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Originally Posted by tekomino  I don't know. That is just your view and your conditioning. We all see that differently. Most of people think of themselves as good decent people. Even hard-core criminals. I bet even Leona in your example loved her life... |
Right, it is my perspective, but it's not my conditioning by any means! My conditioning, my habitual thought patterns, would have me being resigned to a life in which I think of myself as a good, decent person. Maybe I would look around and think, maybe like Leona, "I love my life! It's not important that the person I love to the exclusion of everybody else is a dog, and I am not concerned about all the lawsuits against me for cheating my employees, and really, it's nobody's business but my own if I inspire hatred and vitriol in pretty much everyone I encounter. I'm a good, decent person, and I love my life!" I would certainly be entitled to that view and that life, just like a hard-core criminal is, and there's no reason in the world that I *should* align myself with truth or love or power.
But if I want to live consciously, I will be stopped by such habitual thought. Sooner or later it will occur to me that lying is exhausting, that screaming is costing me terribly, that having lots of money or power is not worth paying the price of being separate, alone, and honest with myself.
It takes dynamic willingness to live consciously, and to free yourself of habitual thought, and resigned tolerance of misalignment. It's not for everyone, and I'm not saying anyone *should*! Maybe it's not for you, even though I know for sure that you are a good, decent person.
It's what I'm up to, though, and it works in living a life I love, so I feel pretty good about sharing that. As Rose says, though, if someone offers you an old stinky sneaker, there's no rule that says you have to pick it up!
