It struck me today how someone can be stuck in a perspective or world view, and not even realize it. I don’t even mean something as “simple” as a political standpoint or religious belief. I’m talking about comprehensive “awareness filters” that pre-select possibilities, both in the present, and for the future.
Listening to someone describe events in their day, and life in general, brought this to my attention. He would frame an event, or what someone did, as “good for me” or “bad for me.” An automatic evaluation of the world around him in relation to this polarity. Today I pointed that that there are a lot more possible ways of seeing life and situations — and this person was a bit dumbfounded. He’d been perceiving through this lens for so long that it didn’t occur to him that events could have other “meanings” and that he could create different pathways of response to them.
There are lots of polarities like this to imbibe in the media and cultural thought forms. They are popular because they are simple and easily communicated. If you don’t like to reflect or think, then these polarities make for a “quick and easy reality.” However, “easy and quick” doesn’t equate to accurate, fulfilling, or even very useful in the long term. You get stuck very quickly and the world becomes smaller and smaller. There are fewer choices, more frustrations, and probably more dissatisfaction with people and events that aren’t matching up with your personal polarity preferences.
Sound familiar? These awareness filters are powerfully present now, both for individuals and on the planetary scale. As with most conflicted or polarized energies, getting more involved with a pre-determined thought pattern will only feed the system it supports. Generally, the most liberating and empowering pathway is to 1) see a filter for what it is, 2) acknowledge, describe or name it — to yourself, or someone else if appropriate, and 3) move into a place of non-participation with the filter or polarity. Non-participation can look many different ways depending upon the situation, but, generally, the most important part is embodying an expanded and higher vibrational reality in your OWN thoughts and actions, and letting others choose their preferred reality.
