What you believe is not what you assume
Ram Dass said, "If you think you are so enlightened, go and spend a week with your parents." Who do you know who recognizes the influence of this relationship on their dreams? To learn what it means to just be yourself is a journey you must take alone. Reorient your focus with these questions;
1) What you believe is not always the truth.
2) Who defines your functions may not know you.
3) Which perspectives you adopt may be limited.
4) When do you learn what it means to simply be yourself?
Reader Comments (6)
Very helpful Thanks.
These are questions for which I am only now starting to find some answers. It is incredibly overwhelming to see some of the self-imposed limitations and beliefs as they become revealed.
Four short questions can result in mountains of self-discovery. These are SO important. Thank you for distilling them.
Juliet
I just love that quote. No matter how much I believe I've got myself fixed, on top of things and moving towards greater awareness (I hesitate to say 'enlightenment'), a week with my parents is always a superb 'mental health check'. I guess it could be that my mother knows all the right (or 'wrong') buttons to press to get me going and my father is a perfect mirror for me. At the age of 45 I see huge progress ... but still a long way to go.
Ian
As you recognize, parents mirror our deepest soul. Fear of accepting the truth helps to explain why so many young people grow up with the desire to escape their homes. This is the illusion of independence. They often feel uncomfortable returning for brief periods. Why? Beneath the surface, they fear traits in themselves they reject and hesitate to accept. Going home is part of the healing process. It offers insight into your self-healing process.