I'm CHOOSING to suffer

[EvolvingPhoenix]

So I got high last night and came to a realization:

I'm CHOOSING to suffer.

Things may not be as I want them to be right now, and I may not like the way things are, but my suffering about it is a choice. It may not seem like much, but I think it's a pretty profound realization.

[speedforce131]

Yeah. My story about the Rock should've clued you in. The Rock CHOSE to get out of the situation he was in, thus becoming successful.

[EvolvingPhoenix]

Yeah. My story about the Rock should've clued you in. The Rock CHOSE to get out of the situation he was in, thus becoming successful.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice about my situation. But it DOES seem like I have a choice about my suffering.

[EvolvingPhoenix]

And the Rock was given a great body, good looks, A LOT of pushes early in his career that most pro-wrestlers don't get, and he came up during the Attitude Era, a time in pro-wrestling where pro-wrestling was at it's highest peak of popularity. So in a number of ways, he was dealt a winning hand.

[RitaJC]

Yeah. My story about the Rock should've clued you in. The Rock CHOSE to get out of the situation he was in, thus becoming successful.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice about my situation. But it DOES seem like I have a choice about my suffering.

I believe, we always have both, but we might not see through the veil of our beliefs

[ada]

I believe the stronger the light the more it needs to be balanced with darkness, in a way I think you are choosing to balance yourself out. I find that during my darkest days that I am the most seeking spiritually and have much more focus.

[Minyatur]

So I got high last night and came to a realization:

I'm CHOOSING to suffer.

Things may not be as I want them to be right now, and I may not like the way things are, but my suffering about it is a choice. It may not seem like much, but I think it's a pretty profound realization.

I think you are starting to see the nature of the ego. The ego does cling to suffering for various reasons. Self-gratification, self-rightenousness, to perceive oneself as the one that loves, the comfort of staying the same, etc.

It may help to consider that you are not your ego, it is a mask of beliefs and memories. So what are you without them? What was your identity before your current struggles were even thought of? What was your vibration then? How much did you lose sight of the essence of yourself and became in the world's image (fear, pain, doubt, judgment, insecurities, etc)?

[speedforce131]

And the Rock was given a great body, good looks, A LOT of pushes early in his career that most pro-wrestlers don't get,  and he came up during the Attitude Era, a time in pro-wrestling where pro-wrestling was at it's highest peak of popularity. So in a number of ways, he was dealt a winning hand.

Good looks maybe but not the body. There was potential in his body and he drew it out. You only have to know where your potential lies and then extract that. Yeah he did come up during the Attitude era but he also had to work for that, he wasn't just given these opportunities.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice about my situation. But it DOES seem like I have a choice about my suffering.

Perhaps you don't have a choice in your situation but yes you do have a choice on whether you suffer. Your true self planned this incarnation to not only get you here but to get you out.

I think you are starting to see the nature of the ego. The ego does cling to suffering for various reasons. Self-gratification, self-rightenousness, to perceive oneself as the one that loves, the comfort of staying the same, etc.

You need the ego because without it, you would not be the unique you. It is a part of you. It's how you harness the ego that is the important thing.


In the Strength Tarot card, a woman gently strokes a lion on its forehead and jaw. Even though it is known for its ferociousness, the woman has tamed this wild beast with her calming, loving energy. The lion is a symbol of raw passions and desires, and in taming him, the woman shows that animal instinct and raw passion can be expressed in positive ways when inner strength and resilience are applied. She doesn’t use force or coercion; she channels her inner strength to subdue and subtly control the lion.

The woman wears a white robe, showing her purity of spirit, and a belt and crown of flowers that represent the fullest, most beautiful expression of nature. Over her head is the symbol of infinity, representing her infinite potential and wisdom.

[Merrick]

The ego is an illusion.

[speedforce131]

The ego is an illusion.

Third density is an illusion. But we are here are we not? Do we not need the material world to live our lives? Just as we need it, we also need our egos. Therefore, what is illusion? It seems real to you or I. So it is IS real.

[Minyatur]

I think you are starting to see the nature of the ego. The ego does cling to suffering for various reasons. Self-gratification, self-rightenousness, to perceive oneself as the one that loves, the comfort of staying the same, etc.

You need the ego because without it, you would not be the unique you. It is a part of you. It's how you harness the ego that is the important thing.

I don't mean that you can be without ego, but to change and transform always mean that how you were dies in a certain way.

