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If we never do anything we do not want to do, is that freedom, good, or true?
Apr 15, 2017 14:11:12   #
Dr.Dross
 
Never doing anything we do not want to do can be our greatest freedom or abject slavery. The question is whether it is of the heart or the ego, respectively. Not being nice, decent and respectful, to the slow, boring, fools, and dense is ego, being captives of our self-importance. But the heart can be nice, decent and respectful, to such people naturally. Freedom is the heart without opinion. If you want to know truth, have no opinions. Such a stance may seem foolish or wrong or weak. How can we evaluate or act without an opinion? You have to answer that question.

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Apr 15, 2017 19:56:45   #
Glaucon
 
Dr.Dross wrote:
Never doing anything we do not want to do can be our greatest freedom or abject slavery. The question is whether it is of the heart or the ego, respectively. Not being nice, decent and respectful, to the slow, boring, fools, and dense is ego, being captives of our self-importance. But the heart can be nice, decent and respectful, to such people naturally. Freedom is the heart without opinion. If you want to know truth, have no opinions. Such a stance may seem foolish or wrong or weak. How can we evaluate or act without an opinion? You have to answer that question.
Never doing anything we do not want to do can be o... (show quote)


You do what someone wants you to if you are being water boarded and if you are a Fox follower .

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Apr 16, 2017 02:50:03   #
Dr.Dross
 
Glaucon wrote:
You do what someone wants you to if you are being water boarded and if you are a Fox follower .


Good point.

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Apr 16, 2017 08:33:29   #
lindajoy Loc: right here with you....
 
Dr.Dross wrote:
Never doing anything we do not want to do can be our greatest freedom or abject slavery. The question is whether it is of the heart or the ego, respectively. Not being nice, decent and respectful, to the slow, boring, fools, and dense is ego, being captives of our self-importance. But the heart can be nice, decent and respectful, to such people naturally. Freedom is the heart without opinion. If you want to know truth, have no opinions. Such a stance may seem foolish or wrong or weak. How can we evaluate or act without an opinion? You have to answer that question.
Never doing anything we do not want to do can be o... (show quote)


It truly depends on the event... Not doing something can leave satisfied in your decision it wasn't warranted or leave you wondering if you should have done something....

I don't think being nice to someone or not is ego as much as it is emotion relative to how that person impacts us..if it's ego you likely have your own issue(s)..

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Apr 16, 2017 13:40:49   #
Dr.Dross
 
lindajoy wrote:
It truly depends on the event... Not doing something can leave satisfied in your decision it wasn't warranted or leave you wondering if you should have done something....

I don't think being nice to someone or not is ego as much as it is emotion relative to how that person impacts us..if it's ego you likely have your own issue(s)..


If I said take nothing personally and reduce all your expectations to zero, would that sound enticing as a way to live? Back in '91 those concepts were a code to to rule my life. But then this happened. A friend at lunch was going on and on about her expectations of joyful reunion back in Ojai. I pitied her. Her extravagant imagination about her reception was just setting herself up for disappointment; nothing could live up to it. I kept waiting to warn her, a little caution, but she continued to gush on. Then I was suddenly slapped, hard, with a realization. Reducing my expectations to zero was purely defensive: I did not see myself as lovable or acceptable as is. It was Fear dictating what I saw as a higher spirituality. Almost everything I did was then exposed as not exactly what I wanted to do but felt compelled to do to find belonging. If I did not, I would be alone and shunned. This was life-changing. When she finally finished, flush with excitement, all I could say was, "You are a very blessed person."

Getting my fear and past out of the way of life was extremely difficult and very tiring. I hurt people I loved along the way trying to simply say and do what I really wanted to say and do. And then realized most often it was not what I truly wanted to say and do but just a reaction to still feeling a captive of my past. It was very messy for a long time. Then I read a Buddhist book about not taking anything personally (as our recent exchanges indicate, I have not received perfection in this practice). As Jesus said, the whole point was to "be still." The rabble of my mind would hem and haw, rage and threaten, and I got to see, over time, my sticking points, where I was vulnerable. Stillness let me follow to the source those areas that had me act in ways I did want to do. My past was the slave owner.

