Meaning and context are decisive. Can "reframing" alter our experience and enjoyment of life?

I love you and the discussion and responses your OP elicited.

To me, it has to do with how language shapes our reality for us. Language literally forms the lens which we perceive the world with (maybe someone else said that?).

Education requires and demands that you break free from old paradigms (education demands that you switch lens), and that's scary. You lose yourself in the process a little, specially if you're only really familiar with one or two lens, and then you may find yourself suddenly grieving the loss of certain paradigms... I've done it.

Education is a painful process, you're exactly right. And because of that discomfort, it's not something we really seek after naturally, tbh, imo. Outside of the being so bored you seek to stimulate yourself thing that we all do naturally(we get curious)... education is not a natural process that we willingly throw ourselves into because it can be so uncomfortable. We would rather stay where we are familiar because familiar is comfortable, even if it means we hang onto our ignorance and deny the truth. So... people need tons of evidence and lots of convincing before they accept any kind of change usually. That's what it seems like to me.

Idk if that has anything to do with anything you said, but that's where your OP lead me. s&f!

a reply to: AnkhMorpork




Sorry, I don’t know how to use the quote function.

You said: “I don't think that "reality" is entirely arbitrary or a blank slate and that everything is as you say "up for grabs". If a person has deluded themselves into thinking that it's a certain way that isn't based in truth,… then their form of magical thinking could easily lead them astray…”

Very True. Discernment and judgment are paramount to recognize what is a fact and what is a point of view. If ideas are tools we must remember that any tool can be miss-used. And I should add that I’m thinking more of small matters of perspective and not so much of larger issues of what is true or false.
Here’s a simple example: I went to a Christmas party for my Mom at a nursing home. It’s a nice place, so I figured everyone would be dressed up. I wore a jacket and tie. No one else did. Everyone was dressed super-casual. My first thought was to be embarrassed that I was over dressed. My second thought was that I was the best dressed guy in the room, and I felt much better.

You wrote: “but to the degree that they wish to perform magic they will require that others share something of their worldview …”

I’m thinking more about how to run the software of my own mind and not so much about influencing others or even necessarily sharing my thoughts with them. “a room of my choosing” is a private room, although I guess every room has windows that others can see in.

You said: “Still worse, if they were to engage in magical pursuits for purely selfish gain, then they could end up playing the role of an abuser…”

Absolutely true. That’s why I recommend a set of unchanging core values to provide guidance. I should probably add that I’m thinking of positive values.

You wrote: “there's no such thing as isolate consciousness and no man is an island, so if their worldview and paradigm is out of alignment with the logical precepts that can be derived from a clear-eyed examination of reality, they would then end up contaminating the field of consciousness…”

You have a very well taken point there. This stuff isn’t easy, but it’s the only game in town. I would have to say that everyone is a player whether they realize it or not. To try to choose wisely, realistically, in a life-affirming, useful and loving way is the essence of what it is to be human.

a reply to: geezlouise

Your comments are very insightful and on point.

You said: “…language shapes our reality for us. Language literally forms the lens which we perceive the world…”

“Education is a painful process… And because of that discomfort, it's not something we really seek after naturally.”

A painless exercise in education is to increase one’s vocabulary. Precision in speaking or writing aides in precision of thought. It makes you ask yourself, “What is it, exactly, that I’m trying to say?’

a reply to: AnkhMorpork



Where are my manors? Your OP should be complemented for being thoughtful and interesting. It is one way of looking at the question of what is reality. And that’s a pretty good question.

I don’t think I can star or flag or else I would.
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a reply to: cimmerius

I starred your posts, too. I think you got it going on.

And increasing our vocabulary might be painless for you maybe, and me, lol. And essentially, yeah, for anyone. But even with vocabulary... it really depends on the situation.

Like as a private personal endeavor it might be painless- because you're learning of your own volition. But when someone else is throwing out words that you aren't familiar with, it could come off being offensive or scary. People have complained that I use "big words" too much. And I know others who would make snide comments about someone else's extensive vocabulary... as if to say that person was a snob for using fancy words. Or showing off. So I think even increasing one's vocabulary can be a painful process for people- like when it's not up to us maybe, like when everyone starts using certain terms and words that you're not familiar with yet, it could make you feel dumb. Which hurts, lol.

It's like everyone always knows something you don't.

I just accept it now. I'm always dumb.

And I even like it when people are snobby, lol.

