One can take the easy way that others have formulated “for you,” regarding living your life. Most of us travel the safe and easy path that was laid out for us by others. However, it may be that the “prefabricated path,” put there by others for us to travel upon… almost inevitably leads to a life that is not truly full of dynamic immensity and true passion. Any system, any set of rigid methodologies, merely tend to heavily condition the mind. Such a conditioned mind, being second-hand, rarely has the capacity to go beyond what is mediocre and contrived by plotting.
True spontaneity, true insight… is never the result of any second-hand, calculated series of events. Real spontaneity and actual insight is always what manifests from something direct and “non-distorted.” What is merely “learned” is always second-hand and, therefore, not truly direct and straight. Shadows are what is rather second-hand… and a lot of minds are “in the dark” due to having allowed themselves to exist via the formulations and blueprints of others. We need to go beyond what was fabricated for us to function “as.” We need to perceive without all of the contamination that was poured into so many (by calculating profiteers). We are not invited (enough) to do things without motive. We are not invited (enough) to question things freely, sanely. We are not invited to intelligently go beyond what was spoon-fed into us. Most of us may be falling “off course,” because we may be traveling as delimited by (fallen) others. Traveling on the razor’s edge is very difficult; it is easy to fall off and remain very “safe.”
Black Swallowtail on Flower’s Edge…pic by Thomas Peace (Left click on the photo and scroll down to see it enlarged; left click on the “middle” of it again to enlarge it more; hit left return-arrows, twice, to return.)
Tom's Nature-up-close Photography and Mindfulness Blog 
Do I really have to say it? Of course… Spot on man! Great write. 🙂
I often ponder social engineering and conditioning, I hypothesize none of us can be completely free of something so embedded in us since birth. We can sure get rid of a lot of it and fight like hell though! 🙂
Quoting from you: “Such a conditioned mind, being second-hand, rarely has the capacity to go beyond what is mediocre and contrived by plotting.”
This is absolutely true and a sad reality… Though I believe all of us to one degree or another is guilty of this, it’s sad expressing logical advice to someone and their eyes are just glazed over, as if I’m speaking a language they don’t understand. You also tell by the hits on your blog. 😉
Yes, one thinks you are very correct in saying (about conditioning) that “none of us can be completely free of something so embedded in us since birth.” And, yes, a lot it can be dissipated and nullified (if one is intelligent enough… which most, unfortunately, aren’t). Most would rather fit into the status quo and remain “comfortably” like everyone else. Most don’t care two pins about fixing their own minds (into something truly uncontaminated and fresh)… but they know how to fix machines, how to encourage each other to carry on in essentially the same-old-patterns, and how to sell people something that they don’t need!
You wouldn’t believe, since my book recently came out, about how many of my relatives have been so extraordinarily aloof about it. Many did not purchase it… and those that did have not commented on it to any significant extent. At a Christmas party today, for instance — and I go to these rather orthodox events, to be polite and to socialize — my niece said, “Oh, I’ve been reading your book a little… but with taking care of the children… I haven’t had time to get through much of it yet.” She is a stay-at-home mom with two kids. The book’s not a mystery/killer (i.e., so-called thriller). Conditioning is limited. It is finite. The implications of truly going beyond it are truly infinite. Most would rather remain in the limited ruts that they are embedded in (by society); asking a depression to “leave itself” is like asking a shadow to brighten up its future! Such an “asking” is “uncomfortable” and “intimidating.” 😉
Quote: “You wouldn’t believe, since my book recently came out, about how many of my relatives have been so extraordinarily aloof about it.”
