Makers of themselves

"'They themselves are makers of themselves' by virtue of the thoughts, which they choose and encourage; that mind is the master weaver, both of the inner garment of character and the outer garment of circumstance, and that, as they have hitherto woven in ignorance and pain they may now weave in enlightenment and happiness."
-James Allen, As a Man Thinketh

Unlearning

Your ability to survive, get by, or even thrive in life is a function of your ability to learn. Those who effectively learn are able to adapt to their environment as well as changing circumstances, and they may even be able to influence the systems within which they operate. Learning how to progress in your relationships to others, your health, your profession, your faith, your understanding of yourself, and anything else you care about depend upon your concept of progression and how you are able to learn the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to move yourself towards your goals.  What lessons you choose to take from your life experience are directly connected to how you learn. Those who quickly draw conclusions based on limited information are inclined to make superficial and innacurate judgments. Those who take time to gather more data as they construct their perspectives will form even more astute judgments. And those who are best able to learn are those who can unlearn. Even with our best efforts to understand the world around us, we will get many, if not most, things wrong. Having the humility and dexterity to question our assumptions and re-evaluate our positions enables us to unlearn erroneous ideas and practices, hopefully putting us closer to the truth in our beliefs and behaviors.

As emotional beings we are prone to fears and coping mechanisms that inhibit the free exercise of our minds and spirits. If a person injures a limb and thereafter chooses to protect it by keeping it in a sling, that limb will never fully heal. So too are our minds and hearts. Our inability to unlearn false conclusions about life condemns us to function in an inhibited way. We persist in these neurotic patterns because we cling to our learned behaviors, failing to forgive and forget ourselves and others. We also become resistant to unlearning our habits because with time and practice our manner becomes so entrenched.  Unlearning breathes new life and opportunities into us and helps us to use all our faculties again.

Satisfaction

"It is better to be a human being dissatisfied than a pig satisfied; better to be Socrates dissatisfied than a fool satisfied. And if the fool, or the pig, are a different opinion, it is because they only know their own side of the question."
John Stuart Mill, Utilitarianism

Still children

"In reality, we are still children. We want to find a playmate for our thoughts and feelings."
-Wilhelm Stekel

The Burning Ladder

                 Jacob
never climbed the ladder
burning in his dream. Sleep
pressed him like a stone
in the dust,
                 and when
he should have risen
like a flame to join
that choir, he was sick
of travelling,
                 and closed
his eyes to the Seraphim
ascending, unconscious
of the impossible distances
between their steps,
                 missed
them mount the brilliant
ladder, slowly disappearing
into the scattered light
between the stars,
                slept
through it all, a stone
upon a stone pillow,
shivering, Gravity
always greater than desire.

-Dana Gioia, Daily Horoscope

Passion

http://www.danagioia.net/essays/epassion.htm

Change yourself to change your circumstance

"Men are anxious to improve their circumstances, but are unwilling to improve themselves; they therefore remain bound."
-James Allen, As a Man Thinketh