You Might Disagree with My Philosophy – And That’s Okay
It’s always good to question your beliefs.
I began to share this idea for Pathwalking – choosing and deciding the paths you take for yourself – more than 14 years ago. While the core principle hasn’t changed, other elements of it have.
Why? Because I’ve learned new things, had new experiences, made new discoveries about tangibles and intangibles along the way. My life has changed in circumstances in more ways than one. That’s because change is the one and only constant in the Universe.
I’ve never been a believer in One True Way or a singular explanation for anything. As such, I’ve worked to be open to a wide range of potential and possibilities. This has been done to a greater or lesser degree of success, depending.
Through it all, I’ve learned how empowering mindfulness can be. That’s why it’s the central tenet of my philosophy. Still, I know that you might disagree with my philosophy. And that’s okay.
One size seldom fits all
Do I think anyone, anywhere, can utilize my philosophy and apply conscious reality creation and mindfulness techniques? Hell yes. But does that mean everyone should agree with me? No.
The reason for this is that what works for me might not work for you. Despite the proof I have from my own practices, that doesn’t mean they will be right for anyone else.
Activating conscious awareness via mindfulness is easy on paper. You start by asking questions that can only be answered here and now, like:
- What am I thinking?
- What am I feeling?
- How am I feeling?
- What are my intentions with this/that/the other thing?
- Is my approach positive or negative?
- What am I doing?
However, when rubber hits the road, complications can and will arise. Distractions are EVERYWHERE. Being mindful, present here and now, even with these questions, can derail you and become challenging to address.
I’ve written previously about a simple, 2-minute breathing exercise. Set a timer, breathe deeply in and out, and focus on your breathing. Great on paper, but again, distractions can make this not work for you.
Don’t even get me started on meditation. For many people, this is more stressful than stress-relieving. Works for me, yes, but will it work for you? It might not.
Ergo, you might disagree with my philosophy.
It’s okay if you disagree with my philosophy
I read a lot. Among the things I read, there’s a lot of self-help, psychology, empowerment, and other scientific and not-so-scientific nonfiction. Much of it offers some useful things. But even so, I often disagree with some aspects.
Take The Secret, for example. The overall concept of the Law of Attraction I believe. Everything in the universe vibrates at a frequency. Higher frequencies are positive; lower frequencies are negative. If you work to maintain high vibes, you attract them to you.
However, I disagree with the idea that all it takes is to Ask, Believe, and Receive. Or, more specifically, the oversimplification of it. You can’t just ask the universe for X, believe you’ll get it, then receive it. Conscious reality creation takes work and cannot just manifest anything from the pure void.
What that means is you need to have purpose and do the necessary work to make anything manifest. Active, conscious choices and decisions are how you can make things happen. Hence, along these lines, I disagree with any philosophy that suggests you can just wish anything into existence.
You might disagree with my assertions about the importance of being present more than allowing the past and future to dictate who, what, where, how, and why you are. It’s entirely possible you think more planning for the future than I suggest in my philosophy is important. It’s okay for you to disagree with my philosophy.
That’s because it’s not about me in any way, shape, or form. I share my philosophy because I desire to do anything I can to help others experience their lives as fully as humanly possible. And I know what that looks like for you is not what it is for me.
Philosophy and beliefs, values, and the subconscious
I took a stab recently at reading the collective works of philosopher Immanuel Kant. I gave it two weeks of solid reading. Then I gave up. Why? I just could not fully follow where he was going.
Granted, it included a lot of superfluous words and phrases that made it challenging to read (and who knows how good the translation I have is). But after a valiant effort, I gave up and started to read a more modern book about science and psychology instead.
Still, all the philosophy I’ve encountered questions beliefs and values. It gets deep and dives into the who, how, and what of our beliefs and values and what’s beneath them. Nature versus nurture, instinct versus learned, and so on.
However, I believe the point of all the philosophy out there is the same in the end. Think. Don’t let your subconscious mind run unchecked all the time. Question things. Make choices and decisions. Put in some time and effort. Don’t just accept what “they” feed you. Examine it for yourself.
Not only is it okay for you to disagree with my philosophy; I encourage you to. Why? Because if you try it for yourself, you might gain from it. And if it gives you nothing, you lose nothing. Maybe you feel more empowered via my philosophy; or maybe not. Either way, it’s not about me. But I continue to share it because I believe in it and what it can do for anyone and everyone.
Do you see why it’s more than okay to disagree with my philosophy?
This is the seventh-hundred-sixty-eighth (768) exploration of my Pathwalking philosophy. These weekly essays are my ideas for – and experiences with – applying mindfulness and positivity to walk along a chosen path of life to consciously create reality.
I share my philosophy because I desire to make a difference in the world and help as many people as I can to find their empowerment with conscious reality creation.
Thank you for joining me. Feel free to share and/or repost where it might do good for you and others.
The first year of Pathwalking, including some expanded ideas, is available here.
Also, please check out my author website for the rest of my published fiction and nonfiction works.
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