And I'm not afraid of looking dumb just because I ask questions. I used to be afraid of asking questions? But after I bit the bullet and asked some dumb questions a few times, I realized I wasn't ever going to die from the embarrassment of not knowing something. And also, I realized you gain knowledge that way, too. How else are we going to get any answers? It's not like people are just going to hand everything to you. Even though... wow, since I know how scary it is to ask a question I do try to answer people's questions before they ever ask them. Oh wow. Never thought about this shiz this deep before.

a reply to: geezlouise

Thank you for your positive feedback and contribution to this thread.

I think that an important distinction to draw when considering the pain and suffering of taking on a new paradigm and releasing from an old one, which as you say doesn't come easy, because it involves a movement from the known and "comfortable" (for many people, their "way" of seeing and being based on their closely held paradigm is far from "comfortable"), to the unknown, which may seem scary to the ego, as if it might spell the death of an aspect of the self, however big or small - is the distinction between a necessary or meaningful suffering for the cause of truth, and an unnecessary suffering for the cause of untruth, whereby as Carl Jung stated, all neurosis is a substitute for legitimate suffering.

In other words, if they really stop and take an honest inventory, it may be discovered that the pain of letting go of something that's not working anymore isn't as great as the pain and suffering of hanging onto it at all cost, even the cost of their own spiritual and psychological well being.

What the self or ego-self might perceive as it's impending death might very well be a type of resurrection of the true self on the other side of the ordeal as a necessary or legitimate or meaningful suffering, whereby "he who keeps his life will lose it, but he who loses his life for the sake of what's right, will find it again". (paraphrased)

There is nothing worse than continuing to suffer needlessly and for no good reason, but there is any amount of pain and suffering that we would be willing to take on if it's meaningful, and, if there's a light at the end of the long dark tunnel or what some have referred to as a dark night of the soul.

This journey has all the hallmarks of the hero's journey, and it's a path that we all must take if we're to reclaim our sanity and continue on a path of spiritual and psychological growth and well being and enjoyment. It's something that most people encounter in the form of a "mid-life" crisis, but it's true that no matter how helpful such a courageous journey into the unknown may be, it's fraught with the terror of the death of an outmoded self who's actually become the bane of the re-discovery of the true self, and even a killer of that true self and of the child within.

It must however be persuaded to see that it's for it's own good, not unlike a sick and angry dog who is resisting going to the vet to be healed of a terrible parasite or some such thing.

Courage and determination is what we need, but it's not for the faint of heart. This is why Scott Peck, MD who wrote "The Road Less Travelled, a New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth" was convinced through the experience of his practice, that no matter how ill a person might be, and no matter how neurotic or dysfunctional, if they possessed a strong will and the recognition that they are in need of help and guidance or simply open-mindedness and willingness, then for them there was hope for a new beginning and a new basis for healthy and happy living.

Paradoxically, the very strong-willed nature that may cause a person to resist entering onto the path of spiritual and psychological growth, is the very same will that, in recognizing their own suffering, is capable of dragging that sick dog to the vet, kicking and screaming if need be.

For the weak-willed and apathetic "pansy" there was little likelihood of real progress or even the will to seek help or a better way forward.

A strong will and a great deal of courage then, is what's needed, that and the willingness to enter into a necessary or meaningful suffering in the hope of a resurrection of the self that will be a healthier and happier one who, however darkened or dirty, will become a reflection and beacon of the light of life, both for themselves and others who will be dismayed that a person can undergo such a dramatic transformation in their countenance.

"Every sinner has a future, and every saint, a past." ~ Oscar Wilde

So what is deadly serious, life-or-death, on this side of the "ordeal", becomes a source of great mirth and humor and charm on the other side in the space or domain of liberation (looking back on it, in hindsight) whereby "the more that sorrow and suffering has carved into our being, the more joy we can contain" and where "all happiness for man/woman must arise exclusively only in relation to some unhappiness, already experienced." (Gibran, and Gurdjieff, respectively). It's funny, but only from the POV of the resurrected self who wonders at his/her prior unwillingness to try letting go and adopting a whole new paradigm and outlook. The old self would never get that joke.

Oh to discover the truth that sets us free, and if we are freed for the sake of freedom, then we shall be truly free indeed.

So I think, in making an inventory or prognosis, that we have to ask ourselves about how happy we REALLY are based on our way of seeing, being, and of approaching our life. Do we have a sense of mirth and play? Is our inner child freely and fully self expressed? Or are we locked up and miserable, as if bound within a constraint, like those Chinese handcuffs whereby the more you struggle only the tighter they get..?

