- Journal Entry #9 — Seeing It Otherwise
Ran across an intriguing quote this week …
“The highest form of ignorance is when you reject something you don’t know anything about.” ~ Wayne Dyer
Dyer is a well-known author, spiritual teacher, and I’m sure many of you are familiar with his body of work. A few of his videos are available on Netflix, or elsewhere. And his website offers more information, of course.
I haven’t followed his work closely, but I thought he captured something worthwhile in his observation about ignorance. It’s my guess this dynamic plays itself out millions of times each day … everywhere on the planet.
- What are the repercussions of this reality? There are many, as I’m sure you can imagine.
But the limitations of language also come to mind here. Nearly every seemingly straightforward statement begs the question … at a deeper level of consciousness.
First of all, what exactly is “ignorance” … and what does it mean to “reject” something you know nothing about?
And, yes, I could get caught up in the details … “thinking” my way to some sort of “answer” … but what is the point, exactly?
- Instead, I choose to simply perceive the element of truth in his statement … learning what I can … and moving on.
Every statement (of fact) is incomplete, imperfect, and questionable on some level of consciousness.
If you are interested in learning more about the transformation of consciousness and how individual perception shifts depending on your state of consciousness, Dr. David R. Hawkins has identified various levels of consciousness and so has Dr. Deepak Chopra. Dr. Hawkins puts Enlightenment at the top, and Dr. Chopra puts Unity Consciousness, or enlightenment, at the top. But again, don’t get caught up in the words, per se. Always look for the deeper message — otherwise, you simply create another mental exercise that takes you nowhere.
- When I listen to words with an open mind without judgment or analysis, I am able to glean the essence of the message; otherwise, the message is lost against a tangle of mental back and forth — as the mind swings into predictable action. In other words, I can stay “in tune” with the message by reminding myself to always listen from a higher level of consciousness, avoiding commonplace assumptions and useless reaction. It’s sort of like looking at a painting to perceive the entire image, as opposed to focusing on the precise strokes of the artist’s paint brush. ~ dh
Thanks for stopping by — see you in a couple of weeks!
Seeing It Otherwise, our spiritual journey for 2013, is a journal that focuses on exploring perceptions, assumptions, and reactions. It’s a great opportunity to journal with us or meditate on the ideas and questions presented. Blog posts will serve as brief journal entries every other Friday morning. I hope you’re enjoying this close-up of life and spirituality. Nextjournal post: June 7th.
- As usual, comments are welcome, but I always encourage inner dialogue as well … or more importantly. Thanks, have a great weekend!
