Chapter 2
Negative emotions and the ways of thinking associated with negative emotions are the cause of many of our unprofitable actions. Worry, greed, envy, bad moods, anger, anxiety, dislikes and hate are a few of the negative emotions that deny us our rightful life experience. We lose the very substance needed to build spirituality through negative emotions. We unconsciously invest our life energy in negative emotions. We have learned to think with negative emotion. We now must learn to think without negative emotions. Our spirituality depends on our ability to stop investing in negative emotions and invest rather in right thinking. Negative emotions are of no value; they serve no purpose in our lives. Negative emotions are destructive even to our physical existence. Negative emotions destroy us.
Negative expression is a symptom of negative emotion. Negative expression is the act of making our negative thoughts known in words and actions. Negative expression takes many forms. Simply uttering dislike for the weather or verbally expressing anger at one of our fellow commuters because we feel they don’t know how to drive are simple forms of negative expression. There are so many forms of negative expression that we will be stunned when we begin to see the many manifestations this wasteful thinking generates. The important fact to realize regarding negative expression is the fact that it is the outward manifestation of an inward condition. This inward condition is based on misunderstanding and destroys our opportunity to live happily. The good thing about negative expression is that it is easy to observe. Because negative expression is easy to observe it is a good place to begin the process of self observation. We must learn to stop all forms of negative expression. We must struggle to watch what we say and stop negative expression whenever we have the presence of mind.
Internal consideration is another form of negative emotion. Internal consideration is a negative emotion that shows itself in the relationships we have with people. Internal consideration occurs when our thoughts become stuck on our feeling that we are being treated badly by other people. During internal consideration we may daydream. During internal consideration we have real and imaginary conversations with people we feel do not understand or appreciate us. These real or imaginary conversations are usually argumentative. Internal consideration occurs when we become focused on ourselves and our own petty wants. Internal consideration ignores the needs of those around us. We find our own beliefs and desires to be of such importance that we become blind to the needs of those around us. Internal consideration prevents us from acting with compassion. During internal consideration we will stand firm on our opinions and spend great amounts of energy defending these opinions. If we were to stop internal consideration for a moment and look closely at the senselessness of our commitment we might see that it would be easier to simply agree with the other person involved, walk away from the situation and get on with life. This agreement would result in the conservation of energy and therefore, result in great profit.
“And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.
Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again.
And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.” St. Luke 6: 29-31
There is so little to be gained when we spend our energy trying to change the minds of those around us. There is so little to be gained by arguing with those who do not hear. Our time is better spent training our own minds to think more clearly.
Negative identification is a third manifestation of negative emotion. Identification plays a very large role in our lives, and negative identification is especially limiting and harmful. Negative identifications are identifications that are born in our misunderstanding regarding the true nature of life. When we become identified with some material object or become identified with a group much of the energy available to us is poured into supporting that object or idea. We become so involved with the identification that our ability to see or think clearly is hindered. The potential to participate in more profitable events is blocked.
“Now when Jesus heard these things, he said unto him, Yet lackest thou one thing: sell all that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, follow me.
And when he heard this he was very sorrowful: for he was very rich. And when Jesus saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the
For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle’s eye, than for a rich man to enter into the
This Christian parable teaches of the limiting influence identifications have on our lives. This parable is not saying that there is anything wrong with wealth. This parable is saying that Jesus saw that the man was identified with his wealth. Nearly everything that the man felt or believed about himself revolved around his material wealth. He was sure that without his wealth he would be nothing. The truth of the matter is; it is the ability to be nothing that allows us to be everything.
Within us there exist many identities (i). These identities are born in the education we receive from our parents, our teachers and our society. These identities support our identifications, and they exist because of the energy we allow them to use. Many of these identities are wasteful spenders. The way many of these identities use our energy does nothing to properly digest the food of impressions. They support negative emotions. They firmly hold to mistaken ideas. They argue for the sake of argument. They feel mistreated and misunderstood. They feel anxious and angry. They are greedy and envious. These wasteful identities and their identifications will prevent us from growing spiritually. If we hope to find true happiness and peace we must be willing to learn to withhold energy from these wasteful identities. As we begin to withhold energy from the wasteful identities and invest rather in profitable actions, opportunities to come in contact with our true self become possible. The true self (I) lives quietly within, waiting for opportunities to express itself; this peaceful identity will not assert itself. It can only begin to influence our lives in the moments we consciously choose to use our energy profitably.
Each small identity projects its limited way of thinking onto the screen of our lives. Each identity protects its identification. These small identities are interested only in themselves and the things they believe. Our life experience is continually changing according to these constantly shifting identities and the likes and dislikes they support. Some of our unprofitable identities may be the worrier, the arguer, the lazy one, the one who doesn’t know, the one that can’t do. Some of our profitable identities may be the thoughtful one, the helpful one, the inventive one, the optimistic one.
There are probably hundreds of identities contained within each of us. Some of these identities are based on right thinking. Careful examination of our identities will allow us to sort the profitable identities from the unprofitable identities. Once we have learned to recognize the profitable from the unprofitable we can consciously choose to support the profitable and cast the unprofitable identities out of our lives. This process requires time and a determined effort on our part. Self observation is the tool we can use to weed out our unprofitable identities. It is helpful to make an actual list of identities. The categorization of identities makes it easier to observe the constantly changing identifications.
We must understand that each of us is comprised of a multitude of identities. This cannot be overstated. Accepted thinking assumes a person to be unified. This is not the case. A person is legions of identities. For example, one identity rises to the front and states that it is going to quit arguing. The breakdown in our attempt to quit arguing comes when other identities assume authority. As soon as the identity that has decided to quit arguing loses the dominate position within us the desire to quit arguing is lost as well. The process of self observation will allow us opportunities to make conscious choices regarding the investment of energy. Wise investments are made when energy is given to identities that use right thinking. Wise investments result in profit. Profit results in more energy. This increased energy can be used in the next investment. As the wise investments begin to pay off, the identities that think poorly begin to lose their influence on our lives. Over time a group of profitable identities may form a union. This union will work to gain authority over the unprofitable identities and will use this authority to make investments in right thinking.
The tool of self observation makes the organization of the union possible.
Whenever we use the word ‘I’ we should stop and ask ourselves, “Which ‘i’,”? “Is the ‘i’ in control of my power a profitable ‘i’ or is it a wasteful ‘i’?” “Is the ‘i’ that is momentarily in control of my life interested in my spiritual development or is it interested only in its limited identification?” These moments of self consciousness are the moments that offer us the opportunity to rebuild our lives.