Human Being...

How much freedom is really involved, and what does it actually mean to be Human?

Homo Sapiens are essentially 'reactive' mammals no different to any other creature roaming the planet, driven by the need to survive and multiply. That need is basically expressed as 'can I fight it or run from it, eat it or hump it; or a combination?'

All of this drives the ego, which some say is the original mentality of the human condition before spirit took over. The ego 'reacts' to the environment rather than acts upon it, so essentially there is no free will with the ego.

The human ego forms the command centre that monitors external conditions and relates that input to stored reactive data. This is fine and dandy until you introduce the idea of self-awareness and spirit; at which point everything goes to hell in a hand basket.

Self awareness allows us to assess and predict which is useful when you are tracking your next meal, planting crops, moving to a better area an so on. It also permits us to ponder upon the concept of 'self' and our place in the scheme of things. This is not such a good idea.

Of all the creatures on Earth we are the only species that does not live in harmony with our world. There was a time when we did, as hunter gatherers we each understood the rhythm of life and the cycles of Nature. With increased awareness came the idea that we are separate from nature, that we can control all we perceive to our benefit. Humanity became a virus infecting the Earth at this point.

We create 'beliefs', some of which we regard as being pro-survival and some which may be non-survival traits. In the end all beliefs are merely the result of information being processed through a very large range of reactive memories, thus beliefs are filters that control our perception of life.

Beliefs are killers! Well.... a lot of them are. Just step back and look at the world for a moment. Wherever you look there is strife, war, famine, poverty, disease etc etc etc. All of these things are allowed to exist through the beliefs of people who could, actually, eradicate virtually all of it.

We believe (because we are told) that the world is led by highly intelligent people with first class degrees who know better than those less fortunate souls that they govern. Sadly, it is true that anyone who has a desire to 'lead' should instantly be barred from doing so on the grounds that they 'want to do it'. Better to fill all leadership roles with poor unfortunate souls who would never dream of holding such a position and then telling them they will be shot if they foul up! What a great make-over for Planet Earth.

Hey, I'm rambling (or raving), so back to the point.

Belief filters occur at every level of our lives, modifying how we behave from the subtle to the most extreme paranoia, and understanding that we have them is the first step towards being free of them.

Fear is our greatest filter, it is controlled directly by the ego and hard wired to the adrenals. Our ego understands human mortality and for millions of years has monitored instances of non survivable events which are then passed down genetically and orally. Fear can cause us to react both rationally and irrationally.

Our fear is a nebulous enemy that sits comfortably behind many other emotions thus disguising its intent. Someone who tells you that you are the most important thing in their world may be telling the truth, or they may say the same thing to everyone from a fear of being alone, or unloved, or disliked.

If you have a negative reaction to your external world then fear may well be involved, and if it is unfounded it will become destructive to your well being. It is in direct opposition to true Joy.

Let us say that you are afraid of the dark, then you will miss out on the beauty of a starlit sky as seen from the top of a mountain where no city lights can reach.

A fear of people 'not like you' will deprive you, as a spirit, of the rich tapestry of life that has evolved through the diversity of social evolution; thus stunting your social evolution.

How do we resolve these filters?

Well, in accepting they are there you have taken the first step. Sit down and write out all your known fears, likes, dislikes etc. Now find the validation (from personal experience only) for them. Try to see how they modify your life and intuit how your life would be different if you didn't have them.

Because fear based filters are hard wired it can be difficult for some people to approach a change that would negate the filter. For these people, seeking the help of a therapist qualified in dealing with these issues is both supportive and instrumental in ensuring that in removing one filter we do not introduce another.

It is certainly true that the advent of processes like NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) have given us the tools to remove and/or reprogram our filters in a way that benefits and enriches our lives.

In freeing yourself of filters you are enabling yourself to react to life in a creative way that is true to your personal identity, rather than reacting irrationally in a way that is detrimental to you and those around you.