tba
A "PROBLEM" IS JUST A GAP
A “problem” is simply something unsolved. Simply a gap between what one wants and what is so - with many, many gaps existing all the time in our lives, as merely a "fact of life." But, when we consider the gap to be important enough, we call it a "bad problem."
But “the problem” (the main one) we humans have is that we have a thought about the problem such that the thought creates a “problem” for us as humans. The thought is always something like "this is a threat" (in some form) and "this is awful".
The problem wouldn’t be such a problem if we didn’t have the experience of a “chemical” dump that goes along with the thought that something is, at some level, threatening our survival/wellbeing - that chemical produces "discomfort", at which we sometimes get alarmed.
A breakdown is often thought of as a "problem", but it is simply a "thwarted intention", not a problem.
A mistake is simply a mistake, not a problem.
EXAGGERATION AND REACTIVITY CREATED "PROBLEM BIGNESS"
If we don't intervene, our evolutionary default is often exaggeration and reactivity.
We have simply evolved in a way that our systems would help us survive. Where systems didn’t help us survive or where they were dysfunctional, those systems (and the people they were built into) simply died off more often and didn’t survive (dropped out of the evolving gene pool)!
Our bodies set up a great master system of emitting signals and chemicals to help us survive. If something led to survival, the master system "learned" to emit certain chemicals and we experienced them as “survival”, which of course feels good. If something threatened survival, then the chemicals emitted indicated that we better handle the threat; those chemicals indicating possible non-survival were experienced as unpleasant. (See The Story Of Our Happy And Our Unhappy Chemicals - A Tale Of The Mechanisms For Survival.)
When we experience those “unpleasant” feeling chemicals, we can make things even more unpleasant by becoming further alarmed – then we can add to that by becoming alarmed about becoming alarmed, and so on in a self perpetuating downward spiral. As the volume of alarms increases, the primitive mind concludes that whatever is happening is a "big problem". (We call this exaggeration, but the primitive mind is just doing this in reaction.)
Here, while our master system is serving us, we are using our great, great, incredible forebrain to create a “non-supporting” system of thought that can “kill us” or at least diminish our “aliveness”.
ENGAGE THE HIGHER BRAIN - QUICKLY!
We can create all this as a “no problem” if we simply intervene with our forebrain, at at least two points in the process.
The Signal: The first point is the one at which we receive the signal “Houston, there’s a problem” from our system, in the form of chemicals we don’t like. We can choose to add fuel to the fire or we can simply say “this is no emergency, it is simply a signal, and it is definitely not something I can’t survive or tolerate – I now choose to simply look at this and see what to do…” (or something akin to this).
The Interpretation: The second point is where we, then, interpret what has happened and what it means. If train ourselves and our forebrain to do the process of “right thinking”, it will simply and automatically notice “wrong thinking” and correct it with “right thinking”, such as “I do not need to be approved of by others to be happy. I can love myself and accept that others have their own needs and conflicts and limited ways of viewing things…” or "this is no big deal; I can handle it..." In a literally physical way, we must wire these into our brains by repetition to "memorize" and make available the new thought sentences - we must "learn" them.
WE MUST COMPLETE THE "PROCESS"
Completing the process of learning “right thinking” and providing the mind a “tank full” of right thinking sentences and modes is a most worthwhile process and one where it pays to have absolute mastery(1). Does that make sense? Is there any better use of your efforts than to learn and accomplish this????
What do you choose?
___ Nothing, as this is a bunch of bull.
___ To put a few trite or simple statements into my head to override some of this,
but to still experience much of these “problem” feelings.
___ To learn 2/3 of what is needed.
___ To complete and master these until I reach a specific level on objective tests
measuring this.
Signed by _____________________________ Date: _________________
Place in your commitments section of your notebook system (or a notebook, until you’ve set up the whole system).
(1) Sometimes a master workable viewpoint can be reached through great cultures that provide it. An example of a possible, though not necessarily recommended, viewpoint that works is: In Bermuda the saying on the back of tee shirts is “Drinking, a problem? … No problem…. I drink… I get drunk…I fall down… No problem!”
The more sophisticated version of not being threatened is to operate strictly from the workability paradigm, with confidence: "Oh, I see it." "What's so about it?" "So what?" "Now what?"