Oh yes I would! lol This type of philosophy and mindset is all I eat, sleep and breath. I’ve been jaded, put down, tried to be made to feeling inferior, laughed at and so on when I talk the way I write. I’ve learned the hard way to pipe down a few notches especially in a place of employment. I would always gleefully talk about this stuff in the past with coworkers, only for them to look at me with a dumb founded look on their face… If I wasn’t talking about politics, sports, regurgitating what was in the news or news paper (Which by the way I don’t watch the news or read the paper) or politics, no one wanted to hear what I had to say…
I literally had to quit eating in the lunch room because it became so annoying. All they did was bury their noses in the newspaper while eating and talk about what they read or just simply gossip about other people and coworkers…
I’ve gotten to the point I get lonely because I have no one to talk to intellectually…
I’m running out of space on my phone screen, I’ll make another comment. 🙂
I truly enjoy our conversations! You are so right in what you said in reply to my comment. I don’t think I could have put it any better. 🙂 I had written a post about “What people really want” but I put it back as a draft to hide it from public view because I felt I was being too condescending. Yes I get frustrated when in reality I know I shouldn’t and am working on that flaw.
My stats don’t lie, when I used to blog about more simpleton stuff, I got more feedback. Writing like this? I can get a ton of views with little to no feedback in any way shape or from. I have to remind myself that materials that I write are merely a “Seed” This means, even though I don’t get a whole lot of feedback but get the views, somebody read it. And if those who read any given article in full, I may have planted a seed in their mind that just may sprout later in their life. When we can sway one person, the odds are very good they’ll sway others in their life. The multiplication effect. 🙂 I have to learn not to “Expect”, for this only leads to disappointment. 🙂
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Your comment got a wide grin from me! Before I “retired,” from being a teacher for the multiply handicapped, I refrained from continually going to the cafeteria for lunch… and remained in my classroom during lunch-time, eating at my desk. I enjoy being alone. Socializing is OK… but the best, and most beautiful, moments in my life occur when I am alone.
Regarding these blogs… it’s not the quantity (regarding who reads them) that matters… it’s the quality. I see blogs with a lot of positive impressions… and they are essentially mindless. It is par for the course… in what goes on in real life. I’m not saying that I’m superior. All one is saying is that it is sad that, when attempting to talk to people about holistic insights beyond the separative, fragmentary standards… they suddenly drift off like a frightened rabbit (or drift into ordinary, mundane conversation safely beyond any depth). Perhaps what is essentially superficial… feels very uncomfortable in the deeper waters. 😉
One of my last couple of articles cost me a follower! lol
I still have some growing up to do. I’m getting to tempted to vent my frustration which is not the mission I’m trying to accomplish. I am however going to be more blunt and forth coming because I feel I have nothing to lose anyways. I’m not talking about being rude, just blunt. Despite my wonderful yet sometimes odd sense of humor, I can not tolerate beating around the bush and stupidity. I’ve always been that way. 🙂
I know what you’re saying and all, but I cling to the belief there’s people who “Get it” if not now, later in life. Even with no feedback, deep down I believe some do get it. 🙂
Personally, I suspect that most of the older (adult) people are, basically, a lost cause. They are, unfortunately for them, too heavily conditioned, too indoctrinated with orthodoxy, too ingrained in “what they were taught to be.” The lack of “like this” clicks, for our non-superficial articles, may be a reflection of (and testimony of) their being ingrained in a limited, standard norm. That is why the book that I wrote is primarily geared toward “young people”; they are not yet totally embedded in concrete, stale, fixed, un-alive, regimented ways. Thank goodness for young people!
Never grow up!… ever! 😉
My sentiments exactly. 🙂 The deeper the article, generally means less traffic for that article. It’s not insulting anyone, but stats don’t lie. 😀
My mate said we can learn a great deal from children, this is in a positive way synonymous with “Never grow up!”
I know personally, I had deliberately held on to certain aspects of being a child, though I never new why till now. An innocence of a child is something I always deep down cherished, which I guess which is why I subconsciously tucked certain aspects away till I found a use for it. 🙂
Good for you! People who lose their youth are adulterated and dead! Never grow up!
To lose one’s direct, innocent, and uncontaminated perception of the world… is to grow up… which is, essentially, a wilting down. 😉