Forum Replies Created
-
AuthorPosts
-
Peter
ParticipantHi Dia
There is a difference between supporting, helping and enabling.
Supporting someone is being fully committed to a person, whilst allowing them to do their part in terms of making any changes necessary. Supporting another empowers them, as it comes from connecting to another as an equal and understanding that they have the power within them to arise above whatever is challenging them.
Helping another is when we essentially go over the line and enter into the other person’s space in an attempt to bring them to the line. This approach occurs when we perceive another as a victim of their circumstances, and judge that they are incapable of coming to the line for themselves and hence feel that to ‘support’ them we need to do the work for them. The problem with helping another in this way is that, even if we do succeed in getting the person to come to the line it is essentially our energy doing it not theirs.
Enabling behavior shields people from experiencing the full impact and consequences of their behavior. Enabling is different from helping and supporting in that it allows the enabled person to be irresponsible.
One needs to be very mindful especially within family if one is crossing the line between supporting, helping, or enabling.
My observation has been that receiving ‘help’ from a family member more often then not ends in resentment so I would focus on support – creating the space for your brother to find his own way and yes that means allowing him to make mistakes. It is not your role as sister to parent.
The other issue you mention is your concern and possibility jealously of how your parents parent your brother. It is understandable that you view the difference is treatment as enabling you brother’s behavior and it not being fair. (Am I correct in assuming there is some cultural influences at play here?) This treatment may not be fair however that issue is between you and your parents and is not about you and your brother.
You are very fortunate to have a relationship with your brother where you can both talk about issues that concern you. My advice for what is worth is to be mindful about the ways you are communicating. Are you supporting, helping, or enabling. It is possible that the best support you can offer is being available to listen vice pushing an agenda.
-
This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by
Peter.
Peter
ParticipantHi Denise
“Not all those who wander are lost” is a line for a poem by JR Tolken ? It’s a call to the hero’s journey.
Reading your post, the first thing that popped in my head was that you where heading into a new beginning and being called to a hero’s journey. Such journey often starts with uncertainty even depression… it is the authentic self crying out from the wilderness if you will. A good place to start such a journey is to wander a little.
I like the word wander as it suggests a “quite” way of looking for one’s next step. Wandering is still intentional but open to possibilities. As one wanders one is open to wonder entering in to the flow of a new beginning… vice struggling against the current… As you wander pay attention to what catches your eye and you will find your way.
Good luck Denise
All that is gold does not glitter, Not all those who wander are lost; The old that is strong does not wither, Deep roots are not reached by the frost. From the ashes, a fire shall be woken, A light from the shadows shall spring; Renewed shall be blade that was broken, The crownless again shall be king. -JR Tolken
Peter
ParticipantA road to nowhere can be a great place to start an journey of adventure. Not all who wander are lost…
Peter
ParticipantWe can become the stories we tell ourselves. It is true for reasons you do not know you were given up for adoption. It is also true the you were chosen.
In the story you have been telling yourself, haven been given up is measured as having more value then the value of having been chosen – and you judge your sense of self by that measure. Something must have been wrong with you… and you have become conditioned to feel bad about it.
From an objective perspective neither of the events had anything to do with ‘who you are’. It was not your choice to be born, be put up for adoption, or to be adopted. These events where not about who you are.
At a subjective level you have attached your ego, your conception of identity, with those events. From the Buddhist perspective you are not your ego, you are not your past, your thoughts or memories… You suffer because your consciousness has become fixated and attached to a story and the fear its created (false evidence appearing real).
This story has persisted after 10 years of therapy suggesting that whatever is keeping you stuck might have very little to do with this adoption story. Is it possible that staying stuck in the story has a payoff greater then the desire to move beyond it?
Staying stuck can become comfortable… a reason not to pursue a greater possibility which may be uncertain and scary. The anger and resentment you feel having nothing to do with the past but a anger coming from your authentic self for staying stuck in it. Unable to face the possibility that you have not yet lived your best self you project the anger and resentment from your ‘Self’ onto this story of adoption?
