Jen wrote:

From the P's (Path of Empowerment), a new take on the PTB:

As I typed that out, it occurred to me that their obsession with accumulating financial wealth is probably a compensatory measure for that inner emptiness...

I've long felt that. Likewise with other addictions or obsessions.

Yes, good point.

Good one!  I guess I'm in the first group. Although I've also heard that the world is made up of two kinds of people:  those who divide the world into two kinds of people, and those who don't

From the P's (Path of Empowerment), a new take on the PTB:

As I typed that out, it occurred to me that their obsession with accumulating financial wealth is probably a compensatory measure for that inner emptiness...

I've long felt that. Likewise with other addictions or obsessions. Someone called "LightTouch" from the old Goro forum, once summarized it this way: "there are essentially two kinds of people, those who are inquisitive and those who are acquisitive". It resonates with me.

As I typed that out, it occurred to me that their obsession with accumulating financial wealth is probably a compensatory measure for that inner emptiness...

Imo, a gem of a thread which only gets better and better. Like a fine, aged wine perhaps?

A toast to you, impatiens--the best from my cellar

LOL! Yup, hear, hear...with the heart of course...

To paraphrase "The Little Prince": only with the heart can one hear rightly, what is essential is inaudible to the ear.

And I agree with the Halexandria essay that a problem only persists as long as there is a lie.  (And, the "lie" is that one creates it and then pretends one didn't.) I'm about halfway through it now, here's the link for those who may wish to check it out: http://www.halexandria.org/dward836.htm

Imo, a gem of a thread which only gets better and better. Like a fine, aged wine perhaps?

The little prince is one of my all-time favs. And that is a brilliant quote from it. Hear! Hear!

Will visit that Halex essay when time, that site is amazing!

take care ever'body, amj

Yes, dreamosis, I did see through the generally accepted point of view that deafness was a horrible fate, that I was stigmatized by being "different", etc. I may still encounter those who do take this attitude, but it just doesn't matter anymore.  It's interesting that when I first got together with my son's dad, he admitted to me that he had reservations about getting involved because he feared that I wouldn't understand him.
A reasonable doubt, you might think.  Yet, my son paid me a great compliment recently.  We were talking about how much better I could hear now, and he volunteered that he always felt I understood him better than anyone else, even before I got my "bionic ear." 
To paraphrase "The Little Prince": only with the heart can one hear rightly, what is essential is inaudible to the ear.

And I agree with the Halexandria essay that a problem only persists as long as there is a lie.  (And, the "lie" is that one creates it and then pretends one didn't.) I'm about halfway through it now, here's the link for those who may wish to check it out: http://www.halexandria.org/dward836.htm

It's interesting that only when I was able to finally take a neutral stance toward my deafness, seeing it as neither good nor bad but simply as experience, that I was able to resolve this in harmonious manner...

So your healing began when you transcended a duality (the "I'm not OK [as a deaf person]--they're OK [as hearing persons].")

...Your wording is interesting, too.  You said you moved forward once you took a neutral "stance..." I think another big characteristic of living in a system of duality is stances, positionalities.   It's when you stepped out of a positionality on it, entered a non-stance (the stance of neutrality) that the problem resolved itself.

...This relates to that Halexandria.com essay, too.  The author wrote that a problem only persists as long as there is a lie. 

You removed the lie, or saw through it--the lie that you were lesser because of your deafness.

I believe your statement of "nothing is really negative or positive in itself" speaks to the heart of the matter.  Living in a system that places a positive or negative value on an outcome, or even a beingness, creates the varied issues stated in your initial post.

In any given situation, regardless of any initial value attached can, if a decision is made, be redefined to include the opposite energy tag.

Each of us, as creators, hold the possibilty within our grasp to define our reality in a manner that either contributes to the perpetuation of fear, anxiety, angst, etc. or not. 

With that stated possibility, comes the responsibility to be present in a moment where reactivity reigns and step into a broader perspective to chose the next moment.  Time does indeed slow when asked.  The past does indeed change when asked. The future does indeed meet us when asked.

