Friday, May 11, 2012 | By: Rath Loeung
New Perspectives
EMDT.MAC - Week 2 Readings Post: "the Art of Possibility"
The Art of Possibility is such a timely reading for me. Over the course of a lifetime, there are certainly internal messages and habitual perspectives that accumulate into what we endearingly call "baggage." Oh, everyone's got their baggage. But I'm convinced that we don't have to live our lives chained to that baggage. This book is reminding me of ways of thinking that are quite unnatural for me and despite resolving time and time again to shift to the more positive perspective, I just fall back into old habits and old ways of thinking. It's just easier. And the more stressed I become (via end-of-the-school-year pressures, for example), the more likely I am to default to what requires less of me.
"It's All Invented" - How peculiar is it that we decide upon a reality and then spend the rest of our lives defending it to the death? At what cost do we decide that it's not worth it anymore? These constructs of reality have been the fodder of philosophers for ages, but this book decides to step knee-deep into it from the start. I love it. The phrase kind of summarizes my current spiritual journey. I've struggled with the rituals and traditions of organized Christianity and decided that even though many acts are the invention of humanity, there's still a beauty and significance to them. But these acts are not the substance of my faith. Just like our constructs should not be the substance of our realities. Doors of freedom are thrown open when we wake up; akin to Neo swallowing the red pill. Choice becomes available and concrete. All of a sudden, it's not so much that we're playing other people's game, but actually shaping the game for ourselves.
"Stepping into a Universe of Possibility" - Again, perspectives. I think our society's compulsion for measurement and categorization is the intentional byproduct of good old Industrialism. Modern times have not been good for Creatives and Optimists. Life's hard when our accomplishments and self-worth are constantly in contrast with something else, someone else. But in order to make the industrial society great, we (as a grunt worker that's a part of the machine) have to stack up against the efficiency of the worker on either side of us. It's exciting to see the transition away from this. It's also painful: Painful when organizations and institutions are in the business of self-preservation. Painful when innovation is squashed because it threatens a centuries-old status quo. Painful when we keep trying to patch up a broken educational system instead of reinventing it for coming generations that quite frankly, won't be wired to think of or see the universe the way we do.
I'm really enjoying this read. This post will end here but there are more thoughts playing around in my head that I'll have to pour into another post. Until then, step back a little and think about your perspective.
The Art of Possibility is such a timely reading for me. Over the course of a lifetime, there are certainly internal messages and habitual perspectives that accumulate into what we endearingly call "baggage." Oh, everyone's got their baggage. But I'm convinced that we don't have to live our lives chained to that baggage. This book is reminding me of ways of thinking that are quite unnatural for me and despite resolving time and time again to shift to the more positive perspective, I just fall back into old habits and old ways of thinking. It's just easier. And the more stressed I become (via end-of-the-school-year pressures, for example), the more likely I am to default to what requires less of me.
"It's All Invented" - How peculiar is it that we decide upon a reality and then spend the rest of our lives defending it to the death? At what cost do we decide that it's not worth it anymore? These constructs of reality have been the fodder of philosophers for ages, but this book decides to step knee-deep into it from the start. I love it. The phrase kind of summarizes my current spiritual journey. I've struggled with the rituals and traditions of organized Christianity and decided that even though many acts are the invention of humanity, there's still a beauty and significance to them. But these acts are not the substance of my faith. Just like our constructs should not be the substance of our realities. Doors of freedom are thrown open when we wake up; akin to Neo swallowing the red pill. Choice becomes available and concrete. All of a sudden, it's not so much that we're playing other people's game, but actually shaping the game for ourselves.
"Stepping into a Universe of Possibility" - Again, perspectives. I think our society's compulsion for measurement and categorization is the intentional byproduct of good old Industrialism. Modern times have not been good for Creatives and Optimists. Life's hard when our accomplishments and self-worth are constantly in contrast with something else, someone else. But in order to make the industrial society great, we (as a grunt worker that's a part of the machine) have to stack up against the efficiency of the worker on either side of us. It's exciting to see the transition away from this. It's also painful: Painful when organizations and institutions are in the business of self-preservation. Painful when innovation is squashed because it threatens a centuries-old status quo. Painful when we keep trying to patch up a broken educational system instead of reinventing it for coming generations that quite frankly, won't be wired to think of or see the universe the way we do.
I'm really enjoying this read. This post will end here but there are more thoughts playing around in my head that I'll have to pour into another post. Until then, step back a little and think about your perspective.
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