2: Inevitable Misunderstanding

Written Version Below (relatively the same as the audio)

Welcome to day 2 of our 5-part series exploring the practical basics of spirituality.

Why do I love writing about this so much? Well, as I explore my human experience, I find that we humans have a profound ability to complicate things. Our minds can think in 10,000 different directions, often leading us to get lost in our thoughts.

Our human minds are beautifully fascinating, and this "gift of thinking" we have is very much a double-edged sword. The human mind can literally imagine infinite things, it can tell infinite stories, and it can create the most beautiful and the most terrifying of experiences.

The more deeply we explore our struggles and our victories, it becomes obvious, rather quickly, that our human dilemma is not a dilemma with or against life, but a dilemma that arises in our relationship with the mind. We realize that the real problem isn’t “out there” in life, rather, the real difficulty is taking place within what we are (or within the mind).

My joy is in bringing profound simplicity, a deeper clarity that allows us to look beyond the chaos of thinking, and, essentially, heal our relationship with the mind; so we can return to a more grounded, loving, and playful way of being.

Part 2: Inevitable Misunderstanding

Yesterday, I said:

• If the (spiritual) impulse is to see and connect with what is real and true about YOU and Life, then the ‘reality or truth’ we seek can only be found in what IS real and true (which is a truth and reality beyond the mind’s content/imagination).

The inevitable misunderstanding is that we often confuse the mind’s content for reality, and this happens all the time. What this means is that we believe our own thinking; thinking that what we imagine is actually real and true.

Case in point: This is like…

• Believing your interpretation of what someone is saying is, in fact, what they are attempting to communicate.
  • Example: Someone says to you, “I don’t have time to talk to you right now.” Your interpretation of that is, “They don’t like me.”
• Going through an (or any) experience, giving that experience meaning, and then believing that it really means that beyond your own belief in that meaning.
  • Example: You try to do something, it doesn’t go as planned, and now you imagine it means “YOU are a failure.”
• Confusing the name or label you give to something or someone, and believing they are that name or label (your image/imagination).
  • Example 1: You label someone as a “terrible person,” and then you believe it’s TRUE (or only true) that they are your idea of a terrible person. (This is like the example we used yesterday where you take a photograph of the sunset, and you think your photograph is the reality of the sunset).
  • Example 2: You look at a crooked tree and you label it as ugly, and then you believe that it’s true that the tree is ugly; rather than seeing that… that is only how you see/imagine it to be.

To "misunderstand" is to simply transform something into what it is not, and then believe it is what you transformed it into.

Now, here’s the PROFOUND part: The mind can only create images, which is also to say… the mind cannot see what exists outside itself; therefore, everything it perceives is not necessarily "seeing" what is real and true.

The fundamental misunderstanding is to assume that what the mind perceives exists outside the mind’s creation of it. The mind sees its "idea" of things, its photograph of things, and then believes the idea/image is what is real and true.

Don’t... misunderstand 🙃 me here. I’m not saying the mind or its images are bad or wrong. The mind is a beautiful (and required) instrument that helps us navigate the human experience, and it is extraordinarily helpful.

However, just like every tool or instrument, if you try to use it in a way that it’s not designed to be used, the result might very well be disastrous.

• Try using a fork to enjoy a delicious bowl of your favorite hot soup.

Now, imagine that you really thought or believed the fork was supposed to help you enjoy your soup. Can you see how your relationship with the fork becomes… frustrating and contentious?

The same is happening here with the mind. We are assuming and believing the mind can do something that it simply cannot do, which results in a problematic 🙄 and frustrating 😠 relationship with the mind.

Here’s a bold statement that points toward something profoundly true:

• All human suffering is the result of an innocent misunderstanding that confuses its imagination for reality.

Every ounce of conflict with ourselves, others, or the world (even with the fork 😉), results from an innocent misunderstanding.

Real and Genuine Spirituality… is an invitation which seeks to help you heal this misunderstanding, so you can heal the conflict in your life that seems to steal the immense joy of your natural and true state of being.

As you realize (understand) that the fork is not meant for eating soup, you naturally and effortlessly forgive the fork, which also heals your relationship with the fork, and simply find the right tool for the job.

Your (playful) Exercise:

Take 5 minutes and explore the following:

• 🌱 Think about a small situation in your life that is currently causing some frustration. This could be a minor inconvenience, a small task you've been putting off, a misunderstanding with a friend, or anything else that seems to be causing a tiny bit of stress.
  
  
• 🔍 Now, try to identify what assumptions or interpretations you've made about this situation. What are you telling yourself about this situation (what you think it means about you) that is causing the frustration?
  
  
• 🔄 Consider the possibility that your interpretation is one of 10,000 different interpretations. How could a different perspective change your understanding of the situation?
  
  
• 🪞 Also, consider that it’s not about finding the 'right' interpretation, but rather see that whatever interpretation you choose, it’s simply showing you a reflection of how you see yourself.
  
  
• 🌿 Start with small things because they're easier to navigate and understand. Once you get the hang of it, you can apply the same process to bigger challenges.

This is an exercise in self-honesty about your experience. For example, it’s like asking…

🤔 “Am I willing to see that the fork is not the source of my frustration, but rather it’s my assumptions about the fork (what I think I know) that is causing all the drama?”

Up Next…

1. Ancient Invitation
2. Inevitable Misunderstanding
3. 👉 Many Roads to Wisdom (Tomorrow)
4. Only ONE Prize to Find
5. It’s Okay… to Be Human

Wow 🤩, did you enjoy this one as much as I enjoyed writing it? If you did, then I would also playfully 🙃 assume that you know some other heart-based humans who would enjoy/appreciate exploring it with us.

Please help me spread this goodness by sharing this link far and wide 👉🏽 (https://go.heartbased.io/mnl-series/mnl-S01).