sensitivity! how do u build emotional strength?

[David O]

David,

You have perfectly understood what I attempted to communicate and found it intriguing.

The invoice will arrive shortly!

More and more, I actually feel more and more alienated, David. Though I am free spirit (lived in a lot of foreign countries, etc. etc)l, our media and what so many others find important, apparently interesting and necessary, I find lacking in basic goodness, and I do not mean moral (thought that is there), I mean healthy, good, balanced, positive, nurturing, nourishing.

There are so many ways to respond to this that I'm having trouble piecing together something that makes sense. For example, I have this dangling thought from a session I had yesterday with a 10 year girl who has PTSD and the school is denying it b/c she is having no symptoms any more. But as a very superstitious and possibly even slightly sophisticated clinician, I know that symptoms don't simply go away-- they were there to express something and being symptom free is not the same as being healed and healthy. There is something else in every symptom, it is not simply a dysfunction or disability or problem behavior-- there is a certain deeper intention that shines a light on an inner turmoil. All of this, I think, to say only that as we are parented by everything around us, even as we age, we seem to also become more and more deadened within to ourselves and to others.

We have a belief where I grew up that when a child is born, that it had a life prior to coming here (the Bible even suggests this with Jeremiah), and that at birth and into the 1st few years, there is a thin veil that separates him/her from the previous life. This is easily seen by the raw wisdom of very young children, like my son Benjamen who told me at around age 4-5 that: "Yep daddy, Yep... I made you who you are!" and I cried afterwards. As my son aged, I saw him become more and more Americanized (to my dismay at times) and also less and less able to see thru that veil, which had by now thickened into a wall. As I watch the very elderly, I see the veil become thinner and thinner and they again begin to look beyond and into their next stage in the life cycle of the soul.

We are all sojourners here, my Uncle Enrique would say. And perhaps this is part of the alienation we feel. I feel aliented b/c I've not been known by many. It is not from my lack of trying, but more so b/c too many around me are more interested in the surface level hyperactivity of life and living and are unable to (because they've been deadened) to see or look beneath the surface.

In this sense alone, Irmajean, I fully understand what you're saying-- and there are some things often better left in the ethereal world where they belong, to do otherwise may reduce the very essence of an idea or inner sense to language alone.

David

[David O]

I'm a late however,

David O, is not all that you said to Livewell, a process or growth?

I mean that since Livewell is looking for "a more balanced life" for himself, and since he seems to me to have an awareness of himself, and he wants a higher plane or this and/or more, would not he grow to the depths or heights of what he seems to be looking for through experience and knowledge, with his continued awareness? just asking because maybe I have missed the point. Thanks

I think you've nailed it Muse... it is a process to me and a lifelong one at that. Because I believe we are sojourners, the completion of our journey is usually only made possible by our capacity to join with others, but what I see myself doing is replacing or substituting the idea of real living with more living. I think this is where we are limited most by our symbolism... we use language, for example, to describe what we experience but when doing so we attach a certain finiteness to ourselves and our existence, thereby abdicating our responsibility to transcend what simply stands before us (language, what we know and believe, etc.). As Meister Ekhart once stated: "The ultimate leave-taking is the leaving of God (our ideas of him and what we think we know) for God (the actuality of who he is).

I don't want to get too spiritual or religious b/c my goal isn't to convert folks or place myself as being on this plane of existence, where I'm really nowhere close to being in.

Well, my hopes are that these convoluted thoughts make sense to others. Sometimes I write, and I think many of us do this, then look back and say-- what the heck was that all about, David? Does it even make sense?

Spiritually speaking,

David

[musemuse]

David O.

thanks so much for your reply. I actually asked because sometimes I read and understand and there are times when I just see words. I wanted to understand. Thanks.

I believe we sojourn too.

[IrmaJean]

Your words and thoughts are often challenging, David, and thought-provoking.

I very much agree about the raw wisdom of young children. They are very pure and their visions aren't clouded by the experiences and judgments garnered in a lifetime. Undoubtedly our interactions with them do make us who we are. Amazing how as adults we may be humbled by our young children.

[Symora]

I would even add that children help us to <remember>, in the sense David talked about.

I too feel I am a soujourner, albeit a rather lost one at times... I think spirit works in mysterious ways, and I know that when I try to attune to it's voice I end up saying things that I wonder about later, because it almost feels like it did not come from me - it's a deeper, calmer voice. Ahhhh, the mysteries of spirit and soul.... Sometimes it feels to me like I am one of those sand timers, and my existence is the middle part. When I look in the direction of the outside world, I often forget about the other one, and vice versa.... Perhaps that is why we are encouraged to pray and meditate regulary, to try to bring those two realities closer together....

O SON OF SPIRIT!

The spirit of holiness beareth unto thee the joyful tidings of reunion; wherefore dost thou grieve? The spirit of power confirmeth thee; why dost thou veil thyself? The light of His countenance doth lead thee; how canst thou go astray?

(Baha'u'llah, The Arabic Hidden Words)

[livewell]

Hi All,

Went away for a break! What I meant by "evolving my consciousness" could be simply as growing.

Or as it was said, "Becoming more aware."

I do think Allan may have meant me when he said speaking in metaphors. I guess what I am saying is increasing and expanding ones ideas, thoughts, and beliefs to include more and unlimited possibilities.

I guess the idea is to seek to understand oneself and one's surroundings and find the best within it.

[livewell]

I like David's idea of sojourner, although interestingly, I always think of that word as a word which refers to a singular or solitary experience.

All of you are so interesting and the ideas so intriguing!

Not that it matters, but for clarification, I am a she! LOL..

The fact is what I am finding is that increasingly the thoughts of people are corrupt or polluted. Instead of thinking the best or the most positive, we think of the range of possible motives and negatives. It's like we are carrying around flawed databanks. So, for example, there is a friend of mine who knows this gentleman who was a girl's soccer coach. He was fired recently because it was believed that he had sent text messages from his phone to a young girl's on the team. He had no idea about it. The truth was that one of the girls on the team got a hold of the phone, and texted the teammate. He was fired without due process. This was a big story in Boston, and the man's reputation was spoiled. He still has not been reinstated, and I believe the man and his family are considering legal action.

So, in the old days, I think that authorities would first think that it might be a prank. Now, there are so many cases of abuses, that we all first believe the worst without considering the most likely.

We are all doing this now, I believe, on subtler levels.

When I was growing up, we never thought to lock our car doors or the house doors. When I was growing up, it was more the spirit of cooperation, your character and reputation was very important and many times the only avenue for success, and most people had a standard of conduct or behavior. I am not talking about morality here so much as the basics--honesty and accountability. Now, we do not want to own up to anything. Someone else is always to blame, and danger is always lurking.

I know we began on the topic of sensitivity, but actually this is central to the idea as well that emotionally and spiritually we have to be strong enough to withstand affronts and to know our own thoughts and have strength.

Thanks for listening,

Livewell