Posted by Joseph (24.69.255.237) on April 27, 2003 at 19:22:59:
In Reply to: Spiritual Thirst vs. Conditioned Thinking posted by Brenna on April 19, 2003 at 09:02:21:
Dearest Brenna:
What an amazing question you’ve posted, I loved it! Here is someone who is dedicated to finding her unique connection to the divine; knowing that it is within her that these connections are made. Brenna, you’ve made my day. Thank you for trusting that which led you here. Welcome!
Overcoming negative thinking is one of the toughest challenges on the journey. Why? Because doing so means finding and uprooting those thoughts right from the source from which they are created. And it’s not just from the spiritual leg of your journey; it is finding the negativity in every mode of your expressions of self and behaving in ways that are other than what that negativity dictates.
Case in point. Boy meets girl, boy likes girl, and boy wants to ask girl out on a date. Boy does not believe he is of girl’s caliber. Boy ignores his internal drives and leaves girl. Not good.
When it comes to overcoming negative thoughts or voices, I don’t believe that it can be done completely. We need those negative impulses if for no other reason than to have something that serves as a marker, indicating a direction that is not in our best interest to go. Negative voices come up all the time. They call on us when we are feeling weak or vulnerable. They come up when we are doing something for the first time or when we try to master a skill.
Often, we want to eliminate those voices because they make us uncomfortable. My suggestion is to not try doing so. They are part of us, and in order to embrace wholeness in the universe, we as spiritual seekers must be willing to embrace ourselves as whole, warts and all. I believe that this is the birthplace of compassion, Brenna, both for ourselves and for others.
I hope that helps.
Take care, Brenna, and please tell your friends about us.
Joseph