We work for that which no work is required – There is a rule of charity that states that if there are multiple possible explanations for something that happened to you but no way to determine which explanation is correct pick the better explanation. Pick the better story that lets you fly.
-
This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by
Peter.
Peter
ParticipantHi Katie
Can you imagine if the rules of life stated that you must figure everything out by the age of five because from that point on you will be forever forced deal with everything in the same way as that five-year-old would. Most people looking at that statement would call such a rule absurd. Yet for many people the coping skills they developed by the age of five are the same skills they will rely on for most their lives, as they wonder why things don’t work out for them. Again, looking at that last sentence you might think how foolish those people are to use the coping methods learned at an age of five to deal experiences latter in life and expect things to work out.
The concerns you have noted in your post are normal and suggests that you are entering a new stage of life. The concerns indicate that your ahead of the game as you question how your past experiences might be shaping your current experiences. This is an important opportunity to evaluate the lessons you have learned and address those that are holding you back. This is your opportunity to become more conscious of who you are and who you want to be. We are influenced by our past however we are not our past. We can learn to do better
Peter
ParticipantHi Plotinus
Thanks for responding. Its always helpful to hear different perspectives.
Red pill or blue pill? It is said once a question is asked it cannot be unasked so in this case asking the question may be answering it – the red pill has been chosen. ? Cypher wishes to un-ask the question and in deceiving himself is killed so we must be authentic in the quest. As you say we must follow our path, or perhaps more correct to say enter ‘into’ the flow of our path as laid out and that we attempt to shape.
Have you read ‘After Zen’ by Janwillem van de Wetering?
Janwillem was seeking the answer to the question of purpose and meaning and hoping to find it in a monastery. He found it but didn’t find it… (which may be a very Zen state of being). The other issue I noticed in his quest, which may have been just me reading between the lines, is the struggle between the tension of action and being. Gaining a moral detachment to life as it is while staying engaged in Life as it is. For me detachment often leads to indifference, the loss of motivation to act. Which if I’m being honest with myself is part of the appeal of being a monk – as I image a monk life would be… not having to concern myself with ‘paying the bills’ or worry about the other mundane stuff of life. Thus for me the option of being a monk would be wrong.
I’d be interested in hearing your thoughts on the issue of moral detachment and action.
February 16, 2018 at 6:28 pm in reply to: 7 years have passed by, and i just can't forget my ex! #192895Peter
ParticipantHi ZC
W.O.R.M Write One Read Many is a software term for writing code that is run over and over again. Your consciousness has become fixated on the WORM of the imagined future that cannot be and so you suffer. If only, could of, should of… you replay the memories in the hopes of changing the past… feeding the WORM and allowing it to embed itself deeper and deeper.
I do not mean to be harsh. However as you know (but do not know) the issue is not about your ex and to stop the pain what is required is to stop feeding the WORM. (When you do kill the WORM and look back on how you did it, that is exactly what you will have done, you will have gotten to the point where you just stop. Maybe that takes years of therapy or maybe you just decide to do it).
It is possible one of the reasons that you don’t stop is that a part of you gets of payoff in dwelling on the past. The payoff of staying stuck could be the comfort of certainty experienced by not changing and moving on. Staying stuck, out weighing the payoff of stopping and entering into a future that is uncertain.
You mention Karma. Karma as I understand is about ones action and cause and effect. Our actions create what we experience as well as what we a capable of seeing, the choices we are capable of making. Using the idea of reincarnation as a metaphor (each breathe is a death and a rebirth) we have the possibility to change to a higher or lower level with each breath we take . Our karma influences which door we might go through during the transition between death and rebirth. A karma based on fear may view the door to the higher level as the more difficult and uncertain path and door to the lower level of consciousnesses easier, less scary. We tend in each breath to chose the same level door however the opportunity to choose the higher level of consciousness is always present.
Again sorry if the above comes off as being harsh.
Peter
ParticipantAm I correct in saying that you have a pretty good understanding as to the source of much of your anxiety. Comparing yourself with others and being obsessed with grades? And that so far work with your therapist has not help you with finding ways to stop that unhelpful behavior…I assume you recognize that behavior as being unhelpful but for unknown reasons can’t stop yourself?
