The Examined Life

I believe in the benefits of a well examined life.

In my case, this is especially true. I started life with some very pronounced limitations. To overcome those handicaps, I became a storyteller starring myself.

The absurdity of this was that slowly I started progressing more than telling stories that I was progressing

On one occasion my progress took a very bizarre turn. Fairly satisfied as an adult with my personal progress, one day I heard a voice. The voice described my future which was different from the one I was presently experiencing.

The vision the voice described to me started unfolding. I was stunned. The sensation I had was that of looking down on myself as this vision unfolded.

Even more surreal, I then created a way for people to create a vision of their lives in the future. I then instructed them to act as though it already had taken place. These were business executives.

Story telling, voices, visualizing all worked. Since I realized this pattern in my life, I’ve never been the same.

But, recently, I started asking myself a hard question: Have I been lying to myself all this time?

That’s the challenge of growing older. Demons begin to visit you.

It’s always been my suspicion I’m dealing with two distinct parts of my brain. There’s my “brain of progress” and then there’s my “everyday brain”.

Lately, my everyday brain has started challenging my narrative of progress.

Here’s a short example of the conversation the two parts have recently had:

Everyday Brain: Remember and never ever forget you are a person of limitations.

Brain of Progress: My stories and voices came true.

Everyday Brain: The vision stuff?

Brain of Progress: You have to admit that the vision the voice spoke became reality

Everyday Brain: Oh brother, give me a break. I’m the Everyday Brain. I don’t have to admit anything.

Brain of Progress: OK, I admit I worked hard to make those visions come true. That doesn’t mean I didn’t have visions. They were meaningful. They lifted me up.

Everyday Brain: You believe visions lifted you up. You’re wrong. You were born with instincts that were honed. You weren’t smart, you were just streetwise.

Brain of Progress: . . . . ? ?

Everyday Brain: You filled niches when they appeared. If you couldn’t, you moved on until you could. You were never lifted up by visions. You never left the ground. You were opportunistic. The voice in your head was nothing more than your ACTIVE VOICE.

Brain of Progress: You keep reminding me of that. I’ve started thinking that might be the case. If so, it was my PASSIVE VOICE. That made it powerful. Showing a vision and a path. I followed. It came true.

And the dialog goes on.

As long as it’s honest, I welcome it. Actually, I can’t get rid of it.

Love Between A Father And Son