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The Illusion of Powerlessness
The somewhat gloomy German philosopher Schopenhauer suggested it is “will” (a blind tyrannical force compelling us to be always striving) that makes life an ongoing struggle. This will is frustrated by obstacles and at war with itself due to competing agendas. As Schopenhauer points out, while we may be free to follow our desires, we have no control over what these desires are. Our freedom is that of a slave obeying a master. Facing such oppressive forces, the obvious conclusion is that we are powerless. Hold on though, what if, the problem isn’t what we are calling “the will”, but…
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Don’t Let Shame Prevent You from Being Authentic
I didn’t like myself much growing up. I can’t pinpoint exactly when this started. Even in early memories, I felt like a tone-deaf banjo player trying to hide within a prestigious orchestra. It never took people long to figure out I didn’t belong. I’d give myself away by asking the wrong questions or saying and doing the wrong things. A habit of moving from place to place in the hope of escaping and reinventing myself began in my teens. A move to Cork at age fourteen was the first attempt at a relocation transformation. I desperately grasped a potential bright…
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Beliefs
When I tell people about my lack of beliefs, they might consider me a fool or a liar. It could even sound incredibly arrogant. Am I suggesting that rather than having beliefs, I know what is true? That would be an outrageous claim. What Are Beliefs? When I talk about beliefs, I mean conceptual claims about what is true. I don’t know what is true in that way. When I examine my reality, I find myself unable to say anything certain about it. This thing that I experience directly just can’t be put into words. Rather than finding truth, I…
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Self, Non-Self, and the Four Kinds of Clinging
In Buddhism, a self is created every time we engage in any of the four kinds of clinging (upadana). This is something we do repeatedly as we go about our day, and it is because of this that we are unable to enjoy any kind of lasting well-being (or as the Buddha put it, we suffer). Before we look at these four kinds of clinging and how they operate, it is important to define what we mean by a “self”. What is a Self? A self is something we create when we become hypnotized by certain patterns of thinking. We…
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How to Be Strong
Worry can make it impossible to enjoy life. Whether it is fears about our financial situation, our health, our relationships, or our future, it can all appear so scary and threatening. We yearn for reassurance that everything is going to be OK. We therefore look to thinking to provide the solution. We don’t realize that security and strength is a way of being in the world rather than a way of thinking about the world. Growing up, I had an inner certainty that I would always land on my feet. Things happened though, and I became increasingly hypnotized by my…
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Begin Again
Though we live in a world that dreams of ending that always seems about to give in something that will not acknowledge conclusion insists that we forever begin. Brendan Kennelly – Begin I started this website about 16 years ago. I have been neglecting it in recent months, so I didn’t realize it had been hacked. I logged in yesterday to find it was full of spam posts. I decided it would be easier to start again then undo the damage. Sometimes the best and most exciting option is to begin again.