--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB <no_re...@...> wrote: > > Living in Europe for the past 7+ years, it is often > difficult for me to "get" the levels of paranoia and > fear expressed by Americans in their writings, whether > in the media or on forums like this one. > > Having pursued a spiritual path for over 40 years, it > is even more difficult for me to "get" similar levels > of paranoia and fear when expressed by spiritual seekers > who have been on similar paths for as long as I have. > > I mean, there are people on this forum -- 30- and 40-year > meditators who seem to believe that any man sitting at > a cafe or bar is a "predator" secretly there to stalk > poor defenseless women. There are people on this forum > who seem to believe that people who express different > opinions than their own are doing so with malicious > intent...intent to *harm* them. And they react as if > they *have* been harmed, by nothing more than someone > expressing an *idea* that they don't like, or that is > different than theirs. > > I find myself wondering two things. First, what the hell > *happened* to these paranoid, fearful people to make > them think this way and live their lives this way? Second, > what must it be like *to* live like this, thinking that > people around you are actively seeking to do you harm? > > It makes no sense to me, even though I have seen it in > many different spiritual organizations over the years. > In some, there was a calculated cultist appeal to the > "them vs. us" mentality, and that cannot help but foster > both elitism and paranoia. But I've sometimes seen this > in people who are *not* heavily involved in organizations > I would describe as cults, or not involved deeply. For > example, look at the ongoing fascination on this forum > with "doomsday scenarios" and "conspiracy theories." > What *is* that if not an expression of fear or paranoia? > And yet it appears in people who are not part of any > organized group that one would characterize as a cult. > > On this forum we sometimes see the *effects* of having > lived in a state of fear and paranoia like this for years. > The people who think like this tend to stand out. But > what *made* them like this, when it didn't make others > -- who have shared the same spiritual path that they > have, and for just as long -- paranoid and fearful the > way they are? > > The Rama fellow I studied with had a theory about this, > one that I'm not sure is correct, but which I will pass > along. His theory was based on "predilections." Some of > us are inspired by -- and inspire ourselves by focusing > on -- things that are positive and that generate positive > emotions. For example, we might inspire ourselves to > study a subject harder because we can envision the good > we can do once we learn enough to teach or practice what > we're studying. I would term that "positive imaging." > > But other spiritual seekers really don't think like this. > Imagining a positive outcome does *not* serve to inspire > them. Instead, they keep on keepin' on by imagining and > focusing on the worst that could happen to them if they > *don't* keep on keepin' on. Examples of this might include > people who are literally *afraid* to stop meditating reg- > ularly out of fear of "the Bad Things that will happen > to them if they do." It includes people who seem to thrive > more on guilt and fear -- for example someone who "toes > the line" and "follows the rules" because again they keep > imagining the Bad Things that will happen to them if > they don't. I would tend to term this "negative imaging." > > My suspicion is that people who fall into the latter > category might be more likely to become the kinds of > people who view the world around them as constantly > threatening, and themselves as constant victims or > potential victims. What you focus on you become, and > all that. Imagine yourself a victim, and voila...you are. > > All I can say is that there is simply no question about > which type of person -- which predilection -- I'd rather > be around. Give me the person who views the world around > them without fear every time.
How scary!
