Wednesday, January 3, 2018

What makes you tick?

Unitarian Universalism is a living tradition which is shared drawing from many sources, six of which are articulated. The first source is the "direct experience of that transcending mystery and wonder, affirmed in all cultures, which moves us to a renewal of spirit and an openness to the forces which create and uphold life." That's quite a statement which one can get lost in and confused by but simply means what is your experience of your experience? Reflect on it and you can learn a lot and it can bring you peace.

Ask most people, "What makes you tick," they can't tell you. They look at you annoyed, confused, and perhaps intrigued.

Socrates said that an unexamined life is not worth living. How many people do you know live examined lives? Do you?

We are so focused on the external world we rarely explore our inner kingdom. It is vast, mysterious, at first frightening, and then glorious.

Freud taught us that we have two minds: the conscious and the unconscious. The unconscious mind is revealed somewhat in dreams, in slips of the tongue, in acting out. Freud said that we can either talk it out or act it out. Children act it out, but as their vocabulary and self awareness increases they are able to talk it out. Talking it out is usually perceived as a sign of maturity.

Jesus told us that the kingdom of God is within and among us. If we are to grow spiritually, we need to explore that kingdom. Traditionally, this was called "contemplation". Some prefer the term "reflection."

Do you take time throughout the day to reflect on your experience? In educational pedagogical theory this is also called "meta cognition" which simply means thinking about what you think. What condition is your condition in?

Ask yourself "Why do I think what I think," Why do I feel what I feel," Why do I behave the way I behave," "What is the level of understanding that I have of what makes me tick?"

1 comment:

  1. Has social media made us more distractible and less likely to take the time and energy to understand ourselves? There is increasing research which shows that people who are externally oriented with social media tend to be more anxious and depressed. The FOMO (fear of missing out) phenomenon has been identified as a real problem contributing to human stress and dissatisfaction. This article points in a whole different direction. I like it. Thank you.

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