Friday, October 12, 2012
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Work
Somebody said something about work, I do not remember who, that went some thing like this; "Work prevents boredom, vice, and need."
Work if we are interested in what we are doing is a great thing for passing the time. If we are uninterested, it is drudgery, worse than slavery. Being a money slave is bad enough, but if we actually dislike the work, then it is torcher of the worst kind. Work, when we enjoy it, makes the day go quickly, and we enjoy it. That is necessary for life and prosperity. We can change ourselves to like it or we can change the work we do, either within the organization or for another, if there is opportunity.
But the economy and our environment are changing. Gone, likely forever in our lifetime, are many of the manufacturing jobs, to the third world, where wages are low for now. They may come back, in the next generation or three, when transport cost becomes large. Energy is cheep, transportation very reasonable. There in lies the issue.
But what does this all have to do with recovery. We need to be happy with our work for recovery. We need to be contented with our activity, and the income it brings for recovery to really take hold. Note that we can be happy if we are living to a principal, even motivated to do almost anything, if we believe that principal is good and right and true. (and for emphasis, not good english grammar. Nether are sentences starting with but.) But some of the time, we can change our thinking to modify our motives to "higher motives" as Carnegie called them. All we need do is the next right thing for today. Good orderly direction. That's it, that's all.
Work can displace a vice such as overeating, once we get clear of the chemical addictions. It is just displacement for today, but a bunch of for today's will add to a lifetime.
Work if we are interested in what we are doing is a great thing for passing the time. If we are uninterested, it is drudgery, worse than slavery. Being a money slave is bad enough, but if we actually dislike the work, then it is torcher of the worst kind. Work, when we enjoy it, makes the day go quickly, and we enjoy it. That is necessary for life and prosperity. We can change ourselves to like it or we can change the work we do, either within the organization or for another, if there is opportunity.
But the economy and our environment are changing. Gone, likely forever in our lifetime, are many of the manufacturing jobs, to the third world, where wages are low for now. They may come back, in the next generation or three, when transport cost becomes large. Energy is cheep, transportation very reasonable. There in lies the issue.
But what does this all have to do with recovery. We need to be happy with our work for recovery. We need to be contented with our activity, and the income it brings for recovery to really take hold. Note that we can be happy if we are living to a principal, even motivated to do almost anything, if we believe that principal is good and right and true. (and for emphasis, not good english grammar. Nether are sentences starting with but.) But some of the time, we can change our thinking to modify our motives to "higher motives" as Carnegie called them. All we need do is the next right thing for today. Good orderly direction. That's it, that's all.
Work can displace a vice such as overeating, once we get clear of the chemical addictions. It is just displacement for today, but a bunch of for today's will add to a lifetime.
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
Social Needs
How high is your social need? I am not really talking about Maslow's social need but how much "social need" do you have? How many hours per day do you want to be with other people, in discussion, or in sharing a activity? I, personally, have fairly low social need, but I do need some.
I once knew a young lady, we were both young then, who could not be by herself without getting stressed. Turns out, she had come from a big intermeshed family, and liked it. She, literately, could not stand to be alone. I, on the other hand, need little social contact. Looking back on family history, I have a grandfather who was high social, who needed a lot of social contact. His brother needed very little, but was social when to opportunity presented its self but in a few hours got antsy to get under way.
Also note that our social need can vary over time, and intensity will also impact the amount we need. A few hours of sharing a common activity may be adequate, while a few minutes of serious discussion may be too much.
Do (I) you get enough social contact or too much? Is work more than enough, even too much, or to little? It it causing stress in your life or boredom?
I once knew a young lady, we were both young then, who could not be by herself without getting stressed. Turns out, she had come from a big intermeshed family, and liked it. She, literately, could not stand to be alone. I, on the other hand, need little social contact. Looking back on family history, I have a grandfather who was high social, who needed a lot of social contact. His brother needed very little, but was social when to opportunity presented its self but in a few hours got antsy to get under way.
Also note that our social need can vary over time, and intensity will also impact the amount we need. A few hours of sharing a common activity may be adequate, while a few minutes of serious discussion may be too much.
Do (I) you get enough social contact or too much? Is work more than enough, even too much, or to little? It it causing stress in your life or boredom?
Monday, October 8, 2012
Willingness
Willingness is necessary for any change.
Do we (I) have the willingness to recover?
Do we (I) have the willingness to change?
Am I willing to do what is necessary to recover?
Am I willing to follow the food program?
Is this whole obesity epidemic the result of "self will run riot." A whole generation of doing what we want. We can do what ever we set our minds to, according to Norman V. Peale. and perhaps the whole obesity epidemic is just the natural result of such philosophy combined with abundance.
added later
Is the program, that is living under the direction of something we have no control over, ie. a concept, the answer to all our problems? Or is it just a convenient way to ignore all the pressing issues and carrying on, oblivious to the problems? That is living in a parallel universe, for the trek fans. And if it is just a way to ignore our problems, is that so bad? We just carry on anyway. We can spend our days thinking and stewing, but their is no solution and it is beyond our control, beyond our responsibility, and possible beyond our ability to solve anyway.
