Crazy Thoughts
• This is a blog entry called "Crazy Thoughts"
• In it I claim that
you're mad - just like me, and the rest of us!
• And: I show you why, how
and what to do about it.
• This page is an entry in "Soren's Blog:
Inspirational Thoughts" - a blog aimed at your personal
development & spiritual growth. This blog incorporates
inspirational motivational quotes, empowerment theory, random
funny facts, motivational phrases, short funny jokes, funny
questions that make you think and more!
Crazy Thoughts about You and Me
If you are like me and pretty much everybody else, then you're stark raving mad. Or, at least a part of you is. Nuts. Round the bend. Bonkers. Off the wall. Wacky. Mad as a hatter. Barmy.
Sorry.
I know that it's a pretty drastic statement. But it's not one that I make lightly. I make it based on observation - of me, of those around me, on my coaching clients, and of the people in the city where I live.
Thus, the first of several very appropriate inspirational sayings for this blog entry is:
All of us are crazy in one way or another.
~ Yiddish proverb ~
And an appropriate second funny inspirational quotation is this:
What sane person could live in this world and not be crazy?
~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~
Right now, you may be thinking "Crazy, I'm not crazy! Enough with your crazy thoughts!" But in fact your resistance to the thought and the mere mention of the word "I" in your response reveals your craziness.
You're Not Alone
If you resist the thought that you are in fact quite mad, there's probably something to it - why else would you need to resist it? People only resist and get upset about statements that they feel are true but not acceptable. Have you noticed?And the word "I" is one that people who entertain a normal (and thus very large) amount of crazy thoughts use a lot, both in their heads, in their sentences and in their actions. It's a sign of an ego running rampant. Rampant fear based egos create ecologically unsound conditions, as can be witnessed simply by looking at the state of the world today.
Since we are all one, it's very tempting to say that in truth there is no "I", but well, to most people that doesn't make a lot of sense (even if it is very true), and so we'll get back to that some other time.
But don't worry, you're not alone with your crazy thoughts, etc. I'm right there with you in your madness, and so is most of the rest of the world.
In a mad world, only the mad are sane.
~ Akira Kurosawa ~
Not that Mr. Kurosawa is necessarily more than half right. The mad might very well be mad, too, you never know. But his statement has a nice ring to it.
So, then, let's take a tour through our collective madness.
Madness in My Own Life
I am a healthy male in my prime. I can do things that most people would consider remarkable - like for instance healing (both remote healing and hands on); inner journeys; writing books and creating websites; sensing, accepting and understanding other people almost immediately, and doing the most potent coaching you're likely to encounter on any given Wednesday.
Still, on a semi-regular basis I get scared and lose faith in my ability to create the life I want. That's crazy!
I have a female partner. She's a truly magnificent woman who, most of the time, is quite unaware of - and in fact doubtful of - her own magnificence. That's crazy!
I love her and she loves me. Not just a little, but a lot. Of that I have not a shred of doubt. In fact, our love seems deeper and more unconditional than the love of most people around us.
This love is a most powerful connection which enables us to do and experience surprising, wonderful and utterly extraordinary things together, both in our daily lives and in our sex life. (I'll probably get back to that in a later blog entry).
Still, sometimes one of us gets taken over by some irrational fear or other, and when that happens, we almost lose our powerful connection plus all the wonderful things it entails. That's crazy!
Copenhagen's Madness Schedule
I live in what is a big city by local standards - Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark. On a global scale Copenhagen isn't that big. New York in the US of A, for instance, is more than 15 timers bigger. But Copenhagen is big enough to house a lot of ordinary people who go mad on a regular basis.
There are times, you see, when I don't venture out into the city unless I have to, because the level of madness depends on the time of year, day of the week and the time of day. That sounds crazy, I know, but listen:
For instance, the peak of summer (July and August) is much better than, say, November or May. Or December which is absolutely horrible.
On a day-to-day basis the Saturdays between 11.00 and 15.00 o'clock plus and the five workdays between 15.30 and 17.30 are the worst times.
The best days are definitely Sundays. In the summer. Any time of day.