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Apr 17, 2017 10:29:31   #
lindajoy Loc: right here with you....
 
Dr.Dross wrote:
If I said take nothing personally and reduce all your expectations to zero, would that sound enticing as a way to live? Back in '91 those concepts were a code to to rule my life. But then this happened. A friend at lunch was going on and on about her expectations of joyful reunion back in Ojai. I pitied her. Her extravagant imagination about her reception was just setting herself up for disappointment; nothing could live up to it. I kept waiting to warn her, a little caution, but she continued to gush on. Then I was suddenly slapped, hard, with a realization. Reducing my expectations to zero was purely defensive: I did not see myself as lovable or acceptable as is. It was Fear dictating what I saw as a higher spirituality. Almost everything I did was then exposed as not exactly what I wanted to do but felt compelled to do to find belonging. If I did not, I would be alone and shunned. This was life-changing. When she finally finished, flush with excitement, all I could say was, "You are a very blessed person."

Getting my fear and past out of the way of life was extremely difficult and very tiring. I hurt people I loved along the way trying to simply say and do what I really wanted to say and do. And then realized most often it was not what I truly wanted to say and do but just a reaction to still feeling a captive of my past. It was very messy for a long time. Then I read a Buddhist book about not taking anything personally (as our recent exchanges indicate, I have not received perfection in this practice). As Jesus said, the whole point was to "be still." The rabble of my mind would hem and haw, rage and threaten, and I got to see, over time, my sticking points, where I was vulnerable. Stillness let me follow to the source those areas that had me act in ways I did want to do. My past was the slave owner.
If I said take nothing personally and reduce all y... (show quote)


I think I understand...to eliminate expectation of things done or even not done is to me to take the life out of it.. We are motivated by goals, expectations that our decision brought forward the anticipated result was the right decision.. A learning tool in all we do...Just as was your 91 decisions in how you were living your life.. Succeed or fail you expierenced based on that decision then..As we evolve in consciousness our views also change... Change is good not a negative for the most part, yes??


Reducing your expectations was a way of coping so you didn't expose yourself to possibilities of discontent etc.. Good you saw that you needed a different perspective.. Growth, in other words or growth in consciousness ..

Dr. we all have things in our past we wish different.. it's purpose is to help us have ripples to further our awareness..You did it and are doing it.. We are not now or later going to achieve perfection or total perfection.. We are only learning to "be better".. I appreciate that we are and while we want to master all our short comings that happens when we except we are not infallible and "only human beings..". We may not have fixed everything but we now sure do accept we are who we are and we continue our desire to simply be better.. Walk in the light and relish its warmth every day!! In that you smile and through that life is lived in a special peace.. One with yourself and sharing just how amazing you are.. Imaged in God, we are already perfect..

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Apr 17, 2017 22:12:23   #
Dr.Dross
 
lindajoy wrote:
I think I understand...to eliminate expectation of things done or even not done is to me to take the life out of it.. We are motivated by goals, expectations that our decision brought forward the anticipated result was the right decision.. A learning tool in all we do...Just as was your 91 decisions in how you were living your life.. Succeed or fail you expierenced based on that decision then..As we evolve in consciousness our views also change... Change is good not a negative for the most part, yes??


Reducing your expectations was a way of coping so you didn't expose yourself to possibilities of discontent etc.. Good you saw that you needed a different perspective.. Growth, in other words or growth in consciousness ..

Dr. we all have things in our past we wish different.. it's purpose is to help us have ripples to further our awareness..You did it and are doing it.. We are not now or later going to achieve perfection or total perfection.. We are only learning to "be better".. I appreciate that we are and while we want to master all our short comings that happens when we except we are not infallible and "only human beings..". We may not have fixed everything but we now sure do accept we are who we are and we continue our desire to simply be better.. Walk in the light and relish its warmth every day!! In that you smile and through that life is lived in a special peace.. One with yourself and sharing just how amazing you are.. Imaged in God, we are already perfect..
I think I understand...to eliminate expectation of... (show quote)


Thank you. I will follow your advice.

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