(Dutch version). Life is full of surprises. Planning is sometimes possible, but often encounters an unpredictably changing reality. Some people consider this as a random coincidence. Others try to see a structure in the apparent chaos. Here are a few personal experiences and insights. Of course, this is not intended to present an (alleged) truth. It is only an attempt to conquer some structure in the experiences.
As argued elsewhere, patterns exist thanks to the use of blinders. The world, and with it life, is so rich, so full of colour, details, events, that only by applying a focus to it a meaningful structure arises. For mathematics these are the axioms, for physics, among other things, the conservation laws . For the discussion below about human life, the following basic principles are adopted.
- Life takes place in a physical, materialistic world.
- Everyone has a system of formative forces that is responsible for his habits and health.
- Everyone has a soul in which desires, jealousy, fears, anger, plans and the like live.
- There is a central entity that can intervene in each of the three domains above.
- Life has meaning.
These areas can be referred to by the terms physical body, life body, soul, ego and spirit. The last two are also called the lower self and the higher self. The lower self intervenes in real life through the soul and the bodies. The higher self monitors the direction of this intervention by long-term goals. This is done in alignment with other beings in the spiritual world. This world is communal, as is the physical world in which the physical body lives.
Taking the foregoing as given, we can try to understand our perceptions, experiences and actions in the physical world. Based on the fact that life has meaning, we can look for events of a similar color. Their pattern could then point into a direction from which the meaning of a concrete life could be understood.
Each area has its own patterns. These are recurring traits that are not easy to change. In particular this is difficult for the physical body. Short, sturdy, or long slender bones of arms and legs are a given. They can be hardly changed. The flexibility of joints or the strength of the muscles can be adjusted with difficulty, often temporarily. The life body also includes our habits: how and what we eat, the way we move, our handwriting, the daily rhythm, the way we speak, etc. These can all be changed with the necessary effort and willpower. The life body is more flexible than the physical body.
Getting under control of what is happening in the soul is not often considered. It seems that moods, enthusiasm, fears and anger just happen to us. They often influence behavior. We can be approached about this by housemates or colleagues. Consequently we may try to control at least the most annoying expressions of our mood for our environment. However, it is also possible to experience fear or anger in such a way that it is no more than a pain that happens to us, as with an insect bite. It can become something like an observation. like a look at a neglected house. We may be affected by it, but it does not dominate us. Ultimately, an insect bite can be tolerated with some willpower
But the reverse is also possible. We are able to arouse feelings, we can decide to be interested in a work of art or in a plan presented to us, we can feel love for a fellow human being, we can take joy in a gift we receive, or better yet, in a gift we can give. Our ego or lower self can nourish the will with direction and power which, in addition to physical changes, can also, and above all, shape the soul.
Because we can change ourselves, we can grow in a direction that is subservient to our environment. As a result, two coherent goals for life may be considered: : personal development and the use of the result for our environment or for the world. Sometimes this is phrased succinctly, for example: “if you don’t like something, change it or accept it”, or “don’t complain, but do something about it”, or “every problem is your own problem”.
However, we can also see patterns that do not arise from our body or our inner self, but which seem to be caused by the events that come at us from outside. They are therefore patterns on which our consciousness has no direct influence. They are caused by our higher self. Some examples.
Someone with three failed marriages may find themselves in the same conflict situation each time. Employees might also have a similar experience in a range of problems in their job and complain with “the world is against me”.
Specifically, I knew a man who always had formal problems, with insurances, with taxes, with the administration of free days, with travel declarations. For example, he once made a business trip starting from his home. His employer wanted to reimburse this just partially because a part of the journey coincided with the daily journey between home and work. This traject he had to travel every day anyway. The difference was an insignificant amount, but the man was so outraged about the childishness of the decision. that he reported to his colleagues over lunch for many days the progress of his appeals
Another example concerns someone with a great technical interest. The possibilities of every device, computer or gadget he bought, for work or at home, were always studied in depth and stretched to the limit. This regularly led to problems, for example computers with extra disks and (more than) maximum memory that frequently crashed, while less ambitious colleagues were able to continue their work undisturbed. During a holiday he took a small country road with his caravan. The road was narrow and winding and he ran off the road and the caravan landed partially into the ditch next to the berm. He tried to lift it out of the ditch by hand. In the end he succeeded, but he had to be treated by a physiotherapist for a long time and will presumably suffer from a permanent hernia. Attempts have been made to make him aware of the pattern of these events, but (seemingly?) in vain.
In Japan it has been in the past an advantage to mention in the CV for a job application the successful participation in a lottery. The idea was that being lucky can be a pattern in your life. This is in accordance with the lucky guy Guus Geluk and the unlucky Donald Duck in the children’s magazine of the same name. But what meaning in life does this point to? Let’s look at a fictional example whose roots we can somewhat uncover.
Let’s take someone with great social abilities. He can deal with people easily, is a good listener, and can give meaningful clues with a single word. He has a cheerful, sociable nature, so people like to hang out with him. However, this sometimes makes people cling to him. He raises expectations in them, which he can only partially fulfill. Some keep on visiting him again and again. They become part of his life along with their problems.
Following his nature, he embraces this and pays close attention to his relationships. Yet something is gnawing. He starts to regret that he has used little energy for himself and wonders what he could have achieved if he had been a little more selfish.
Viewed from a higher point of view, it can be seen that his trade-offs are an exposition between the higher self that creates the plan and opportunities of his life and the lower self that wants to consciously make choices in freedom. Similar trade-offs between the various areas of life can also be found in the other examples. When the patterns are recognized, these considerations become conscious. This then results in the decision to either go for the own development or to commit to the world. Sometimes events explicitly call for such an awakening. Life is ultimately about conquering an individual freedom from consciousness.
When we discover the patterns in ourselves or in the events that come to us, our higher self calls us to either change ourselves and thereby grow, or to accept the pattern. If we do the latter, the pattern may become a capacity, a solidity that comes with our lives and that we could use as we work for the world around us. Finally, the patterns of life will lead to “Know Thyself”.
