Have you ever wondered why these subjects are off limits in mixed company? Research shows it’s not what most people think. It’s actually all about mental toughness; or lack thereof. The higher level of consciousness a person is operating at, the more open minded they are to opposing thoughts and ideas. The lower levels of consciousness are rooted so deeply in fear that people operating at these levels (90% of the population) are not only offended by opposing views on these and other major life issues; they will viciously attack anyone who has the courage to voice them. Human beings attempt to make sense of a world they’re not intellectually capable of fully understanding by establishing a series of beliefs and filtering everything that happens through them. These beliefs are like a series of dots they use to connect their experiences together so they make sense and have purpose. The major life issues of politics, sex and religion represent “dots” of substantial importance to most people, and when they’re challenged, the average person’s emotional security is threatened; which is when they attack. After all, they reason (consciously or unconsciously) “If this opposing view is correct and I’m wrong, the world no longer makes sense to me.” In essence, people who speak out on these types of topics threaten to “scramble the dots” of the person they’re speaking to. People operating at the higher levels of consciousness welcome these fascinating debates and opposing view points because at their level of thinking, fear doesn’t exist. Please listen to this 7-minute post and then give us YOUR opinion.
Steve Siebold
Here’s a mental toughness exercise – Steve, may I call it that? Every day take one belief or conclusion you’ve come to and debate it with yourself taking every other side than the one you’ve come to accept. Will you do that? Can you do that? Do you have the courage to do that?
I’ve done that for 40 years and I still get stuck in poverty and middle class thinking BUT I continue to do this exercise AND wake myelf up.
Every day seek one thing that’s missing in your thinking and awareness. Debate one conclusion you’ve made. If it’s not an intention and everyday decsion you will get stuck and the biological clock won’t wait for you to self correct.
The best of success to you in 2010.
Mike
All of these comments remind me of an excellent quote from the classic American author, Nathaniel Hawthorne.His novel, “The Scarlet Letter” is preceded by the “Custom House Essay” In that essay he says, “It contributes greatly to a man’s moral and intellectual health, to be brought into habits of companionship with individals unlike himself, who care little for his persuits, and whose spheres and abilities he must go out of himself to appreciae” Now there’s thought to chew on.
Steve,
I was always warned not to bring up these subjects because (as I was told) it’s the quickest way to start an argument and alienate people in a social setting.
While I agree that some people have a fear based resistance to new ideas or contrasting points of view, I believe there’s an even bigger reason for their opposition… it’s called their ‘Comfort Zone’.
We’ve all constructed one in order to negotiate physical reality. We all need (as you said) to create dots and connect them in a way that makes sense to us. Doing so provides order and a ‘home base’ from which we all operate. Without this structure the experience of life would be shear chaos. (Ask anyone who’s ever experienced life on LSD)
In order to be mentally tough one must first have clear, sharp and powerful mental focus. Focus that equals or exceeds the mental focus we generated when we learned to drive (for example). And in order to become mentally tough enough to accept contrast, that level of mental focus must be maintained for extended periods of time.
Now just as 66% of Americans are overweight and can’t run a mile in 10 mins, it’s a safe bet that 66% of us can’t hold the level of mental focus described above for 10 mins either. Why… because of “mental obesity and deconditioning”.
It’s uncomfortable for physically deconditioned people to maintain a pace in the mile. It’s also extremely uncomfortable for mentally deconditioned individuals to generate high levels of mental focus long enough to learn something new and completely outside their experience of the dots… especially when it’s about learning how someone who sees life differently, thinks.
Be Well,
Jaroslav
Steve,
I was always warned not to bring up these subjects because (as I was told) it’s the quickest way to start an argument and alienate people in a social setting.
While I agree that some people have a fear based resistance to new ideas or contrasting points of view, I believe there’s an even bigger reason for their opposition… it’s called the ‘Comfort Zone’.
We’ve all constructed one in order to negotiate physical reality. We all need (as you said) to create dots and connect them in a way that makes sense to us. Doing so provides order and a ‘home base’ from which we all operate. Without this structure the experience of life would be shear chaos. (Ask anyone who’s ever experienced life on LSD)
In order to be mentally tough one must first have clear, sharp and powerful mental focus. Focus that equals or exceeds the mental focus we generated when we learned to drive (for example). And in order to become mentally tough enough to accept contrast, that level of mental focus must be maintained for extended periods of time.
Now just as 66% of Americans are overweight and can’t run a mile in 10 mins, it’s a safe bet that 66% of us can’t hold the level of mental focus described above for 10 mins either. Why… because of “mental obesity and deconditioning”.
It’s uncomfortable for physically deconditioned people to maintain a pace in the mile. It’s also extremely uncomfortable for mentally deconditioned individuals to generate high levels of mental focus long enough to learn something new and completely outside their experience of the dots… especially when it’s about learning how someone who sees life differently, thinks.
Be Well,
Jaroslav
Steve,
I was always warned not to bring up these subjects because (as I was told) it’s the quickest way to start an argument and alienate people in a social setting.
While I agree that some people have a fear based resistance to new ideas or contrasting points of view, I believe there’s an even bigger reason for their opposition… it’s called the ‘Comfort Zone’.
We’ve all constructed one in order to negotiate physical reality. We all need (as you said) to create dots and connect them in a way that makes sense to us. Doing so provides order and a ‘home base’ from which we all operate. Without this structure the experience of life would be shear chaos. (Ask anyone who’s ever experienced life on LSD)
In order to be mentally tough one must first have clear, sharp and powerful mental focus. Focus that equals or exceeds the mental focus we generated when we learned to drive (for example). And in order to become mentally tough enough to accept contrast, that level of mental focus must be maintained for extended periods of time.
Now just as 66% of Americans are overweight and can’t run a mile in 10 mins, it’s a safe bet that 66% of us can’t hold the level of mental focus described above for 10 mins either. Why… because of “mental obesity and deconditioning”.
It’s uncomfortable for physically deconditioned people to maintain a pace in the mile. It’s also extremely uncomfortable for mentally deconditioned individuals to generate high levels of mental focus long enough to learn something new and completely outside their experience of the dots… especially when it’s about learning how someone who sees life differently, thinks.
Be Well,
Jaroslav
Mental Toughness requires detachment and this includes detachment from your own beliefs. It’s only through detaching from your own beliefs that you can question them, challenge them, and evolve them. Great blog and hopefully we can get more mental toughness and open dialogue really soon.
Steve,
Terrific post. I appreciate this insight. The masses are engulfed in the self-defense mode of protecting their (in some cases) myopic beliefs simply because they were raised with them or have marinated in what the media feeds them.
As critical thinkers, it is our duty to stay vigilant in our protection of our own mindset. Stay open-minded and continue to supply our minds with excellent information that keeps us thinking critically and prosperously, and open to and aware of opportunities.
Thank you for a great post, and keep up the great work.
~JT
I completely agree Steve. I’ve been going through a change in my method of thinking over the last couple of years that has opened my mind. I used to be among the large majority you described in this post! But as I’ve learned to reason and practice Mental Toughness, I’ve begun to question my assumptions. Many I have proven to be as correct as I believed them to be, but many others I have changed as new information has been made available to me. Quite liberating!
The trick, and I’ve in no way mastered this, is to grease the hinges of these people’s minds so that they can open them on their own. Let them scramble their own dots!