It is the difference/distinction between a meaningless suffering, and a meaningful, necessary one, which at some level, no matter how painful it may seem heading into it, because it's meaningful, is totally worthwhile. To use a useful allegory, it's the process whereby every single tear shed for all the right reasons is stored up in a bowl of.. embrosia? in heaven (or something like that) which is held in reserve for our future enjoyment and everlasting satisfaction. Oh the irony!

Best regards,

AnkhMorePork

a reply to: geezlouise

You don’t seem dumb to me. You seem quite smart. This isn’t light reading, and you clearly have enough insight into the issues of this thread to be here. It’s a major step just to realize how much is unknown. I’ll throw out another of my favorite quotes: “Only a fool has no doubt at all.”

And learning about vocabulary isn’t just about big words. That’s probably what I would think of first too--that it’s about the big, rarely used words that are unfamiliar. But it’s just as important to become really familiar with the more common words, and the different subtle shades of meaning.

If you look in a thesaurus, a book of synonyms, you’ll see whole lists of everyday words that mean more or less the same thing. But not exactly. It’s the “not exactly” part that makes all the difference.
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a reply to: AnkhMorpork

lol I like you. A lot.

Thank you for spending the time and effort to communicate with me. I am convinced you know what you're talking about.

I want to hug you.

a reply to: geezlouise

Hugs are always welcomed! Hugs...

so now that we've set the stage and paved the way, and have hugged.., let's begin considering some fundamental reframes of meaning and context by which everything else might follow and straighten itself out.

I'll begin by adding one or two, but I invite you and anyone who wishes to participate to really think hard and offer up a few more basic reframes.

They don't even need to be great big huge world-shattering ideas either to be highly effective and formative.

Perhaps we might begin by deeply considering various things that we just take for granted, or others that we might avoid because they might make us feel scared or uncomfortable to consider.

It should also be pointed out, that no one's trying to foist a truth upon another, but that these frames or paradigms are merely things worth seriously considering and trying on for size to see how they might feel and fit us. Doesn't mean you have to take it, or wear it on a permanent basis unless of course it fits well and feels great/is congruent.

Give me a few minutes and I'll post "Reframe # 1" as a point of consideration, and what I'm interested in here, is "first causes" or fundamental paradigms or presuppositions from which many others follow or flow out of.

brb..

Ankh

a reply to: cimmerius

I like you, too. A lot, lol.

Hugggg. Can we hang out?

I believe doubting yourself essentially opens you up to learning new things. Without that initial doubt, I don't know if it's possible to learn anything new or move forward and change.

Also, a certain level of un-satisfaction about any current situation has to be present, too. Like if you're happy with your current skill-level set(if you think you know all there is to know about a thing), then you won't have any incentive to work towards bettering those skills or learning more. If you think you're doing so great as-is, why try for more? If it's not broken, what's there to fix? And etc.

This part makes me sad because personally, I know that sometimes in some cases it's a kind of brokenness that leads to achievement and change- which can be confused with abusive situations (unnecessary suffering) turning out great hero's. That's a dangerous mentality where people begin to celebrate horrible events and even create them intentionally, believing that something good will come out of them.

While that's not cool at all... it's true that a kind of brokenness does lead to change. For example: If you drink dirty water? You will get sick. And that sickness is a brokenness in a way, and that brokenness will ultimately drive you to change your ways so that you don't get sick anymore. In this case, it would simply be, cleaning your water before you drink it. And there you have it, brokenness and suffering leads to change for the better.

a reply to: AnkhMorpork




You are getting into some really interesting ideas there. The Hero’s journey. The dark night of the soul. The intellectual is merging into the spiritual. There is a theme of (ego/intellect) death and resurrection. The Phoenix rises from the ashes. The path of initiation: destruction, reorganization, and renewal on a higher level.

The hardest part for me is blockages or blind spots. I see no other answer than what I’m already doing that isn’t working. I think I understand, but I don’t. Or as a really shady character once said, truthfully for once: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

That’s why I really like this thread on re-framing. It offers a possible tool to explore alternatives to the ways of thinking that aren’t working. Sort of like trying them on. Not exactly a map into the unknown, but like walking down a hallway of locked doors, trying each knob until you find one that works. The locked door is opened.
.

Ok, here we go...!