Oh, yeah, I've given this some thought. Used my powers of observation. This is what happens:
Morning Traffic
The good citizens of Copenhagen are mostly employees - wage slaves, you might call them. In fact I used to be one of those, too, before I opted for self employment instead.On workdays these wage slaves all have to be at their work at roughly the same time, which means that they all crowd into the streets at the same time. Obviously this means that traffic pretty much stops and everybody is in danger of arriving late, which in turn makes everybody stressed from the very beginning of the day.
That's crazy!
Jobs
Many of those poor souls have jobs that they don't even like. In fact, some of them do work that they very nearly hate. They get stressed by it, too.This takes place even though they might just as well have been making a living out of doing one or more of the things they love. That's crazy!
Afternoon Traffic
As it happens most of these worker bees get off from work at roughly the same time in the afternoon ... meaning that they crowd the streets trying to get home, too. Yep, that's crazy. But wait, it gets worse.Shopping
Like everyone else, the working people have to eat, so they have to go shopping. Unfortunately most shops are open during the time when people don't have time to shop because they're at work, too. (In Denmark the shop opening hours are regulated by law).Consequently the shop clerks are somewhat bored during the day and wildly stressed during the afternoon when everybody and his sister has to shop just before the shops close.
What a crazy waste, right? But wait, it gets even worse.
Kids
Many of these nice people have children. Since they're off doing an alternately boring and stressed out job that they may not even like, they hardly have time for their young ones.Therefore the children are put in day care, and while they do develop social skills in the interaction with the other children there's something vital that they're missing: When those children get home, they're tired and in desperate need of the one-on-one love and attention that they've missed during the day.
Of course, their parents aren't really able to give it to them because they've spent their best waking hours in stressed traffic, at stressed work and doing even more stressed out shopping. And now they have to cook.
Yes, indeed, that's just plain crazy!
Television
So, what do those desperate parents do? They put their children in front of the television.Now, on the whole television, which has such educational possibilities, has developed into a lot of fast paced meaningless pictures and stories whose net effect is to induce negative emotions, particularly fear.
Subjecting our kids to this kind of junk is ... well, crazy.
Repeat Performances
And what I have described is just the tip of the iceberg. But none of the above things is the most crazy thing of all. The craziest thing is that all those people KEEP ON DOING IT, day after day, year after year.A great physicist and thinker once said:
Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.
~ Albert Einstein ~
Why are most people behaving in ways that must be described as mad? For the most stupid reason possible: Because everybody else seems to be doing it.
There is no salvation in becoming adapted to a world which is crazy.
~ Henry Miller ~
YOUR Crazy Thoughts
So we get to you. You didn't think I'd let you off the hook, did you? I won't.In fact I'm going to use you as an example of what's really going on - and thus as a means of inducing consciousness - a stepping stone towards helping you with personal development, personal growth and inspiration.
So, how are you feeling today? If you are like most people your thoughts are not filled with positive self talk, rather they are crazy with (mostly unconscious) fear; your feelings are in an almost perpetual state of mild or even wild uproar; and your behaviour is ecologically unsound and directly damaging to yourself, too. As witnessed by the examples above and many more.
Why is it so?
The Reason You Think Crazy Thoughts
Now, the underlying (conscious or unconscious) feeling of fear is the reason you think crazy thoughts, but what is it you're afraid of?Well, most likely you're plagued by un-inspirational thoughts/feelings like: What if you don't get enough money? Or food? Or recognition? Or safety? Or love? Or ... you name it, and the odds are that you're scared of scarcity in that area.
In other words: Your constant underlying fear is that you're not going to get your various needs met.
An insightful but highly controversial writer once said:
The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.
~ Niccolo Machiavelli ~
But the question is: why are you living in that kind of fear?
What Lies Behind Crazy Thoughts and Feelings of Fear?
Your crazy actions are spurred on by crazy thoughts, which in turn are spurred on by crazy feelings of fear. What lies behind the fear?The answer is: Belief. Crazy beliefs. Beliefs which are fear based and highly limiting.
Basically you don't really think you're good enough, and you're pretty convinced that life isn't the way it's supposed to be, either. Those are crazy thoughts!
Your belief is likely to be like this: Whatever nice thing we're talking about, it's probably highly dangerous, probably NOT possible, and if it were, then YOU probably wouldn't be able to do it.
