our well being—physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual—often seems like a personal endeavor. But pursuing health and happiness alone is destined to fail. Studies Show […]