The Limitations From Accepting Things As ‘Normal’
What have we come to accept as normal in life/society, that we believe are unquestionable ideas even though they are causing suffering? What stops us from questioning them?
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Quantum mechanics suggests that at the core of our reality, there is energy – every potential existing at one time. It’s only when we begin to observe, or better yet define those potentials, that we start to see that energy take shape into what we know and experience every day.
Within the wondrous creations we have on this earth that are solid foundations for experiencing life i.e. the planet, our bodies etc, we also have limitations that we create within our psyche and consciousness. One limitation we deal with almost every day of our lives - one that creates a great deal of drama, un-ease, worry, guilt and fear - is the core underlying idea of ‘what life is.’
We are born, we go to school, we graduate, we go to university or college (or straight to work), we get a ‘good’ job, we get married, have kids, buy a house, work for 30 years, retire, do whatever, and check out… seems a little robotic perhaps? This is sold as a dream in many ways, and at its core, it’s something we joke about but don’t really question. It’s just normal.
When we join this mysterious experience we call life, not only are we taught how things are by our parents, but we are also greatly influenced by what can be called the collective matrix.
You can imagine this 'matrix' as a depository of thoughts, ideas and experiences that we are uploading to and downloading from constantly. A collective consciousness of sorts. In simple terms, it’s the automatic responses that are subconsciously fed into almost every one of us when it comes to societal ideas that are widely accepted. Deep ideas of how things "should be." Ideas that are believed so widely and deeply that an energy of acceptance begins to create and holds quantum potentials in place as a definition that make up these norms. Thus, we have an acceptance of what is.
Being connected to this collective consciousness means we play into these “norms,” we feel them and we think they are real - even when we are not sure where they come from or how they got there. The only real thing keeping any of these ideals in place is the fact that we are all invested in them.
Over the course of time, there have always been those who questioned these norms. Now however, I find it hard to ignore the feeling that the number of people questioning these norms every day is growing.
Right now more and more people are asking:
"Do our political systems really work?"
"Is mass media really telling the truth?"
"Do I really want to live life the way everyone else around me does?"
"Is it possible for me to work less and still get the things that matter to me in life?"
"Woah, what really DOES matter to me in life?"
Each one of us that asks these questions begins to crack a hole in our systems and structures. A bit of power was taken away from them, and a bit more 'quantum potential' re-awakened. As we converse about these ideas, a new power grows. As we refine ideas, action is taken. This 'stepping out' of accepting these collective norms allows others to see a ‘shake’ in the foundations, ultimately giving those people permission to question things themselves even if discomfort initially ensues. This is what happens when people lead by example and their experience inspires others.
Reflect For A Moment
The results of the economies we have today are things like inequality, poverty and scarcity, results that don’t HAVE to be there, but are a result of accepting that we cannot question nor change the basic foundations for how we live.
On a global scale, we have accepted rules small groups of powerful people have made decade after decade. We feel more and more confined by these rules as time goes on. A voice inside tells us something more is possible, but how often do we simply drown it out? Or justify what we currently do? Or feel like nothing can be changed?
For me, I feel many of us stay away from these questions because they can be overwhelming. They can seem like they bring forth no solution for action forward. And this can be true. But my thought has always been: how do we get anywhere with anything if we do not talk about it and converse with others about it?
We can't. Everything we have ever created began in our minds. It began with a vision, a dream, an idea, a feeling - things that were discussed, fleshed out, expanded upon and refined to eventually become something. In some cases, we felt things were impossible, only to see them become a reality with each step.
But since I was in my teens, I have always wondered why our larger culture stops with the wondering and the questioning when it comes to larger foundational ideas about what we can change in our society. I think we are capable of more. I feel we are. I have been wanting to converse with others about how we can radically change society at its core since I was in my teens and the truth is, more and more people have been wanting to join that conversation with me each year that goes by.
NOW, people are feeling the pressure to change more. NOW, people are feeling that something better, more fulfilling, and more natural is possible. Yes, it is still a huge vision. Yes, it is still hard to wrap our minds around. But more people are asking bigger questions about how we want to feel every day, what we want our life to look like, and how we want to commune with others. And what's coming out of people's minds cannot be done in the system we hav today very easily - creating a realization that acts as an evolutionary pressure to begin addressing the BIG questions I've discussed above.
How Can We Step Out?
Deprogramming Limits has always been a big concept to me. In this process, I have challenged myself and others to reflect on what they have accepted about our current world and why. When it comes to things you believe, why do you believe it? Where did it come from? And can you get curious about how you could explore a new belief about that? Can you get curious enough to truly understand why someone else might have a different belief about that thing?
“Who says a university degree equates to intelligence?”
"Who says politicians have our best interests at heart? How can we know that they actually do?
“Why do we use economies to create artificial scarcity?”
"How do I KNOW what are the things I like?"
These sorts of questions begin to allow us to follow the path of our thought process back to why we think these things. At the root, we realize it’s nothing more than what WE ALL have bought into and accepted decade after decade. A complex system of acceptance, but one that must be questioned if we wish to make change in our world. These ideas are not our nature, we simply think that’s how it is because we bought into and identify with it and are afraid to go elsewhere.
It’s my intention to remind you that you can question these things – and we can do it collectively.
It's also my intention to say there are many faculties that in some ways have gone un-nurtured within us that help us sit with, get curious about, and explore these types of questions. For those who want to explore themselves, and their ideas, and develop good introspection and curiosity skills, check out our course called 'Overcoming Bias & Improving Critical Thinking' in our membership.
This course is much more than a 'logical' exercise. It will help you become more present, more self aware, and improve your communication and it includes some basics around nervous system regulation as well. Learn more here.
The Takeaway
You can stumble upon many examples or things you simply accept in your life. Play with them, question them, and get curious about them. When we do something because we feel others will judge us if we don't, ask why. When we do something because that’s what everyone else does, ask why. When we hear our parents or friends say things that we all KNOW for sure, ask if it's true and explore how we can know that.
You will be shocked and surprised at how much of our lives are based on norms that we have bought into. I believe we are full of potential that becomes limited the less present and aware we are of why we do the things we do.
The first step is certainly self-awareness, but discussing these thoughts, ideas and feelings with others is what will spread the seeds of curiosity throughout our communities such that we begin a whole new vision for what's possible.