Performing action and our perceived reality

Action is essential to all things in the universe. It is an integral part of our reality. It is a link with our reality. Because we are corporal as well as spiritual in nature we can not escape this. We are a part of the universe that we live in and in this way we are always bound by its laws. Even if we look at it in purely scientific terms all thing no matter how inanimate they seem are perpetually in motion. The atoms that make up all matter are perpetually moving.  Forces between them are ever exchanged governing their properties. In terms of time, we are always in motion. There is no way to stop the moment from passing.  No matter what our efforts or state of mind, time will always take its course unaffected by us. We interact with action in a similar way.  We are a part of the world just as it is a part of us.  The matters that make up the bodies that contain our spirits are a part of the universe. The laws that govern our movements and survival are a part of the universe.  The images and methods of thinking we develop are inspired by the world around us. Yet we also have the power to act of our free will.  We can move where we like and decide to do or not do things to a certain degree. So much of our lives and existence is governed by the forces that surround us and contribute to our physical existence it can be safely argued that we may well have no real control at all over our lives or existence. It could be said that we act and react in accordance with the laws of nature that created and maintain us. However, it must also be noted that we are also a part of this great system of law action and reactions. In some small way at least we affect it. Action is our voice in this large system of forces and events. The more we act the more impact we have on the system. The more impact we have the more we become aware of our own existence. The more the rest of the system becomes aware of us. The more we begin to get in touch with our relationship with nature with the universe the more we begin to become aware of what we are capable of.

Conversely the less we act the more we are pushed and directed by the forces that contribute to our make up.  The more this happens the less influence we have. Let us look at things from a social perspective for a moment.  In society, we have a group of people in a system governed by the same laws.  We have similar physical attributes and abilities. Yet there is often a vast difference between the influence and control that each individual has over the group. There are many factors that contribute to this. Physical attributes affect things to some degree, although history has shown us that this is often not an overbearing factor.  I myself through self-study and discipline was able to understand and overcome a dyslexic handicap; Social status and upbringing contribute to this to a large degree. People’s values, ideas, and self-esteem are adversely affected by the environment they were brought up in and the world that surrounds them.  This is perhaps the biggest determining factor in how a person will turn out.

At birth, in terms of our understanding of this world at least, we all start out with a blank slate.  All the images and understanding of the world around us comes to us mainly from our five senses.  The things we experience on a day to day basis to a very large degree determine how and what we think. What we think on a day to day basis determines to a large degree how we act and react to the world around us. It is just like the old saying,’ do wish to hard for it you may just get it.’  This the only way it can be. If you do not think about it is not likely that you will do it. If you do not think about it is also less likely that you will notice it when it happens or that it will have much impact on you if it does. Well now here’s the good news. Because consciousness if a day to day process and you are not strictly bound to the past you can change anything you want.

If you determine that smoking is harmful to you, you can quit even though you now have developed a physical addiction. I remember when I had just gotten out of high school. I worked with my father for several years.  It was heavy construction and I disliked the environment.  At the time I was still struggling with my dyslexia and was very sensitive to people’s perception of my intelligence.  In retrospect, I do not for a moment suppose that the people I worked for were any less intelligent than the people I work with now. It was my confusion at the time that leads me to this experience. I began to see my self picking up their mannerisms and language.  I remember in one moment I saw a clear picture of myself from the outside. From that moment on I declare war with the environment.  I did all I could not let things influence me. I paid attention to my speech and started reading more. Every thought that I had was in not letting the environment change me. In many ways it was eccentric but it did work. Most importantly it taught the beginnings of my understanding today.  Any environment no matter how powerful can be overcome. Any past conditioning no matter how strong can be surpassed. On the physical level, the mind is nothing more than a complex computer. Whatever you put into it is what will come out.  If you don’t like the thoughts that are in there, change them; if you don’t like the results the computer produces change the programming.

Many self-help courses are built up around these principles. Use the power of the mind to change the mind. Take an active approach to shaping your thought and your life. I practice these courses give you a set of techniques were you reprogram patterns of thought, by using positive reinforcement.  People are taught to change their passive thinking and lifestyles, by performing active thought and active action. The more you take action in your life, the more in control you will be. It is important to think before you act as well.  Inaction, is as important as action, like all things in life it a balance. However, in today’s world, most people perform an overabundance of inaction. It is not easy for people to act. All action will produce a reaction. Often it is opposed to the action you perform.  Also, there is no way to know if what you are doing is the best or right course of action. This also is the law of the universe. The only way to truly know what you will happen if you do something is to act. All the rest is speculation. We must act responsibly, but we must act.

I have an exercise that I perform with students.   I sometimes go over meditations where they are required to sit motionless for a long period of time. Most people have great difficulty remaining still for any more than a few minutes. I thought about the problem one day and now before we do long meditations, I go over very active physical exercises first.  The overabundance of inactivity within them is overcome for the moment and they are naturally ready to be passive. We can not fight the laws of the universe we can only understand them and work with them. Riding the tail of the dragon as it is put in Tai Chi.