Not the Panama Papers
It is only in that present moment we lose the pretense.
This past week I have caught myself, or more accurately was caught out, falling for the simplest (but sneakiest) of traps in the Awakening Game. That trap is called When Then.
Familiar versions include When my family or partner "gets it" Then I can step into my power. When I lose weight Then I can get fit. When I get some money Then I can be creative. When my kids are OK Then I can be happy. When I find the right partner Then I can love myself. A personal favourite of mine is When the old structures fail Then I can behave as an enlightened being.
This week I found myself snared by the Panama Papers trap. In fact this blog was originally going to be my take on the complexities of that story and how it is another example of what is wrong with the world. In other words my idea of what needs to change so that we can all be alright.
The trouble is that when I when I find myself needing or wanting to know exactly where I stand relative to some event (or person or idea) I am extremely vulnerable to being pulled back into the old paradigm or the old "story" of Bill Ayling.
In order to establish my opinion or response the habit is to reference the data bank called Bill Ayling which is a construct based on memories, emotions, opinions, judgments, experiences all of which contribute to the bigger idea of who I think I am. The data bank is the story of Bill Ayling, a personalised reference book.
This is a very efficient way to be pretend to be human and if it sounds familiar just think Google. When I witness an event or join a conversation I simply use the Bill Ayling search engine to pull up my most common (or most Bill Ayling) response. This takes a lot less effort or consciousness than staying present to what is real in that moment. It is only in that present moment we lose the pretense.
The brilliance of this system is that is so fast as to be unnoticed and makes life very simple at a superficial level. You don't have to process all the information available in the moment you simply use your search engine for an appropriate reply. Fantastic for driving a car, watching the television or arguing with the family. Not so good for being conscious in the moment.
The obvious downside is that it keeps us unconscious and locks us into a limited pool of data. Also it makes us very vulnerable to the "sponsored" link. When we Google something the top line has usually been paid for. When the media use the same words time and time again it has a similar effect. How many times do you hear the word Terror compared to Love? Most of our top Google hits are programmed before the age of seven.
So, when a story catches my imagination, such as the Panama Papers this week, a story which touches a nerve of right and wrong, good and bad, it throws me deep into to the search engine. It makes me go unconscious, leaving the present moment, looking to solve a problem which to my present moment is no more real than Batman versus Superman. It throws me into When Then, giving me the perfect excuse to leave the reality of my current here and now, waiting for the world to get fair so I can go about being all enlightened and lovely.
Staying conscious in the face of the "news" is one of the most powerful tools we have in the Awakening Game. Beware of opinions, especially your own, beware of When Then and see the stories for what they are...stories.
Love
Bill