Bear in mind that the following Paradigm Shifting Reframes are for consideration, for trying on for size, not as much for debate and argument, although everything is of course up for discussion.

All I ask is that they be considered, nothing more, but by "considered" I don't mean just pondered briefly, from a purely intellectual perspective, but "grokked" most fully and weighed against your previously held paradigm that might disagree with it, oppose it, of even as a defense against it's implications.

Paradigm-Shifting Reframe #1

- Life in all it's myriad splendour is an absolute miracle, and you are intrinsic and integral to it, like a holographic chip off the old old block.

This was along the lines of what I'd intended for the OP, but it's better this way, so that people have a sense for the context and framing by which the whole idea of context and framing is being offered as a therapeutic tool.

I'm a very astute observer, and have grown and matured through numbers struggles and dark nights of the soul (plural), and so I would like you to consider these Paradigm-shifting reframes I am going to offer as we move forward in this thread, not just quickly and at face value, like yeah yeah, that's a nice sounding platitude. Massive amounts of energy and reading and research and struggle and the work of many many others down through the ages have gone into everything that I'm attempting to put forward for your consideration. These ideas have been tested by the spirit and have been evaluated with great care. Some may pooh poo on them according to a knee jerk reaction born of an already formed strong opinion or paradigm, but for THIS exercise, I'm asking you, not to just accept it, but to also really try it on for size, and play around with it and also put it to the test yourself, to "test the spirit" and also put it to the test. Then, when it's "on" I would like to ask you to test it according to your own spirit, and to ask yourself, in your innermost heart of hearts if it's really "true" for you, or could be the more you play around with the new paradigm and context for how you see the world and your true place within it, which as a "first-cause" then directly and powerfully impacts the way you see, are, live and relate, at all levels, both to the world and cosmos, and to well everything and everyone, yourself not excluded.

This is not to say that we understand precisely HOW, but it does raise a whole host of issues on the when, where and who, and maybe even the why.

So when we come to the space of nothing, or of an absolute uncertainty, but one of which certain things are certain, like the occurrence of life itself and our own inclusion as an active participant, we also see that we're part of everything.

Based upon the fundamental presupposition that "Life in all it's myriad splendour is an absolute miracle", everything else changes it's frame of reference and context, all the way up the pyramid of our own largely bs reality filter since it was formed of nothing but "opinions" about "it" yet never really including ourselves fully in the very heart of the fundamental mystery of it all in the first place.

At this point, some of the more scientifically minded among us, with a strong anti-theist bent (even though we're not defining God here) might protest, without following the instructions as given, and exclaim in shrill protest that it cannot be defined as "special" due to the strong anthropic principal say. Either that or it "just is" what it is, and to assign any special meaning to my own inclusion, and that of others, in it, is what they would call "solipsistic" and inherently biased by, well, by being alive.

Please bear with me.. and don't rush to judgement, that's no way to try on a new context shifting paradigm to determine it's form and function and relation.. thank you.

By "miracle" I mean something so utterly Improbable, that in it's actuality it's farthest reaching implications discombobulates the mind and defies our normal faculty of reason, according to that old particulate thingsness of the Newtonian seperative, materialist monist reasoning (just a tiny insignificant thing at the farthest end of a meaningless absurdity or something that cannot possibly be questioned or posited as anything "special" or "extra special" and with ourselves included in it's ultimate creative expression.

To even begin to consider it, in that space of nothing that is everything and means everything that it means everything because it IS everything, as opposed to meaning nothing or of no significance because it's a meaningless absurdity and something (our existence itself) that cannot be challenged or inquired into within the personal qualia of our own unique spiritual experience, as if the human being is made a separate thing as a subjective observer - to even begin is to see

It's also an interdependent framework or an interpenetrating cosmological unity, of which we are a part and parcel.

Nothing exists in isolation from everything else.

And so the old paradigm falls, and the new one, no matter what are it's implications, must be considered and factored in!

Byproducts

First of all, it makes of us and our experience sacred, and it obliterates the mundane.lol

You can't go around after getting this one and complain a whole heck of a lot, because that fundamental gratitude and enjoyment at the reality of it, that you're a living miracle occurring in a living miracle of which you're an intrinsic part. In God, a part of, and, drumroll.. a sacred being aka a child of God or light, love, intelligence, Spirit of the Universe, whatever you want to call it, that by virtue of our own experience there is no relegating it as of no significance or consequence whatsoever (yawn)!

