We’re obsessed.
By what?
By belief. Point of view. Opinion. “Truth.”
Humans are laser-focused on figuring out what we believe and then defending it, fighting for it, and of course getting furious with others for believing something different.
Whether choosing a religion, a political side, knowing what we shouldn’t do, or dealing with anyone else- family members, children, spouses, coworkers, bosses, strangers in the street…
A whole lot of lifetime is taken up with determining what is believed and whether things are true.
I mean, there’s even an Inquiry devoted to that preoccupation. As many lovely Mind-Tickler readers know. And believe in. And get protective about.
“Dammit Judy, don’t be asking me to question my treasured point of view about questioning points of view.”
Yup. Obsessed.
In fact, try and not get wrapped up in what is believed in any given situation. See if that’s even possible.
Which is odd. I mean, why care so dang much about beliefs? Why spend so much life figuring out our version of things? What’s the benefit, the need, the big satisfaction in knowing Truth?
After all they’re just beliefs, right? They’re not real things. They’re not even air.
Well, that might be a clue to tracking this infatuation down. Because when we start to notice how ferociously we hang on to concepts-- to not-real things- we begin to see the idea that we have the power to DO things. “Oh look, I can understand, I can change things, I can surround myself only with like-minded others! Look at me with all this power.”
Yay! This is good. Much better than being powerless and not knowing, both of which are, after all, yucky.
Plus, to think that we know The Truth feels like we're important, significant. A seemingly lovely benefit.
Although… "important and significant" are positions, just as points of view are positions. And positions locate…
Oh.
Me. Points of view position Me.
Beliefs create the sense that there is a separate and distinct Me. After all, “I am the one thinking, noticing and evaluating thoughts. I am the one who hates that political figure, believes this religion, wants awakening, prefers peace, knows getting angry is wrong. I am, therefore, here.”
No wonder we fight so hard for it. Figuring out and protecting what we believe- about anything, about everything- solidifies the sense of self.
'Course there is no peace in that. We like to act as if there is, but no- this is what all war is made of. And just by feeling into that focus on truth and rightness, we can sense the thoughts-machine getting busy, stirring things up. Nothing wrong with being stirred-up, except that it might be the opposite of the satisfaction supposed to come from firmly held beliefs.
So, could it be possible we’re missing something while constantly obsessing on our Position? Could it be there’s a way of experiencing that doesn’t make us the center of everything?
Well, let’s experiment. No harm in playing a bit, right?
What if, instead of insisting on the usual, “I am the one who is right here being right”, we were able to just play with, “I am this belief itself?”
Of course this might seem weird or dumb when we’ve been taken over by belief for so long. Still…
What if what we are – literally- is thought itself?
What happens when we consider that we are the words, “Is it true,” and “This is stupid,” and every thought, every feeling, image, color and sound that comes after that and after that and after that?
Then it doesn’t matter what’s true, or what is believed, does it? “I believe this,” becomes irrelevant when we are that and every other thought.
This might change everything.
In fact, consider that we’re not THE ONE evaluating, but the evaluation itself and…
Notice how quiet mind suddenly goes?
Huh.
When we really feel into BEING thought itself, we kind of… disappear.
Of course this little experiment is not about substituting one belief for another, or evaluating whether The Mind-Tickler is right about anything. It’s just a different way of experiencing, setting all the figuring-out to the side for a bit.
We can just play with coming back to BEING each of those thoughts rolling through, each of those feelings happening.
And then see what happens.
"Man is made by his belief. As he believes, so he is." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