The ego is ephemeral in its nature and truly it is only the sense of identifying to finite things that is coherent across all moments. You can always become a new sense of identity, because more than a finite identity you are identity itself, full in will. We somewhat are a lot like deeply immersed in dream, but any day you can wake up from a dream you were having at night and its relationships, to let that mirage fade and die so you can be immersed in your life here and now. Humans live consciously in a small bubble, not realizing the truth of their life is truly that they stand within the infinite. They are concerned over the smaller "stars" of their life (others) and fail to see their context of uniqueness among the infinite stars in the vast stary sky. As we don't mind Arcturus to be what it is and where it is, we should not mind others to be what they are where they are. No one minds a comet to come close to us and distance itself away, we learn to enjoy the encounter and let it follow its path.

The discipline of the personality is useful to render the ego more transparent and balanced, it requires to accept the opposite of every thought. Every potential that enters the mind needs to be accepted and balanced. Then, when you accept the worse and yet are open for the best, life is a thrilling walk and any bad experience is at worse a short lived nightmare, like the ones you can have at night and yet don't get hung upon.

[flofrog]

The discipline of the personality is useful to render the ego more transparent and balanced, it requires to accept the opposite of every thought. Every potential that enters the mind needs to be accepted and balanced. Then, when you accept the worse and yet are open for the best, life is a thrilling walk and any bad experience is at worse a short lived nightmare, like the ones you can have at night and yet don't get hung upon.

This feels so true to me, Minyatur, about every potential. I remember reading about ten years I think by Yogananda saying how we were all of it, we could be a saint one minute, and the equivalent of Hitler the nex,t so indeed infinite, and it all came back to the choice. It felt so free to accept this.

[Minyatur]

The discipline of the personality is useful to render the ego more transparent and balanced, it requires to accept the opposite of every thought. Every potential that enters the mind needs to be accepted and balanced. Then, when you accept the worse and yet are open for the best, life is a thrilling walk and any bad experience is at worse a short lived nightmare, like the ones you can have at night and yet don't get hung upon.

This feels so true to me, Minyatur, about every potential.  I remember reading about ten years I think by Yogananda saying how we were all of it, we could be a saint one minute, and the equivalent of Hitler the nex,t so indeed  infinite, and it all came back to the choice.  It felt so free to accept this.

I find it freeing also and good manner to stay away from judgment.

Instead of denying where a person is at, you can think of how to work from there. Instead of denying where you are at, you can think of how to work from there.

[Merrick]

The ego is an illusion.

Third density is an illusion. But we are here are we not? Do we not need the material world to live our lives? Just as we need it, we also need our egos. Therefore, what is illusion? It seems real to you or I. So it is IS real.

Yes, and it’s worth reminding ourselves of the illusory nature of things when we get too caught up in it. I find this especially true when dealing with the ego, whether mine or others.

[speedforce131]

The ego is an illusion.

Third density is an illusion. But we are here are we not? Do we not need the material world to live our lives? Just as we need it, we also need our egos. Therefore, what is illusion? It seems real to you or I. So it is IS real.

Yes, and it’s worth reminding ourselves of the illusory nature of things when we get too caught up in it. I find this especially true when dealing with the ego, whether mine or others.

The whole point is to get caught up in it. For if you always look at ego as something to be avoided, whether it is yours or others, then you miss the opportunity to learn from and grow. The ego of yours and others is just as much a catalyst as anything else. If not, one of the primary ways to learn.

[Merrick]

The ego is an illusion.

Third density is an illusion. But we are here are we not? Do we not need the material world to live our lives? Just as we need it, we also need our egos. Therefore, what is illusion? It seems real to you or I. So it is IS real.

Yes, and it’s worth reminding ourselves of the illusory nature of things when we get too caught up in it. I find this especially true when dealing with the ego, whether mine or others.

The whole point is to get caught up in it. For if you always look at ego as something to be avoided, whether it is yours or others, then you miss the opportunity to learn from and grow. The ego of yours and others is just as much a catalyst as anything else. If not, one of the primary ways to learn.

I didn’t say avoid it, but a reminder of its illusory nature can help us process the experience we’re going through.

[speedforce131]

Even still, it is equivalent to saying "that's fake" and then disengaging from the situation due to it's "fakeness". All that you've done is run away from the situation. Take the feminism thread for example. You reacted to my "ego" in a real way did you not? You did. You took something from that experience and learned the concept of wisdom/compassion, compassion/wisdom. If, at the very onset of disagreement, you said "ego is illusory so I'm out". You wouldn't have made those comments and you would've left, therefore not learn anything integral to your spiritual growth.