When we know a behavior isn’t working for us but continue anyway its likely that there is an unconscious payoff. Something you want more then wanting to end the anxiety the behavior creates. If that is true the next step would be to work with your therapist and identify what the payoff is and then deal with the source of the issue behind your need to compare yourself with others and obsess over grades.
In the mean time you can try the practice mindfulness – when you notice you are comparing yourself with others. Stop, create some space to breathe, notice the anxiety without judging it. Remind yourself that comparing yourself against others is not helpful and direct your thoughts else where.
Peter
ParticipantI have often contemplated the life of a hermit or monk of just some tropical island somewhere… however for me the imaginings are based on a romanticising and so would likely find the reality disappointing.
Just came across a Brad Warner blog on hardcore Zen
He was asked a question from someone who felt day job was getting in his way suggesting that – “shouldn’t we run away from this mundane work-a-day life into the beautiful romantic world of being a peaceful monk in a dreamy temple in the far-off mountains?” to which Brads answer. “If you cannot find the truth of your life right here, you will not find it anywhere else. There is no anywhere else.”
At first glace the answer might appear harsh however there is also a door to a realization that you can get where you want to go from just where you are. This does not mean not setting intentions or paying attention to our callings but a letting go of this clinging to how we imaged our path must look. The difference is in entering the flow of life, as it is, verses fighting the flow
Peter
ParticipantHi Plotinus
My conclusion is that all honest philosophical inquire ends in the absurd. A good thing as once the question is answered one can move from thinking about life, which is often the attempt of the ego trying to control what can’t be controlled to living it.
I believe Plotinus quote “All events are coordinated. All things depend on each other. Everything breathes together” is an acknowledgement as Life as it is. That each moment of life, each breath of life involves both death and rebirth. Each single moment made of a infinite number of breaths, each dependent in mostly unknown ways on each other, flowing together in each moment. The past, present and future existing only in the moment. It is an illusion of consciousness that sees life as linear experience.
“Self-knowledge reveals to the soul that its natural motion is not, if uninterrupted, in a straight line, but circular, as around some inner object, about a center, the point to which it owes its origin.” ― Plotinus
Nothing you have learned is wasted. Everything you have learned has brought you to this breath in this moment, just where you need to be to take your next. Regret, if only, should have… stories can only distort the breath
“We must close our eyes and invoke a new manner of seeing, a wakefulness that is the birthright of us all, though few put it to use.” ― Plotinus,
-
This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by
Peter.
Peter
ParticipantHow do you practice letting go? My advice… by approaching ‘letting go’ as a practice something you intentionally work on when you notice a opportunity. When you succeed be grateful and when you struggle and takes you longer then you might like, that’s good to, its practice. The intention of practice is to learn better and when you lean better add the new skill to the practice. Build up mussel and muscle memory as it were.
When you notice (mindful) that you are focused on thoughts/stories/memories about issues you cannot change and or that ‘project’ you into that past and or imagined future, and or fear. You intentionally create space to take a breath and acknowledge, without judging yourself, that you are directing your consciousness on on a story/thought/memory/fear that is keeping you from being in the moment. (you take responsibility without any judgment that might trigger negative self talk)
If you notice negative self talk take another breath and give yourself permission to set the internal dialog aside so that you might identify the issue that lies behind them as an observer. As a Observer you will likely notice that in most cases you have already dealt with the issue that your attention is directed on.
For example, the worry about getting old and not being able to do the things you hope for. In the space you created recognized that you have taken steps to exercise and eat healthy (and if not that you will). Notice there is nothing more you can do in the moment so you can let the story/thought/memory/fear go and direct your attention on more helpful thoughts… or no thoughts…
With practice “letting go” of unskillful/unhelpful thoughts will become second nature. You may still be bothered by moments of worry and such but you won’t let them take hold of you. You will become the master of your story instead of letting the ‘stories’ master you.
