“You cannot change a society you are a part of.”- Dr. Myles Munroe (The Spirit of Leadership)
Greetings once again to you all Great people of a unique and vast potential. If it is your first time to read this week’s blog than PNGDTD warmly welcomes you. If you have missed out on the previous blog postings you can always go to the group’s blog site http://pngdarethinkdifferent.blogspot.com/.
The aim of the blogs are not to brain wash you with philosophical ideologies but rather act as a mirror in which you reflect on your own life experiences and everyday activities by way of stimulating your mental capability of SELF-ANALYSIS or self-awareness, of which the majority of us rarely engage in. YOU have it WITHIN yourself this 3 pound “mass of jelly” that you can hold in the palm of your hand that has the capability to contemplate the vastness of the interstellar space, it can contemplate the meaning of infinity and it can contemplate itself contemplating on the meaning of infinity. And there is this peculiar recursive quality that we call SELF-AWARENESS which neurologists think is the “Holy-grail” of neuroscience. In short, what I mean to say is YOUR MIND is the most POWERFUL tool that you possess for the creation of the desired outcomes for your life. The onus is on us to discover and learn to use it!
In Last week’s discourse, we looked at the power and influence of belief that governs the way we behave. For one to change, the journey begins in one’s thoughts, one’s own mentality. We have been raced up in a society that thought us HOW TO THINK, HOW TO FEEL, HOW TO TALK and HOW TO ACT. To get a better understanding of this discourse it will be fitting to point out clearly what a SOCIETY constitutes of herein. Society can mean the following collectively or individually:
1) Your Family
2) Your Friends and peer groups
3) Your spouse, or boyfriend, or girlfriend
4) The education system
5) Your ethnic group
6) Religion
7) Government
For this week’s discourse we will try to give reason as to why society is so adamant that we CONFORM to its standards and NOT STANDOUT. Let me give you a typical Papua New Guinean illustration of what I mean by that statement. I am absolutely certain that you have heard this drummed into your heads when growing up, “Get a good education, go to University, graduate with a degree, find a reputable company to secure you employment and has a good salary package, find a house and settle down”, or something closer to that degree. If I am wrong than you don’t have to read further. Just close this blog and go back to doing what you are accustomed to doing. But if I am right than I do hope you want me to point out the impact that that philosophy has on us. If so than please read on. That philosophy has two impacts that I can point out in our society today.
Firstly, the majority of us who have followed the advice successfully are seeing ourselves still struggling to leave from pay-check to pay-check, accept for a certain few who have learnt to harness the power of making money work for them. Even though we have managed to gain a secured job with a good paying salary but still we face the same dilemma as all the other working class; More Taxes, Increase in Expenses, More Mortgage, Increase in money borrowing from Financial Loan companies and or informal money lenders, etc. We are still within the sphere of “survival”.
Secondly, there are those whom have gave up in their efforts to live up to society’s expectations and have adversely reacted (because of their deeper, unconscious insecurities stemming from their deeper need to belong) by engaging in criminal, self-devaluing and illegal activities or following yet another one of society’s advice to “Go back to the village where there is land to plant gardens, forest to hunt for meat and river for food and drink”. Whether you fall in the category of the first group of people or the second, the end result is the same for both. WE all are still at the level of “survival”. But yet one cannot rule out the fact that deep down in the recess of our souls, we all feel a deeper sense of wanting to make sense and finding purpose for our existence. “THERE’S GOT TO BE MORE TO LIFE THAN THIS??” How can we possibly discover that when we are totally engaged in living up to society’s expectations? We are still conformed or part of society. And the saddest part and most destructive behavior is that society will never allow you to Stand Out. Because the moment you do they will seem to not know you anymore and consider you as an outcast or in the pidgin language we say, “long long man or meri!” And that behavior will cause us to still hold on to society because we have already had this preconceived idea that our livelihood and wellbeing or sense of security depends entirely on the whole. Whatever the society thinks, says and does is always right and true; that in itself can be based on a True Philosophy or a False Philosophy of which gives rise to our belief systems which governs the way we live.
Myles Munroe made a profound statement in his Spirit of Leadership seminar and I quote: “You cannot change a society you are a part of.” You cannot live beyond the life of “survival” if you’re still among the crowd.