[Merrick]

Perhaps I’m not explaining myself very well, because I am not saying “I’m out” or EP should be “out”. Recognizing the illusory nature of the ego can help us analyze and process the experience we’re going through by adding additional perspective.

[Infinite Unity]

Yeah. My story about the Rock should've clued you in. The Rock CHOSE to get out of the situation he was in, thus becoming successful.

It doesn't seem like I have a choice about my situation. But it DOES seem like I have a choice about my suffering.

P
The potential for choosing or causating change is directly related/inversed with in the choice to suffer. As you choose this, future potentials are kinetcly directed/focused to this vector/focus. The universe hand delivering the potentials/experience we our focused on/ choosing.

What many of us humans do, is deflect or blame external aspects/stimuli for are current configurationn. When in truth you are your own master, and the way you perceive/interact in the world is your choice. No matter the seeming external stimuli.

It's a difficult thing to accomplish as our feelings and self conciouness naturally tends to get us wrapped up in these configurations, in a personal way.

[speedforce131]

Perhaps I’m not explaining myself very well, because I am not saying “I’m out” or EP should be “out”. Recognizing the illusory nature of the ego can help us analyze and process the experience we’re going through by adding additional perspective.

I understand what you mean. It's similar to how race and culture is illusory but at the same time, it is NOT illusory. You can only get to a point of illusory when you understand the greater whole. For many people, they dismiss race and how race could be an issue, and the differences in one's culture. We can see it all over the place. For example, currently that's manifesting as anti-Chinese sentiment among the western sphere. If you look at the underlying issue, people do not understand Chinese culture or it's people. If one did make an attempt to understand, then they can come to a point where they can identify where aspects of Chinese culture is the same as our western culture, and that the differences can be quite beautiful (or ugly as not everything is perfect). This is coming to a point approaching unity. Only then can you call it illusory because you now understand that people are more similar than they are dissimilar.

[Infinite Unity]

Perhaps I’m not explaining myself very well, because I am not saying “I’m out” or EP should be “out”. Recognizing the illusory nature of the ego can help us analyze and process the experience we’re going through by adding additional perspective.

I understand what you mean. It's similar to how race and culture is illusory but at the same time, it is NOT illusory. You can only get to a point of illusory when you understand the greater whole. For many people, they dismiss race and how race could be an issue, and the differences in one's culture. We can see it all over the place. For example, currently that's manifesting as anti-Chinese sentiment among the western sphere. If you look at the underlying issue, people do not understand Chinese culture or it's people. If one did make an attempt to understand, then they can come to a point where they can identify where aspects of Chinese culture is the same as our western culture, and that the differences can be quite beautiful (or ugly as not everything is perfect). This is coming to a point approaching unity. Only then can you call it illusory because you now understand that people are more similar than they are dissimilar.

Alot of the culture aspects in America is designed/influenced from the corporate/bussiness and military sectors. In which decisions/policies are in acted and the entire system, from entertainment to news is then aligned in there actions to these policies.

It's natural for us to be influenced by each other, it's in our nature it's akin to gravity. So when you have whole sectors spitting in the same general direction, most people follow suit. Not because there stupid, but because that's the reality, aspects, stimuli, influence and literal world is made out of, there not aware of any thing further, beyond or without those inputs/outputs(aspects/stimuli).

[kristina]

The ego is an illusion.

Third density is an illusion. But we are here are we not? Do we not need the material world to live our lives? Just as we need it, we also need our egos. Therefore, what is illusion? It seems real to you or I. So it is IS real.

Yes, and it’s worth reminding ourselves of the illusory nature of things when we get too caught up in it. I find this especially true when dealing with the ego, whether mine or others.

Absolutely point on. And what a beautiful illusion it is and so cleverly created. Part of the realness is to actually fall into it's grips then to find your way out of it but until one does he will suffer just as in the dark night of the soul. As while we are transfixed by it's beauty, wonder, misgivings and emotional intanglements we are locked within it's illusion. It's quite often that we may suffer in order for us to leave the illusion or ignore the offer of the suffering and stay within the illusion.
I think of your comment and the times I suffered and the suffering was my offering of a way out of the illusion but instead I chose to stay locked within the illusion of the ego, self blame, self pity and hatred, so I stayed.