Some metaphors fit better than others

We’re bodies, you and I…

And the way we make meaning of the world around that body is through metaphor.

And so it’s no surprise that we tend to refer to the body as a reference point.  It’s an experience that we all know too well, yet, as it turns out, is often very difficult to describe.

That’s why:

Ted is a stand-up guy…
And Sally puts one foot in front of the other…

But sometimes the metaphors we’re accustomed to can mask other potential aspects of our experience.

If an argument is a battle that must be won or lost…
Then your ideas will be attacked, and you must defend…

But if an argument is a dance…
Where our ideas can meld and become one as they move in the moment…

Then we might get a better understanding of some of the metaphors we live by.

It takes two to tango, as they say…

Until next time,
Kevin

Making the unconscious, conscious

We’re often under the delusion that we’re utilizing conscious, deliberate thought or action, when in reality this is actually not the case.

Even high level thinkers from prestigious academies the world over…
Are guilty of this elusive and mysterious phenomenon…

And as a result…

They have sabotaged a lot of potentially good work…
And at the same time, possibly misrepresented a whole lot of really bad work.

And so this distinction is important.

— 

A while back I was having a conversation with a buddy of mine…

We were engaging in some mutual self-reflection, after a rousing game of a brand new sport we’re inventing, when things had gotten a little bit heated between us.

At one point I admitted, “If you tell me to do something, I’ll go ahead and do the opposite.”

And in that moment I realized that I had been a victim of my own insecurities…

I was so worried about being too heavily influenced, or even manipulated by others…

That I was no longer acting out of my own free will…

I was actually reacting…
Automatically, as a defense mechanism, to belay my own insecurities…

—

What’s more interesting is that I was even aware that I was doing it…
But oblivious to the internal defense mechanism creating this behavior…
As well as the negative impact it was having on the relationships in my life…

Yet, to any casually observant on-looker…

This whole cause and effect phenomenon was probably fairly obvious…

And anyone with enough invested interest in taking advantage of that, could easily do so

Think, reverse psychology…

It turns out that it can be really helpful to know what everyone else thinks is obvious about you.

And when you learn the tools and the skills that allow you to come to these conclusions for yourself as well as improve your ability to take constructive criticism from your loved ones…

You’re less likely to fall victim to the trap of conscious delusion…

Until next time,
Kevin Hood

Intention

The word intention derives its meaning from:

• Drawing a bow
• Holding tension
• And taking aim with it

That is, our effortful control of attention on a perceivable object.

Much of our understanding of the world comes from our physical, bodily interactions with our environment.

If you assume the position of drawing a bow and take aim…

Your body automatically moves into a physiological state of focus.

Until next time,
Kevin Hood