I will have to end here because already I have so much information in one posting for you to mentally digest. Do join me in the next posting where I will continue on the same topic of discourse.
Have a Great Week and always remember to DARE THINK DIFFERENT.
Cheers!
P.S. You can always view and make comments on this posting including the previous ones at http://pngdarethinkdifferent.blogspot.com/.
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Beliefs are the determinants of your external reality
Greetings again to you all of GREAT potential.
If you find yourself reading this week’s PNGDTD group blog than I should commend you on that. It shows that you REALLY have it within you the DESIRE to seek knowledge and understanding for the purpose of personal growth and CHANGE.
Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?
”Why is there so much injustice in this world?”
“Why is it that my country is so Rich with natural resources but yet we haven’t got much to show for it?”
“Why is it that I have to wake up every morning to go to a job I am passionate about or hate?
“Why is it that I prefer this over that?”
“Why do my parents and society always advise me to go to school, graduate and find a secure job?”
“Why is it that I pay 50toea bus fare for a short distance instead of 80toea full fare?”
“Why do this certain group of people act this way and the other acts totally different?”
“Why do the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poor?”
Last week’s discourse was on the topic “REPENT” or “REPENTANCE” of which I mentioned that the word is NOT a religious word and neither the Bible a religious book. The meaning of the word means to completely CHANGE the way you have been accustomed to THINK; thinking TOTALLY different from society’s conventional way of thinking.
This week’s discourse will look at how BELIEFS are formed and how they govern the way we THINK, FEEL, and DO. Beliefs are formed initially by our human psychological need to find identity and a sense of belongingness. From the infant stage to the adult stage of growth, our parents, society and the world were responsible for instilling in us our current beliefs whether we are consciously, or unconsciously, aware of them or not. Beliefs are based on personal PHILOSOPHIES or mass Philosophies that are perceived to be true. This then becomes the basis by which we respond to external stimulus.
The problem with this is that our Belief can be based on REAL TRUTH or FALSE Philosophy. The later arises out of a lack of knowledge and understanding or rather just plain ignorance to seeking truth about something. And that is the Dilemma that Papua New Guinea and most third world nations like us are in. That is the reason why you will always be advised and advise others to get an education and find a secure job as a “modern day slave” in somebody else’s system of wealth creation and settle for a mediocre life. That is the reason why you will still pay 50toea from Gerehu to Waigani instead of the value of the service being provided which is worth 80toea. That is why you will still complain that Politicians are corrupt and are not looking out for the best interest of the country. That is the reason why you will still focus on your external environment and complain that if only the society gets rid off their negative mentality, than I will find inner peace and assurance. That is the reason why Papua New Guinea’s economy is governed by a lack mentality. We have been educated by a philosophy that stresses that ‘there are Scarce Resources available to meet the unlimited wants of consumers’. And as a result an economic system was designed to manipulate and control people’s consumption behavior for the sole purpose of profits and personal gain; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We have been educated by society that money doesn’t grow on trees, the more you spend or give, the less money you will have left and religion preaches that ‘money is the root of all evil’ which are all philosophies of lack that make up our belief systems which govern the way we behave.
Therefore, beliefs are very dangerous because false beliefs can cause us to kill and destroy ourselves, reducing the value of human life to a jelly-fish that evolved into a sophisticated monkey. DO YOU WANT CHANGE to happen in your life? If you said YES, than you need to identify and get rid of your negative beliefs and replace them with beliefs that are based on REAL truth and facts. HOW DO I DO THAT? You may ask. Well, I would advise you to PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to your negative emotional responses and reactions towards stimuli from your external environment; whether it is from your family members, work colleagues, friends and even total strangers, etc… When this happens ask yourself this Question, “Why am I acting this way?” and sure enough as you ponder more on this self inquiry you will be amazed at unearthing deeply rooted negative beliefs that are the determinants of your actions.
If you have read this blog this far, than you really are serious about change and of which I commend you on that. Keep reading PNGDTD blog to find out what role the mind plays in personal change and housing and programming beliefs.
