Nothing You Believe Is True

October 12, 2008

 Possibility is more interesting than reality – sez me.

 “Imagination is more important than knowledge.”, sed Einstein.

 If I were interviewing someone for a position, for any job at all, I’d be looking for three things only :

  • genuine friendliness
  • self-motivation
  • imagination

 That would be an impressive package. You can teach everything else.

Imagination sets us apart. It will be the key to our species’ success and to an interesting, wide open, off-the-treadmill future for us as individuals. Although everyone of us is capable, being more imaginative is hard to do. My sources have been children, exercise, and forcing my curiosity to expand beyond its natural limits. Does knowing your goals help unplug your head’s creativity? Nope, because not only is nothing we believe true, nor is what we think we want. In fact,

We don’t know what we want

 Malcolm Gladwell is a sociologist, known for having written The Tipping Point and Blink . The Tipping Point discusses the phenomena of crazes. How does something become incredibly popular overnight, and what factors created that explosive growth?  Blink argues that people are wired to make accurate judgements very quickly based on conscious and subconscious information gathering.

Do you know about the TED Conference? It will make you want to cheer for the entire world, for the collective voice of humanity. Gladwell speaks here about spaghetti sauce:

The point he makes is that we have no idea what we want. The context was that marketing might as well not ask consumers what they want because they will not know till they are given it. Once the product becomes available, like extra-chunky spaghetti sauce, it will fly off the shelves. 

We don’t know our goals

We’re told to write down goals or set precise goals in our head. Has it happened to you that the goal looked so right for you, but when it is realized, it didn’t fit at all with who you really are? Thinking something would be perfect, and then getting it and not wanting it … seems to happen to me a lot.

It’s like the Donny Osmond poster on your bedroom wall (OK, there is no Donny Osmond poster on my wall; it’s a Josh Groban poster; you know Josh Groban, when he sings Come What May ?

Woo-hoo-HOO-hoo-hoo ; sorry, Josh always gets me off-topic ; I’ll get the cold cloth off my forehead and keep going here),

…the poster coming to life. It dawns on you that you might not want to interact with him as a human being, you just want to have a crush on him from a distance. You thought he’d be so perfect but it was only his image that was perfect.

For those interested in purchasing this item, it comes from here. Not only do they have many Donny images and products in stock, but they are interested in buying your Donny items from you :)

You buy a pair of jeans without trying them on because they look perfect. You’ve been looking for that make. You love the color, the closure, the pockets, the rise is not too low or high. You know someone with a similar body type who looks awesome in them. You get them home, try them, and they’re way wrong. They fit someone, but not you.

Am I just wishy-washy and still muddling around in the stinking swamp of some low level of consciousness? Do people with higher awareness know their deepest wishes? 

Ah, hell, what is the point of thinking about it? It’s like wondering why cats and dogs eat grass. We’ll know the answer the day one of them tells us. We could spend lots of time speculating but the odds are high we’d be wrong, so why bother? The answer is probably “just because”.

The real you

I never said to stop believing IN yourself. You would never, ever do that. It’s the most constructive and creative power in your possession. Believing IN yourself is what this site is all about.

 Peter Russell answers the question of why not to believe.  You might wonder if you’ve come up with anything new on your own, or are you just towing along a pile of inherited crap that would make Your Deeper Self snort and roll her eyes?

Of course, as soon as you ask the question “Does it have to be this way?”, it is beginning to change. It’s only as concrete as you say it is. Your beliefs and boundaries define your entire existence but also limit your possibilities.  We need to ditch them to see our lives in new ways.

  It’s hard to do. There are consequences attached to asking questions like that. Anyone remember Jonathan Livingston Seagull? Read the plot summary on the Wikipedia page. This type of material has been around since long before personal development became an industry.

Delete your beliefs and watch the windows open

You will stop You from allowing big changes. You will set up road blocks you won’t even be able to see. But once you are free of your preconceptions and presumed opinions, you are liberated from the restrictions they impose as well.

 You can view them as an impartial observer or through the eyes of someone else, someone who doesn’t carry your particular set of personal constraints. The realm of what you can do or are willing to do changes drastically. 

Take off, imagination.

Posted by Christine Scaman | Filed Under Happiness 

Comments

2 Responses to “Nothing You Believe Is True”

  1. Elle on October 12th, 2008 3:31 pm

    umm… that’s not Josh Groban. It’s a remix of Ewan McGregor from the movie Moulin Rouge.

  2. Christine Scaman on October 13th, 2008 9:56 am

    Elle,

    You’re so right ! I didn’t listen to enough bars or else I wasn’t paying attention, or both.

    Nowhere could I find audio or video of Josh performing this song. Such a shame, it’s one of my favorites.

    Thanks for the correction :) !

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