Whether you're conscious of it or not you likely have low life esteem plus low self esteem, and like I said, inside your head there's NOT a lot of positive self talk. Rather ... there are likely to be a lot of crazy thoughts.
And those are just very general examples. Most people hold an incredible amount of negative, limiting, fear based beliefs. Which they never examine. Much to their own detriment.
The Consequences of Crazy Thoughts, Feelings & Beliefs
What happens when you hold negative, limiting beliefs like those mentioned above?Well, the world becomes a dangerous, unpleasant place to you ... and what with your not being good enough, you spend a lot of time fighting, coping, worrying and being afraid - and not very much of your time feeling peace, joy and love. (And let's NOT talk about your kids, here).
In the not-quite-immortal words of a television cartoon character:
"Marge, there's just too much pressure. What with my job, the kids, traffic snarls, political strife at home and abroad. But I promise you, the second all those things go away, we'll have sex."
~ 'Homer Simpson' ~
You're not so much enjoying life as just trying to get by. Life has become a struggle. You see problems, not challenges. You definitely feel the need for strategies to survive. So, what do you do?
Going Mad
In the face of all the imagined danger you rely heavily on your fear based problem-solver and master of coping-strategies, the ego.And hey presto! you're mad. Barmy, crazy, round the bend.
Now, don't get me wrong: I'm not saying, 'blame the ego'. I'm also not saying blame yourself. Blame doesn't have ANY positive effects and there really is no reason to blame anyone or anything.
Your ego is just a machine, doing its job. Actually, with all that most of us are demanding of our egos, most of them are heavily overtaxed.
Your ego is a survival mechanism. It's great for certain things like strategizing and solving problems. But that's it. It really shouldn't be used for anything else, and in truth there isn't really much use for strategizing or problem solving, either.
Because, you see, things aren't the way you think they are when you rely on your ego. Happily!
Relative Reality
Mr. Machiavelli, whom I quoted as saying "There are only individual egos, crazy for love" was on to something. But the ego is not "all there is", not by a long shot. You certainly exist independently of your ego.Sadly, most people never realize this. And there we have it: The basis of all the crazy thoughts, feelings, needs, behaviours and beliefs: Lack of consciousness, lack of practical experience regarding our real identity.
We have all been brought up to believe in a mechanical, fear based kind of identity, the ego. But those are crazy thoughts for the ego is a pseudo-identity. It's just a machine, a tiny part of who we really are.
However, since everybody else around us is thinking those crazy thoughts and believing those crazy things, we do, too. It's 'normal'. That doesn't make it true, though.
So, what IS the truth?
Absolute Reality
The truth is all around us, everywhere, all the time. And, more importantly, the truth is inside us, too. And it's SO easy to find.It requires only stillness. Presence. Awareness. It requires that you STOP thinking, STOP fearing, STOP doing and simply breathe and exist. Relax. Breathe. Exist. Right here, right now.
A great modern spiritual teacher put it like this:
Most people treat the present moment as if it were an obstacle that they need to overcome. Since the present moment is Life itself, it is an insane way to live.
~ Eckhart Tolle ~
Letting Go of the Crazy Thoughts, etc.: How to Do It
Many, many people I have met and worked with have asked me: "That's great, I can feel the truth of what you're saying, but how do I DO that?"And then I have helped them to the experience. The experience is actually the opposite of doing, it's being. Existing.
What you 'do' is this: You stop doing and start being, you relax and let go. Let go completely.
The more completely you let go of everything the more powerful your experience of absolute reality will be.
Yes, when 'doing' that you will probably face your fear, but if you accept that and move through it, you will get the experience of seeing the truth.
When we remember that we are all mad, the mysteries disappear and life stands explained.
~ Mark Twain ~
And before you ask: Yes, I have developed several techniques for doing this, all of which I have gathered under the name of 'The Let Go Method', briefly described on the page Letting Go. Soon, on this very website, you'll be able to buy material that describes all of that in detail.
Until then: Just find a quiet spot, sit down, relax, breathe and slowly empty your mind of all those crazy thoughts, feelings, needs and beliefs.
It helps. A lot.
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