(IJCH) A Matter of Perspective (Philosophy)
(IJCH) A Matter of Perspective (Philosophy)
IJCH - Inside JaiChai's Head (Meaning: My Warped, Personal Opinions and Musings)
From the Author:
Salutations.
I am JaiChai.
And if I haven't had the pleasure of meeting you before, I'm delighted to make your acquaintance now.
I invite you to interact with everyone, learn, and have as much fun as possible!
For my returning online friends, "It's always great to see you again!"
Linear Thinking
Linear thinking severely limits the scope of what people can experience and enjoy in life.
It goads people into believing in "official" categories, names, and descriptions.
But every measure of "difference" or gradient is simply an arbitrary point on an imaginary scale that masquerades as a "discreet delineation" from the others on that scale; which, in actuality, is a man-made, mental construct in the first place!.
Think of this:
When advancing from each nuance of experience, perception of difference, or sensory gradient to the next (on ANY rating scale), if taken to its conceptual end point, will eventually make a full circle.
Nothing in life (or the universe) is truly linear.
It's linear thinking that traps people into believing that it is; in the illusion of a beginning and an end.
For example, let's take a look at how people think of "Good" and "Evil".
Saints and Sinners
I wonder how many people would feel better about themselves if they knew that EVERYONE - no exceptions - "does that for which they are rewarded"?
Is that selfish?
Before you answer that...
What if I told you that both Mother Theresa AND every despot in history (e.g., both Khans, Stalin, Hitler, etc.) felt some measure of self-gratification when they did whatever they did; truly thinking that it was "the right thing to do"?
Of course, not many of us act like them; falling somewhere in between along the so-called "Good" and "Evil" spectrum.
But, do you see the non-linear, circular pattern?
It shows that even benevolence and sadism are just two extremes on the mental construct we call "a spectrum"; which in reality, are just two points on a circle that meet each other.
Again...
Unnecessary Anxiety
Are you wrestling with a situation now, mentally biting your fingernails, and are at a loss as to what you should do next?
If so, here's what I found to be the best, simplest policy to remember - and most importantly for me, to live by.
"Be kind. And if you can't, just don't make things worse!"
Simply put:
Just do what you truly believe is right and don't get neurotic over it - even if there's a chance you may be wrong.
Why?
Because it's too easy to fall prey to "analysis paralysis"; falsely believing that you must (or can) know everything beforehand.
This will surely keep you on the sidelines.
(And while you watch others act on their version of your original idea, visions of self-flagellation can fill your mind!)
Besides, if you thought what you are currently doing is "right", but sadly mistaken, believe me, the whole universe will tell you - in spades!
So relax.
Why don't you look - I mean really look - at the beautiful, "snapshots of duality" that surrounds us every moment of our lives?
They are the wonderful gifts that you and the universe have co-created and are part of the grand rhythms of the cosmos - a perpetual cycle with no beginning and no end.
Why don't you journey inward and envision how everything will end - at the beginning?
And so it goes...
Parting Shot - A Matter of Perspective (Back to the Beginning)
"Perspective is everything. For the majority of the masses, it dictates perception. And while many may see a circle, only a few will see the spiral." - JaiChai
(This is an updated version of: https://steemit.com/blog/@jaichai/ijch-snapshots-of-duality-props-and-gratitude-to-rok-sivante)
By JaiChai
Mighty Kind of You for stopping by.
Truly hope to see you again!
About the Author
Believing that school was too boring, he dropped out of High School early; only to earn an AA, BS and MBA in less than 4 years much later in life – while working full-time as a Navy/Marine Corps Medic.
In spite of a fear of heights and deep water, he performed high altitude, free-fall parachute jumps and hazardous diving ops in deep, open ocean water.
After 24 years of active duty, he retired in Asia.
Since then, he's been a full-time, single papa and actively pursuing his varied passions (Writing, Disruptive Technology, Computer Science and Cryptocurrency - plus more hobbies too boring or bizarre for most folk).
He lives on an island paradise with his teenage daughter, longtime girlfriend and three dogs.
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Wonderful post @jaichai. I really love how you look at things. It makes me think and re-evaluate how I look and view life. Thank you for making me use my brain.
@tryskele,
Thank you for the kind words.
To be honest, it wasn't until I was befriended by a very wise man that I began a VERY LONG journey of discovery, understanding and self-improvement - that only gets better everyday.
My life is filled with so many amazing things to investigate, dozens of interesting people to talk with, but most of all, the delightful, daily surprises, the chest swelling pride and wide-eyed amazement I experience while watching my daughter become an intelligent, funny, and confident young woman - by leaps and bounds right before my eyes!
(...almost don't wan'na blink or I might just miss something beautiful, intriguing or just plain awesome!)
Anyway, thanks for commenting.
May you and yours be well and love life today.
Namaste, JaiChai
Your very welcome. I have come along way, I know I still have a long journey ahead of me. I like the way you see the word Namaste. It is really nice to know someone like you that I can learn things from. I try to look at things from different views. Sometimes it's ok to see the big picture, but you have to take the time to acknowledge the little things and above all take care of yourself.
Sometimes trusting your gut feeling gets the right decision rather than being over cautious or thinkinh too much about it.
One concern I'd have here is that too many people do just this!! Unfortunately, most of them seem to do the incompetent thing. Now I get that I've taken just a snippet of your post, so it may well be out of context, but I wonder if people just doing isn't a real concern right now.
The number of times I've needed to slam the brake on my car so that my children in the back don't die, and if I get into it with the knob who didn't bother to give way, and find the they didn't bother to look. Well, that doesn't really fly well with me. I get what you're saying, but I wonder if sometimes, people just take it a little too far?!
Thanks for another well written post, @jaichai - once again, you got me thinking.
I agree. As a Bhuddist, "The Middle Way" is paramount. Taking anything too far is a train wreck waiting to happen...
Thanks you for an excellent set of comments.
Namaste, JaiChai
This is my favorite @jaichai post yet. It's simple but it goes to depths that most people wouldn't realize to exist. You'd find some great reading material here: https://emptinessteachings.com
Take your time reading. You won't regret it :-)