It can never be taken for granted, again.

That's a shift in paradigm, in meaning and context, that can be played with in the qualia of one's own experience and inner testimony, as to what paradigm is true and which one is false and should not be adopted, particularly if the only reason to adopt it, as false, is to evade and defend against the other one, which is the real one as the one that is now, and at some level is also you and I, being part of it.

If life and our life is so significant as this, as a free gift, then my God just think of how we've BEEN living it, as if it were nothing and Donald Trump was "relevant" ha HA!

What's RELEVENT, this, is the great question when examining and trying on paradigms and comparing one to another, and it matters not how popular the other might be. If it's a false worldview and paradigm, that doesn't even really know it's ass from a hole in the ground, then it must be rejected in favor of the one that rings and shines true to one's own Spirit.

Is there not a spark here then, of a world waiting to be born?

When we come to see and know that life as we experience it IS an absolute miracle and wonder, then the underlying nature of it's possibility, even as a localized domain of personal enjoyment and creativity has altered it's frame of reference, and once new information Is known in as known experience, then it cannot be unknown or unlearned, thereafter. Then the reframe could be said to have been decisive, while a good hearty joke is fired off at the expense of our prior ignorance since everything comes with a price. It's the very hand that wipes away the tears to lol

It's scary. Could drive a person to drink or try to run away from home!

Or celebrate!

Changes the context though, and can cause a person to wake up and give their head a shake and then smell the roses, and quit smoking.

What I like about the "life is a miracle" reframe, is how it goes to work on every other meaning and context and bias as you go through life.

Makes you stop and really take it all in, and appreciate other people more as co-experiencers.

Makes even necessary suffering for the sake of love look like a good gambit. Bring it on!

That's what I like about paradigm shifts, is that demarcation point or threshold of decisiveness where the world changes in the twinkling of an eye.

All the very best ideas and paradigms when they begin to take hold, would be considered by many to be crazy or the product of a dreamer but not based in practical reality.

Yet, in ancient India, during a Golden Age, they practiced Brahmavidya which was a study of the divine source of first causes, and that was the very cornerstone of what informed their whole civilization and that served as the springboard of every major world religion since.

What is the most fundamentally true thing.

Our only problem, if you can call it that, is an issue of scale when considering the cosmos, but the same basic principals would still apply as a self-examination of one's intrinsic part of the whole and what the implications are that flow out of that ie: what can be learned or discovered from that new point of view?

Theoretically, since a paradigm shift changes the context, then a whole new domain of potential knowledge amid it's implciations can then be made available or accessed.

In other words, while our mind might try to cling to the old, eventually we come to realize that hanging on to that would be more painful than letting it go in favor of the new one, so there's a point where pain of learning comes to an end, to be replaced by the joy of a new knowing, which in this case also carries with it a remembrance from childhood, along with the recovery of that lost child himself who might have been locked in the basement for no good reason.

All kinds of things flow out of the consideration of a new paradigm and context, so in answer to the title of the OP, I think it's a wholehearted YES, re-framing can alter our experience and enjoyment of life.

It even starts to feel good when another paradigm starts to fall apart! Hmm, never could have considered that possibility, since we were talking about all the pain and suffering of learning and growing. There again, what looked daunting from the old paradigm, what might have looked impossible, is viewed from the new POV like "gee wiz, what were you so afraid of?!" lol and did you really think what you thought you thought you knew was "the way it is", HA, how ignorant you were old self, welcome to the new self! Then it's laughs and celebration all around! : )

It's late now, but I hope I didn't go and kill the thread with this talk of life as an absolute miracle. That would suck.

; )

a reply to: AnkhMorpork
Neat pictures. Any thoughts of your own about them?

You can fiddle with numbers and come up with all kinds of crazy crap.
Tell me, have you discovered the fudge factors which had to be used or did you just accept the numbers you were fed?

www.abovetopsecret.com...

a reply to: Phage

I just felt it was an interesting geometrical relationship that appears to show some sort of sacred geometry in the relationship between the two objects when placed side by side.

It doesn't appear to be a "hoax" as far as I can tell.

I guess the point of it is to hold it up as an apparent relationship
and ask which paradigm would best explain such ratio and proportions.

The 2nd one, showing a phi ratio proportion in the triangle, I felt was the more interesting of the two, since as you've pointed out, the "squaring of the circle" isn't absolutely perfect but an approximation.

I suppose another example might be helpful, if you question that one or don't find that to be of interest.

