Addiction or Distraction?

[Jane]

 

[Reena]

Aren't they two sides of the same coin though?

[Jane]

24 minutes ago, Reena said:

Aren't they two sides of the same coin though?

Yes they are. ♾️

[Daniel]

This is such a great video, Jeff's absolutely nailed it here - he's right, most humans are  addicts, but our addictive behaviour has become so normalised that we often don't even realise that we're addicted. We're constantly trying to distract ourselves, from ourselves, and so he's also so right when he says that it's a brave thing to truly stop and just be with ourselves - I've discovered in my own experience that there's an art to being truly with yourself, the essence of which is simply becoming conscious of the inner tension and allowing it to relax, and, in so doing, allowing the arising of what had previously been unconsciously repressed. It takes persistence and discipline, though, it's no quick fix.

[Jane]

@Daniel Well said. 🙂👍

[Joseph Maynor]

Is spirituality addicting or distracting?  It almost feels like we’re addicted to fullness.  We want to fill up our now with something.  It’s almost like an addiction to fun.  Boredom in a way is what we’re avoiding.  The Fun aspect of spirituality I think is overlooked.  I have a lot of fun with spirituality.  We tend to take it so seriously and sometimes miss how fun it can be and often is.  With Spiritual Enlightenment, what really sort of surprised me is how we have a need to be right not just for ourselves but over and above other people.  It’s like a sneaky need to win there.  That’s where the fighting comes from because there’s a sneaky need to conquer in there that is actually just a source of suffering.  I think spirituality can be addicting.  We don’t tend to think that way since we’re  all in it.  But someone from the outside might see it.  It’s like a need to feel impenetrable.  A need to be right.  That need to be right is a big one.  That’s where I think it starts to get to where the negatives start to exceed the positives.  The ugly head of I’m more spiritually advanced than you are.  That just sets up lots of toxic feelings and actions among people who are probably hurting deep down for some reason.  I think a lot of people come to spirituality because they have suffered in some way and they’re looking for liberation from that.   Everyone is trying to make a point and school another, even if that's done very subtly. 

Edited June 3 by Joseph Maynor

[Reena]

Addiction also serves a purpose. Living itself is an addiction. 

[Jonas Long]

2 hours ago, Joseph Maynor said:

Is spirituality addicting or distracting?  It almost feels like we’re addicted to fullness.  We want to fill up our now with something.  It’s almost like an addiction to fun.  Boredom in a way is what we’re avoiding.  The Fun aspect of spirituality I think is overlooked.  I have a lot of fun with spirituality.  We tend to take it so seriously and sometimes miss how fun it can be and often is.  With Spiritual Enlightenment, what really sort of surprised me is how we have a need to be right not just for ourselves but over and above other people.  It’s like a sneaky need to win there.  That’s where the fighting comes from because there’s a sneaky need to conquer in there that is actually just a source of suffering.  I think spirituality can be addicting.  We don’t tend to think that way since we’re  all in it.  But someone from the outside might see it.  It’s like a need to feel impenetrable.  A need to be right.  That need to be right is a big one.  That’s where I think it starts to get to where the negatives start to exceed the positives.  The ugly head of I’m more spiritually advanced than you are.  That just sets up lots of toxic feelings and actions among people who are probably hurting deep down for some reason.  I think a lot of people come to spirituality because they have suffered in some way and they’re looking for liberation from that.   Everyone is trying to make a point and school another, even if that's done very subtly. 

The "we" is the mouse in your pocket again.  Take responsibility, look within, don't project your own damage.  Look at your pain.  You're so close, time and time again, but you disown it every time and say "we all know we're all doing this".  No, that's your damage that you're talking about, not everyone's.  You are saying right out loud that you are doing a spiritual bypass.  

[Joseph Maynor]

12 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

The "we" is the mouse in your pocket again.  Take responsibility, look within, don't project your own damage.  Look at your pain.  You're so close, time and time again, but you disown it every time and say "we all know we're all doing this".  No, that's your damage that you're talking about, not everyone's.  You are saying right out loud that you are doing a spiritual bypass.  

 

You're right.  I must be wrong.  I'm laughing with you not at you.  Insider joke for sure.  The Cosmic Joke(r).

Edited June 3 by Joseph Maynor

[Joseph Maynor]

Trying to conceal your ego doesn't make it go away.  All you do is scapegoat someone else and hide.  This is just another form of battle.  It's an indirect form of battle.  

[Phil]

😯 The “Concealer”. Nice. 

[Joseph Maynor]

50 minutes ago, Phil said:

😯 The “Concealer”. Nice. 

 

The Concealer is  something to be expressed or heard.  "Doesn't want" doesn't necessarily mean what happens.  We can't foreseeably predict, in advance, who will knock on our door.  This is what we're terrified  against, and protecting from, maybe, right?  I'm just spitballing here.

Edited June 3 by Joseph Maynor

[Jonas Long]

2 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

 

The Concealer doesn't something to be expressed or heard.  

Doesn't something?

[Joseph Maynor]

13 hours ago, Jonas Long said:

Doesn't something?

 

That was a typo.  I fixed it in the original post.

Edited June 4 by Joseph Maynor

[Jonas Long]

11 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

This is what we're terrified  against, and protecting from, maybe, right?  I'm just spitballing here.

Again, with the "we".  Have some balls and own your pain.  Every time you say "we" you're trying to disown, distance, and project. 

Edited June 3 by Jonas Long

[Joseph Maynor]

7 minutes ago, Jonas Long said:

Again, with the "we".  Have some balls and own your pain.  Every time you say "we" you're trying to disown, distance, and project. 

 

What is meaning worth to you?  

[Jonas Long]

5 minutes ago, Joseph Maynor said:

 

What is meaning worth to you?  

The concept of "meaning"? Not much in itself.

[Phil]

The Concealer is really just a rationale of The Tryer. 

[Daniel]

9 hours ago, Jane said:

@Daniel Well said. 🙂👍

Thanks.🙂