I bid you all a great week with these words… “Society won’t change unless YOU concentrate on changing yourself. You don’t need to effort on changing your external realities. Change yourself and the external realities will gradually correspond to the nature of your song.”
Always remember to DARE THINK DIFFERENT.
Cheers
If you find yourself reading this week’s PNGDTD group blog than I should commend you on that. It shows that you REALLY have it within you the DESIRE to seek knowledge and understanding for the purpose of personal growth and CHANGE.
Have you ever asked yourself the following questions?
”Why is there so much injustice in this world?”
“Why is it that my country is so Rich with natural resources but yet we haven’t got much to show for it?”
“Why is it that I have to wake up every morning to go to a job I am passionate about or hate?
“Why is it that I prefer this over that?”
“Why do my parents and society always advise me to go to school, graduate and find a secure job?”
“Why is it that I pay 50toea bus fare for a short distance instead of 80toea full fare?”
“Why do this certain group of people act this way and the other acts totally different?”
“Why do the rich keep getting richer and the poor keep getting poor?”
Last week’s discourse was on the topic “REPENT” or “REPENTANCE” of which I mentioned that the word is NOT a religious word and neither the Bible a religious book. The meaning of the word means to completely CHANGE the way you have been accustomed to THINK; thinking TOTALLY different from society’s conventional way of thinking.
This week’s discourse will look at how BELIEFS are formed and how they govern the way we THINK, FEEL, and DO. Beliefs are formed initially by our human psychological need to find identity and a sense of belongingness. From the infant stage to the adult stage of growth, our parents, society and the world were responsible for instilling in us our current beliefs whether we are consciously, or unconsciously, aware of them or not. Beliefs are based on personal PHILOSOPHIES or mass Philosophies that are perceived to be true. This then becomes the basis by which we respond to external stimulus.
The problem with this is that our Belief can be based on REAL TRUTH or FALSE Philosophy. The later arises out of a lack of knowledge and understanding or rather just plain ignorance to seeking truth about something. And that is the Dilemma that Papua New Guinea and most third world nations like us are in. That is the reason why you will always be advised and advise others to get an education and find a secure job as a “modern day slave” in somebody else’s system of wealth creation and settle for a mediocre life. That is the reason why you will still pay 50toea from Gerehu to Waigani instead of the value of the service being provided which is worth 80toea. That is why you will still complain that Politicians are corrupt and are not looking out for the best interest of the country. That is the reason why you will still focus on your external environment and complain that if only the society gets rid off their negative mentality, than I will find inner peace and assurance. That is the reason why Papua New Guinea’s economy is governed by a lack mentality. We have been educated by a philosophy that stresses that ‘there are Scarce Resources available to meet the unlimited wants of consumers’. And as a result an economic system was designed to manipulate and control people’s consumption behavior for the sole purpose of profits and personal gain; the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. We have been educated by society that money doesn’t grow on trees, the more you spend or give, the less money you will have left and religion preaches that ‘money is the root of all evil’ which are all philosophies of lack that make up our belief systems which govern the way we behave.
Therefore, beliefs are very dangerous because false beliefs can cause us to kill and destroy ourselves, reducing the value of human life to a jelly-fish that evolved into a sophisticated monkey. DO YOU WANT CHANGE to happen in your life? If you said YES, than you need to identify and get rid of your negative beliefs and replace them with beliefs that are based on REAL truth and facts. HOW DO I DO THAT? You may ask. Well, I would advise you to PAY CLOSE ATTENTION to your negative emotional responses and reactions towards stimuli from your external environment; whether it is from your family members, work colleagues, friends and even total strangers, etc… When this happens ask yourself this Question, “Why am I acting this way?” and sure enough as you ponder more on this self inquiry you will be amazed at unearthing deeply rooted negative beliefs that are the determinants of your actions.
If you have read this blog this far, than you really are serious about change and of which I commend you on that. Keep reading PNGDTD blog to find out what role the mind plays in personal change and housing and programming beliefs.
I bid you all a great week with these words… “Society won’t change unless YOU concentrate on changing yourself. You don’t need to effort on changing your external realities. Change yourself and the external realities will gradually correspond to the nature of your song.”
Always remember to DARE THINK DIFFERENT.
Cheers
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)