Perhaps we could look at the mass of the Higgs Boson particle showing fine tuning in favor of life as we know it..

The point here isn't to prove God or design per se, but to demonstrate that life sits on something who's purpose is life itself. It doesn't even matter if we are alone in the universe or if other configurations have produced innumerable Earth-like worlds. It's still an extraordinary result in any and every case.

Even according to the other paradigm, if we are just exceedingly "lucky", it's still absolutely astonishing and worthy of awe and wonder. But to simply say that is just is what it is (yawn), and that it has no meaning or significance I find hard to swallow.

When I look around, from the very large to the very small, I've found that there is simply no way to view it dispassionately as being without meaning or significance, particularly from the POV of a self-aware observer having this life experience.

Trying on the "life is an absolute miracle" paradigm or context brings "dead" matter to life and alters the context and the lens through which we see ourselves in relationship to it all.

In the qualia of our own personal experience, I find it much harder to relate to the idea that the human being is just a thing, or just a biological machine that does not possess a lofty and glorious position within the context and framing of well, the whole of it all since we are gifted with the ability to witness it's beauty and splendor while asking the question of "why?"

It is a breathtaking wonderment, the sheer fact of our own existence and when we look through the contextual lens of that kind of childlike wonderment, even the apparently mundane becomes sacred.

Life is an absolute miracle, was just an example of one possible reframe to try on for size, that's all. I didn't say you had to buy it, just try it on as a possibility, while considering all available data and information in light of that contextual shift, and regardless of whatever the implications of that might be.

It doesn't work for you. I get that. And that's ok.

originally posted by: cimmerius
a reply to: AnkhMorpork


You are getting into some really interesting ideas there. The Hero’s journey. The dark night of the soul. The intellectual is merging into the spiritual. There is a theme of (ego/intellect) death and resurrection. The Phoenix rises from the ashes. The path of initiation: destruction, reorganization, and renewal on a higher level.

The hardest part for me is blockages or blind spots. I see no other answer than what I’m already doing that isn’t working. I think I understand, but I don’t. Or as a really shady character once said, truthfully for once: “You don’t know what you don’t know.”

That’s why I really like this thread on re-framing. It offers a possible tool to explore alternatives to the ways of thinking that aren’t working. Sort of like trying them on. Not exactly a map into the unknown, but like walking down a hallway of locked doors, trying each knob until you find one that works. The locked door is opened.
.

Yeah, you've got the idea.

Also, when we become more open to them, paradigm shifts can also be enjoyable and don't have to be met with resistance, pain and anguish, but sometimes the tendency to revert back and cling to what we thought we knew or presumed to know is very powerful, even to the degree that we might flat out refuse to look at things through the new lens, but even in a room locked from the inside, if you're given a key or the right tool, then you can still open the door to take a look at things from a whole new perspective.

Willingness and open mindedness, a little courage, and lots of curiosity, are really all that's needed, that and the willingness to let go of our cherished beliefs that might be getting in the way of new knowledge and understanding and a new way of seeing, and of being and becoming.

And if in the process we get put through the ringer and experience a little pain, the reward and the payoff is immense, and so it get's easier as we become less fearful of the unknown, and the unknown unknown or what we didn't even know we didn't know (blind spot), until we did..

originally posted by: AnkhMorpork
Makes even necessary suffering for the sake of love look like a good gambit. Bring it on!

I had a thought today that there's no such thing as necessary or unnecessary suffering, in the grand scheme of things. All suffering seems to be unnecessary, and yet necessary, all at once simultaneously... depending on where you're standing. It's very, "it is what it is" to me. I know you mentioned that before.

And yes, the answer to your question is yes, I agree too. I think this is important, too:

originally posted by: AnkhMorporkIt even starts to feel good when another paradigm starts to fall apart! Hmm, never could have considered that possibility, since we were talking about all the pain and suffering of learning and growing. There again, what looked daunting from the old paradigm, what might have looked impossible, is viewed from the new POV like "gee wiz, what were you so afraid of?!" lol and did you really think what you thought you thought you knew was "the way it is", HA, how ignorant you were old self, welcome to the new self! Then it's laughs and celebration all around! : )

It actually can relieve heavy burdens from the mind when you break free from an old paradigm, yes. We can't lose sight of that. Like, clean water relieves you from sickness and actually frees you from that suffering. There's so many dimensions to it.

I agree with everything you're saying.

I love you, OP.