People have many different takes on what it is that gives us a good life; some will say love, shelter and sustenance and although these are the basic prerequisites for a beginning there are those who think this is only the beginning.
It is impossible to say anything for certain as each of us is so unique that to do so would be trite, pointless and having no practical application whatsoever. In this Western world of ours the priorities seem so alien to the so-called developing nations and I should know because I lived there for many years. The priorities of those people have not changed in millennia; they are still food, water and shelter. What to say of the latest iPhone or our connectivity?
In this school of life there are so many different recipes from which to choose and I feel there lies the problem. The fact is that if we’re constantly looking at what the neighbour has, we will be distracted from our own real needs. My experience with many different people from many walks of life is that there are three things which can trigger a change and perhaps propel someone towards the life they would like.
These three things are-
- A positive expectation that something good will come out of our life and from our life experiences, in whatever form life dishes up to us.
- Some sort of motivation to get ourselves in a better state, either physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually.
- An inner feeling of incongruence.
Carl Rogers applied his experiences with adult therapy to the education process and said that “A person cannot teach another person directly; a person can only facilitate another’s learning” (Rogers, 1951).
The reason behind this was that what the student does is more important than what the teacher does. This is clear to most people except teachers although I must say there is a slight shift in the Universities these days, notwithstanding there is still too much information to remember.
Regarding whether these attributes are enough is not the question; the question is more whether these three attributes can facilitate a learning process or attitude from which a person travelling through life can benefit.
If a person is sensitive, if s/he has a degree of intelligence they WILL have a feeling of incongruence, if only for one reason. That reason is that if we think we are separate from existence (because our ego wants to maintain that separation), then we will always be in conflict.
Have you ever had some moments where everything was as it should be? More importantly, did you ever have any such moments without another person to make you feel whole? If you have ever had such moments, they will always have the same elements; time disappears, mind disappears, ego disappears.
What qualities or attributes do you feel are important to have as we go through life?
Image Credit:stokpic.com
Chris Borrett