Ten Notions That Most Of Us Have a Difficult
Time Truly "Getting"
About Ourselves, About Human Beings and About Life
1. That the physical universe never lies. Humans create
their environment so perfectly that our individual and collective environments say more about us than we know about
ourselves.
2. That we are doing our best at any given moment,
even when we're certain that we're not. Until we get this, we'll continually attempt to compensate: Strive for
success, react emotionally, compare to others, externally measure.
3. That we are primarily motivated by parts of ourselves
that we haven't a clue about. Human awareness is still in its infancy, so it's best to assume that we simply don't
know much, instead of thinking that we do and should know.
4. That some of us will have an easy time of it during
life and others will experience life as a challenge. When we truly get this point, we don't take ourselves, our
lives, our goals as seriously. Blame it on karma.
5. That nothing that we've accomplished in life has
been accomplished primarily by ourselves. Nothing great has been accomplished by a single person; when we get that
we're helping each other to be our best, we'll seek for less credit.
6. That we human beings are a most special aspect of
existence. When we get that we're just humans, we can more fully appreciate many other parts of life. (And, yes,
we humans are very special.)
7. That we still have a long way to go until we are
truly civilized. When we get that we are not very civilized beings, we will be more responsible about how we think
about and treat others.
8. That the world and our lives are perfect right now,
even if they are not what should be or what we want. If there is a reason or explanation for all that occurs (even
if that reason is randomness), it is likely that we do not see well enough to understand everything.
9. That we'll never escape, get rid of, or become stronger
than our egos. If humans are one part self (spirit/soul) and one part ego(instinct/needs), the trick to peace is
continual including, accepting, even honoring, of our egos. After all, isn't self a subset of ego?
10. That our striving for a better future replaces
the richness of the present. We've been taught, a la Pavlov's dogs, to experience life as a series of salivations
- cum-rewards. Where's the gift in that?
