The trap of being sure of oneself

Sarah Palin is a shining example of what happens to us when we become too sure of ourselves and are not aware beings. Aware beings are never too sure of themselves because they are aware.

Palin, like many others makes decisions based on a number of things that affect her. She sees herself as a victim of the media, yet she revels in the media attention. She sees herself as a fighter, yet can't wait to get out of her job. She sees herself as family oriented but uses her family for her own personal gain.

Palin is a very public example, but countless others – mired in obscurity –follow the same pattern. They live their lives in a tempest bouncing from one problem to another, seeking attention and then complaining because it is not what they were really looking for.

The problem is that they are too sure of themselves, which leads to making major mistakes, which causes them to condemn all around them without realizing that they are the cause of their difficulties in the first place.

Lao tzu says this about that– from verse 9:

9. The Danger of Overweening Success
Stretch (a bow) to the very full,
And you will wish you had stopped in time.
Temper a (sword-edge) to its very sharpest,
And the edge will not last long.
When gold and jade fill your hall,
You will not be able to keep them safe.
To be proud with wealth and honor
Is to sow seeds of one's own downfall.
Retire when your work is done,
Such is Heaven's way.

Overdoing anything can only cause problems– but note that he is talking about overdoing things that ordinarily are not mistakes. Tempering a knife edge is important–but overdoing it leads to problems. You get the idea.

Many people following a path to enlightenment fall into the same trap. Take meditation. Now, meditation is a very useful tool. zIt can be used to remove blocks, to get centered, to silence the voices of ego that too often push us into going too far. However, meditation is not being in the world. It is a way f escaping from the world. As such, it limits our ability to be aware beings. Believe it or not.

Being aware means being aware of everything around you at all times. This is not easy until one wakes up. No matter how heard one tries, one cannot "wake up" in meditation. They can only wake up when the complete meditation.

The next time you are in deep meditation have your guide tell you that when you wake up you will be fully awake and aware of the world around you.

Have him or her tell you to be aware of the expression on your face. Waking up that way may pull you into a state of enlightenment.

And that is the goal.

Mr. T

On Sarah Palin quitting her job.

Most aware people know by now that the Governor of Alaska has quit her job.

How does quitting a job fit into an enlightened life? Some may say that you should follow your bliss and leave jobs, relationships, etc in order to find what truly makes you happy. The problem with that kind of thinking is that it presupposes you know what it is that truly makes you happy AND that what makes you happy is truly harmonious with the universe. Now, Sarah Palin is not an enlightened being. She is an ambitious being. She is not happy doing what she is doing, she is only happy in doing something else. She also enjoys Being in the spotlight. Neither of these traits is a mark of enlightenment.

Now, how does this fit into an enlightened life? For starters one who is enlightened tends to migrate to what is joyful. This does not mean that one is always joyous or that one does not get exasperated at times. Enlightened beings do get exasperated. But, they are always aware of their feelings and surrounding and can react to the situation from an aware position instead of a subconscious automatic response. Remember enlightened beings are still human and their emotions do not disappear when one becomes enlightened.

Most enlightened people are not centered on other people or being in the spotlight. hey usually seek peaceful places and are completely comfortable with solitude.

If you are in a situation where emotions control and you are driven by external forces and desires such as "to be appreciated" or to be "in the spotlight" you are trapped in a worldly existence. The best way out is to pull back and shift your focus away from being driven by the outside forces and by learning to find harmony and joy in whatever you do.

Finally, you would well to remember that, as Wayne Dyer says "you cannot control your reputation". What others think of you is out of your hands. What you do control is your character. If you live your life honorably and in harmony with things, that will come through and when bad things are said about you, people will recognize that those things are false.

That is the best way to remain peaceful and harmonious as you move through life.

Mr.T