Be well.

Soulful

Edit:  It's interesting that only when I was able to finally take a neutral stance toward my deafness, seeing it as neither good nor bad but simply as experience, that I was able to resolve this in harmonious manner (cochlear implant surgery, a "bionic ear").  I still don't have perfect hearing, but can now hear birdsong, talk on the phone, and just hear better in general, which is enough of a resolution for me.

And I still have the "silence option" when I turn off my sound processor.
By now I've realized that's quite a blessing!   Just goes to show that nothing is really negative or positive in itself, it's all in our perspective...

HIERARCHY:  placing power outside of oneself

This is the most notable characterisitc of living in a system of polarity for me. 

Hierarchies are predicated upon something, though.  You could say labels, and ultimately, judgments.

It is ignorant to deny that there are varieties and levels of beings, but I believe that it is in the absence of an acknowledgment of a basic equality that cruelty flourishes.

There are beings with more awareness than others, but perhaps only in illusion.  To me, it's when there's an acknowledgment of the illusion--the hierarchical game being played--that true communication and cooperation and trust flourishes.  The game is an expedient (for evolution), but if it is believed in (rather than pretended), people get hurt and their evolution slows down.

There's the famous Kierkergaard saying: "When you label me, you negate me."  I interpret that to mean that when a label is applied, it is like telling the human being to be a noun (which it is not--it is a verb, an ever-changing, ever-flowing, psychdelic thang... )

Labels are the result of duality...The Us and Them. 

Maybe the opposite of labels are "roles," which can be had and assumed while still living in the acknowledgment of interconnectedness.

Jen and all,
Great post and comments. I feel that the root of this polarity problem is confusion about who we actually are, and I feel that all else stems from this. Very provocative, will spend more time reading all thoroughly when I have time.

Take care,

I agree impatiens, confusion about who we are is at the root of the challenges posed by living in a system of polarity, and this is why, for example, we experience fear, the illusion of time,  and the other things I listed in my initial post here, though I'm sure that list is incomplete.

The discussion about discovering who we are in another thread, "The Safer Probable Future", led me to conclude that we are (1) creators, and (2) the witness, or simply "that", as in "I am that."  It strikes me that we can be more effective creators when we can detach from the changeable personality/ego self and observe ourselves and our life from the point of view of the witness, where we can create from the space of "being" rather than "doing."

Just feeling my way here...

Take care,

Yes, Hildegarde, polarity is well symbolized by "two sides of the same coin" and all the poles that go with that.  Like separation/unity--paradoxically, can't have one without the other.

Good observation, SoulfulWanderer, about polar opposites often getting together and exchanging significant energies.  I've often wondered why it is that many of the people in my life have been so different from me (including my current apartment-mate); there's my answer.  It sure is a challenge, but it's the challenges that stimulate us to grow and learn.

And oceanchild, I agree that becoming aware of this polarity and learning to maneuver consciously within it is crucial to mastery.  The Pleiadians compare it to the game board of alternating black and white squares, and say that we are here to become our own game-masters. 

Wow, that is a great blueprint for self-mastery from your friend.  My compliments to Lorie!  I'm going to save it for my files, thanks for sharing!  A great guide to playing the game consciously. 

"Friend or Foe" (as listed in "Robot Land" in that blueprint) is an important aspect of being unconscious in this game--another version of "Us and Them."  How easily we can fall into this mindset, even we at NR who are supposedly so much more aware than the average person!

Edit:  Wow, altamash, thanks for posting those graphics from the Law of One, they look awesome!  going to study them now...

if there's anyone in the toronto area (or anywhere else) looking for a great person to talk to regarding personal matters, i would highly recommend Lorie (drop me a note if interested and i will pass her # on to you - she also does over-the-phone-consultations)

I live in scarborough, i'd be interested in talking to her. Does she use instant messenger service like msn ?

http://www.lawofone.org/densities_of_illusion.jpg Click to get a bigger view