We could go explore consciousness if we like. Eckhart Tolle has made that his life's work. Micheal Brown found it was his solution to living in reality, rather than deal with the work-a-day world. There is the guy living out in Arizona that does not use money, in idealistic driven work, ignoring supporting other. Buddha, having produced a heir and a spare, went out and explored the human mind. We can do the same, without even changing our life a great deal. We just need to detach from our old thinking and do the next right thing, what ever that is. It may be to go to bed and sleep in the evening. Or read, write, paint, clean, or whatever. Or perhaps visit with others, in person, or via electronic means. We have many choices. Eating is just not one of those choices, and in my case, perhaps TV must also go.
Do we (I) have the willingness to change?
Am I willing to do what is necessary to recover?
Am I willing to follow the food program?
Is this whole obesity epidemic the result of "self will run riot." A whole generation of doing what we want. We can do what ever we set our minds to, according to Norman V. Peale. and perhaps the whole obesity epidemic is just the natural result of such philosophy combined with abundance.
added later
Is the program, that is living under the direction of something we have no control over, ie. a concept, the answer to all our problems? Or is it just a convenient way to ignore all the pressing issues and carrying on, oblivious to the problems? That is living in a parallel universe, for the trek fans. And if it is just a way to ignore our problems, is that so bad? We just carry on anyway. We can spend our days thinking and stewing, but their is no solution and it is beyond our control, beyond our responsibility, and possible beyond our ability to solve anyway.
We could go explore consciousness if we like. Eckhart Tolle has made that his life's work. Micheal Brown found it was his solution to living in reality, rather than deal with the work-a-day world. There is the guy living out in Arizona that does not use money, in idealistic driven work, ignoring supporting other. Buddha, having produced a heir and a spare, went out and explored the human mind. We can do the same, without even changing our life a great deal. We just need to detach from our old thinking and do the next right thing, what ever that is. It may be to go to bed and sleep in the evening. Or read, write, paint, clean, or whatever. Or perhaps visit with others, in person, or via electronic means. We have many choices. Eating is just not one of those choices, and in my case, perhaps TV must also go.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Thanksgiving
Fixity of attitude is all about how rigidly we maintain a specific attitude and what that attitude is. Thanksgiving may be a time of gratitude to the season, the year, the harvest, if we know what harvest is, but for some of us, we need to maintain that attitude all year, for our survival.
Some people are happy bubbly very pleasant high social air heads. Nice to be around, but of no use when the going gets tough, and unable to provide a understand of their handling a substantial problem to other. In there make up, there is no problem. Others of us have a problem, we know we have a problem, and are looking for a solution. We hang around with people who are working toward a solution, and those who have found there solutions, hoping some of it will rub off. For that, and those, I am grateful.
It occurs to me that the "I am right, you are wrong" attitude is the bases of this. Ego preservation, a defence method, may be part of this. But ego is a construct of the mind, which it not us ether, but is the reflection of what we have been told, our learning, ancestors, and similar. It is the entrenched learned, survival primal instinct, that drives us forward. Something else to inventory and review.
Today, Canadian Thanksgivings Sunday, could be a day of gratitude and reflection, but then every day should contain some elements of that. It could be many things, or just another day.
Some people are happy bubbly very pleasant high social air heads. Nice to be around, but of no use when the going gets tough, and unable to provide a understand of their handling a substantial problem to other. In there make up, there is no problem. Others of us have a problem, we know we have a problem, and are looking for a solution. We hang around with people who are working toward a solution, and those who have found there solutions, hoping some of it will rub off. For that, and those, I am grateful.
It occurs to me that the "I am right, you are wrong" attitude is the bases of this. Ego preservation, a defence method, may be part of this. But ego is a construct of the mind, which it not us ether, but is the reflection of what we have been told, our learning, ancestors, and similar. It is the entrenched learned, survival primal instinct, that drives us forward. Something else to inventory and review.
Today, Canadian Thanksgivings Sunday, could be a day of gratitude and reflection, but then every day should contain some elements of that. It could be many things, or just another day.
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
OA success
OA as a program works for those that want to work it. The program consists of:
- a daily reset to a plan for just today
- a decision to follow the plan for just today
- the willingness to do the plan for today
- faith in the plan for just today
- a plan for the day
- a review at the end of the day.
Some days the plan will include cleaning up our past, and figuring out how to do better in the future. Most of what we do is good enough. We done good. Pat ourselves on the back and go to sleep. Some days we need to be the student, and some days the teacher. Some things we just need to step back from and let go by. No opinion necessary. No action necessary. No thought necessary.
There are many ways to say this does not work, but logically, how can it not work if we have a reasonable plan, and the willingness to do it?
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