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Originally Posted by sirkinm  Like a lot of people, I'm feeling frustration over this concept that Steve has introduced (I've never encountered polarization prior to his first article), and I don't know what to make of it. It does seem to be absurd to classify all elements of one's life in the terms of light/dark. |
As Steve said, polarising is much like defining a purpose for your life. It's not so much you saying, "this is how reality works and how it should work for everyone" but rather, "this is the experience I want to create for myself, regardless of how reality works". In other words, even if you define a purpose for your life or say you’re a lightworker, it doesn’t mean everyone else has to follow your life purpose as well and also be lightworkers. Everybody is free to choose their own experience, whether they be purpose driven, purposeless, a light or darkworker, unpolarised, TV salesman, gynaecologist, etc.
On the other hand, I think Steve has only covered the tip of the figurative polarity iceberg in his writing on polarity, so basically what we are trying to do is understand something when we can only see 10% of it. Like trying to understand the story of a 2 hour movie by watching it for 5 minutes, trying to understand polarity by reading a few articles about it is equally difficult -- you'll be left feeling confused and you'll probably have a whole lot of questions. Basically, you'll be left wanting more. I'm sure there is much Steve could write about polarity, light/darkworkers, etc, but I really think such material would be best served in a comprehensive book or audio program (or a combo of both) that brings everything together and goes into exhausting amounts of detail (hint hint, Steve
).
You also have to keep in mind that Steve has a large amount of background, "foundation" knowledge/experience that supports what he knows about polarity (and many other things). While he may easily understand a concept, without the prerequisite knowledge, you may find it incomprehensible, much like trying to read a book without knowing how to read, or trying to solve a math problem without knowing the basics of maths. Steve has stated before that he's read about 600 books in the field of personal development, so that alone should drive this point home for you.
While you (and I) may have newbie, beginner , or even intermediate knowledge/understanding/experience, Steve is easily an expert in his field, so trying to understand advanced subjects such as polarity can be much like a beginner weight trainer trying to lift the amount of weight a seasoned, expert bodybuilder can lift. You simply can't do it to any reasonable degree and should instead focus your efforts on building up your strength instead of tackling challenges that are far above your skill level.
I personally find it best to respect the magnitude of the challenge that is understanding polarity instead of expecting it to be conquered with little time/effort, which is actually somewhat empowering since it makes me my expectations much more realistic and practical rather then leaving me constantly confused. I can admit to myself that I probably only have around 10% of the knowledge Steve has on this (if that), so it's no doubt I have questions and things I don't understand!
And I can see how this relates to some other naive expectations I once had. When I first started my conscious pursuit of personal development I expected it to be something I'd get the hang of really quickly, and I envisioned myself racking up many results in no time at all. I thought "even though people say it can take a few years, I'm sure it'll only take me about a year or so". I was wrong.
I don't let it get to me though, since with the knowledge/experience I had at the time, that was the best conclusion I could make. But I now have a much more realistic perspective. That doesn't mean that I don't have high aspirations (that are probably equally naive
), it just means that I have a respect for the process and I know that if I wish to get any results, I must honour it. Which brings me to my next point...
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Originally Posted by sirkinm I've also wondered the same questions that others are asking: How do lightworkers reconcile those actions that are only marginally directed at helping others. And really - do darkworkers have to be solely concerned about their own power/wealth/etc. to the exclusion of all else? Do they only love their families for the status that they provide them, because they will continue their legacy, etc.?? |
Don't worry, I'm confused as well.
At first it frustrated me, and it still does slightly if I try to figure it out mentally and focus all of my attention on my confusion, but the fact is that polarity is something you need to experience to fully understand, much like subjective reality, how it feels to swim in water, driving a car, etc. You can still try your hand at figuring things out in your head alone, but until you're ready to invest some decent effort into actually testing out the concept/theory and evaluating it experientially, you'll only be dwelling on the tip of the iceberg.
Basically, until you have some decent experience under your belt, you will be in what’s called a state of unconscious incompetence (that doesn’t mean your stupid, it just something to accept as a part of the learning process). In a state of unconscious incompetence you are not yet aware of what you don't know, so practically everything is confusing.
But eventually after enough experience, you move from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence (knowing what you don't know, but still not knowing what you want to know), and from conscious incompetence to conscious competence (a state where you are beginning to know what you wanted to know, consciously), and on and on it goes (up until you get to what I call "conscious mastery", a very difficult state to reach).
For a long time now I’ve continuously fallen into the trap of getting frustrated when I can’t figure out things that I have little to no experience with, but since it’s happened many times now, I’ve started to see patterns emerge. And as such, I’m beginning to accept the unconscious incompetence state as something that is part of the learning process, and it’s much more empowering since you don’t dwell on the fact that you are incompetent.
It’s all too easy to fall into the insidious and not at all beneficial trap of bringing your ego into the picture and attacking your identity by saying or thinking things like: “why can’t I figure it out? Is there something wrong with me? I must be no good at this. I just can’t get a break, it seems like life is against me.”, etc, but at all costs, you must maintain your awareness.
That said, a few unwilling trips into negative thinking can give you the knowledge you need to stop falling into that trap in the first place. It’s certainly been the case for me, and genuinely thankful for both the good experiences I’ve had in life, as well as the bad, since both have important lessons to impart. A very wise quote Steve often uses is this:
The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.
Is not the cup that holds your wine the very cup that was burned in the potter’s oven?
And is not the lute that soothes your spirit, the very wood that was hollowed with knives?
When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and you shall find it is only that which has given you sorrow that is giving you joy.
When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see in truth that you are weeping for that which has been your delight.
~ Kahlil Gibran
(It sure took me a while to understand that quote, but I think I've finally got it. But that's what I thought when I first read it, so I may still have some surprises waiting for me when I read it again down the track. Unconscious incompetence indeed.
)