Peter
Participant“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality. -Seneca
Hi Kittycat100
I know it well. Experiencing the suffering of an imagined tomorrow… today. Why waist an opportunity to suffer today for a future opportunity that might not happen… I had to ask myself… did I like suffering? I know that sounds wack but why else would I be allowing myself to miss out on the present moment in order to worry and suffer about an imagined future. I must want to suffer… and at some level that was/is actually true. Lord knows I am good at creating the opportunities.
Anyway, I found taking the time to examine the stories I tell myself for cognitive distortions helpful. I also acknowledge that I’m a defensive pessimist. Meaning that when presented with a problem I tend to focus on what could go wrong so that I can take steps to prepare and prevent it. Once I have a plan the worry subsides. (I should note being a defensive pessimist is not a negative or positive attribute its just a way of avoiding stress when solving problems. You don’t want a strategic optimist building your house though you might want them to help you sell it.)
The purpose of worry is to identity outcomes you would prefer not to happen so that you can then work to avoid. The problem is that its is our nature is to lock our eyes onto our fear. We can’t look away and then tend to hit what were “looking” at. In the practice of mindfulness, we learn how to acknowledge our fears without locking our attention onto them. Instead we use the information that our fear shows us we are concerned about and focus on where it is we want to go. Once the issues are identified there is no longer a need to focus on the worry… unless one likes to suffer.
“In racing, they say that your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who cannot tear his eyes away from the wall as he spins out of control will meet that wall; the driver who looks down the track as he feels his tires break free will regain control of his vehicle.” – Garth Stein – Racing in the Rain
How do you live for now? We work for that which no work is required.
Peter
ParticipantWhen you experience rejection you suffer, when you avoid rejection you suffer. Either way you are choosing to suffer. When we attache our ego to our experiences we suffer… ‘You’ are not your experiences
Peter
ParticipantHi srk
Addition can be a tough nut to crack. Just recognizing the issue as a problem you want to deal with is a good first step. Well done
“Taking responsibility for your beliefs and judgments gives you the power to change them.” ~Byron Katie
The following is about alcoholism however I suspect the suggestions apply to all addictions.
Overcoming the Painful Desires and Beliefs That Feed Addiction
Peter
ParticipantIt is affecting me worse as I’m aging. Not better
Hi Shawn
When I was young I moved 5 times in 12 years and today I’m terrified about the prospect of having to move. I wonder how my young self ever managed to handle all the uncertainty and where that person is now. What changed? A loss of innocence? Sure. More experience/memories of how things can go wrong, Yes. Perhaps there is another way to look at it. If History is the best predictor of the future. Whatever was faced was handled even the stuff I didn’t see coming or prepared for… nothing has changed…
In the morning after completing a night compass navigation challenge through woods I retraced the path we took. There was no path, just dense woods and thickets. A route I would never have taken in day light. I wonder how I made it through. Sometimes is better not knowing and just doing what needs to be done.
A master told his students a story about a monk who built a raft to cross a river. After crossing the monk strapped the raft to his back carried it around with him where ever he went. The next obstacle this monk faced was deep canyon. In stead of unstrapping the raft from his back and using the rope to lower himself down he attempts to climb down with the raft tied to his back wondering why its so difficult… Life changes. Most of our coping methods are created by the age of 10 and we expect them to work for us when were 50, surprised and depressed when they don’t. It takes intentional effort to notice the “raft” we carry, untie it, break it down, discarding what is no longer useful.
Reading your posts, it clear that you have handled everything that has come your way. Sure, some things you might have done differently, or wished you would not have had to face, but you handled them just the same. You will handle whatever comes you way now.
The fear and doubt you have about this this uncertain stage of life you are entering is understandable but does not hold you back. In fact this uncertainty is a door to a path you might never have imagined yourself taking and doing so surprising yourself.
“The doors to the world of the wild Self are few but precious. If you have a deep scar, that is a door, if you have an old, old story, that is a door. If you love the sky and the water so much you almost cannot bear it, that is a door. If you yearn for a deeper life, a full life, a sane life, that is a door.” ― Clarissa Pinkola Estés, Women Who Run With the Wolves
Open the door.
-
This reply was modified 7 years, 2 months ago by
-
AuthorPosts