What are we Doing Here?
Knowing what we are directing helps us to know how to direct it.
That is a quote from Theordore Dimon’s book Neurodynamics. He is talking about the body, it’s reflexes and posture but a cool thing about a true statement is it is true for any subject.
Let’s start by applying this to life in general. What is the only thing on this planet, in your lifetime, that you can direct? The answer is pretty simple, You! (me) We all know that if we take a second to consider the question. The stoics entire philosophy stems from that truth.
Since that is no big mystery, why are we talking about it, and how do other philosophers disagree with stoicism? The answer is in the question itself. If I am the only thing I can direct, what exactly am I? The stoics really focused on the mind and directing its impressions. That is part of me. The argument to them says, well what about my feelings, you just want me to ignore those? So another and another and another philosophy is created refuting those before it, or claiming to be new and different and better. And maybe some are, but in general I think that any human who has discovered themself enough to attempt to elucidate their findings to others has something valueable to say, but somehow when we follow their wisdom, getting different results, we determine they were wrong.
The problem with that is that we are not actually taking the path of discovery that they took. We are taking the results of their discovery and path and trying to overlay that over ourself. An artifice. A costume. A conglomerate of mismatched puzzle pieces.
We do it in a way that follows all the rules. We are directing ourself. Or are we? Let’s think about giving or getting driving directions to someplace we are traveling. The gas station attendant describes what they have seen a thousand times, go up ahead and maybe they point, take a right just past the brick dental office, the road will curve three times…. etc. As they speak you are creating a picture in your head, imagining the scene, and you may even repeat back your understanding. Do you mean to go down this main road in front of the side road? That interaction involves guidance from another and a second guidance from ourself. Our mind, memory, imagery is recording for our playback as we travel. But what happens when the estimate of a mile was actually 1.5 or 2 miles. Or when we see the street sign we had been looking for previously but now the dental office isn’t there and we don’t know should we listen to the gas station attendant or our original map. And we have all followed someone elses answer only to later say, I knew I should have done x instead. Directing ourself is a multi-way conversation just like the interaction getting directions.
Our body gives our mind signals, our mind gives our body signals. When their signals are mixed, we receive still more signals. Don’t do that, this doesn’t feel right. That’s when yet another voice comes, the learning, I’m supposed to do as the stoics said, I believe in Jesus and so that means I must, and all the while, we are directing ourself. Or are we? Aren’t we letting others direct us? Aren’t we many times ignoring part of our innate direction system in order to “do the right thing?”
That type of action is actually letting the outer world direct us. Letting an artifice direct us. That is when we haven’t discovered the right thing is within us, not something we put on. In our mind we are directing ourself, in reality we are letting others. We also do this when someone else makes us mad. That sentence itself is saying we let others direct us. However the feeling is real, and to ignore it is not letting it direct me, isn’t it? Oh no, now we are in a real bind. If you can’t make me mad, and it doesn’t feel right to ignore my anger, what do I do? Lash out and explode? Well, if you’ve never done that you can imagine how that turns out, and if you have you already know why you try to direct yourself by not doing that.
But the answer is still deeper. To know what you are directing, says Dimon, will help you know how to direct it. So again, we ask, what are we directing? We are directing our mind with our body, and our body with our mind. Our body feels a sensation and tells the mind yes or no. Our mind saying yes or no, directs the body, talk, yell, run, hide etc. Its simple and very functional especially in emergency situations. But then you put all these costumes on over you, and soon you can’t feel what the body says, and can no longer trust the mind since it has led you into so many pitfalls.
The trustworthy guides that have lasted through time, all resovled their systemic disconnection, and are describing the results. They may even give you steps to get there too. This is where we can get lost. Directing ourself is about discovering whats already in us. Part of that discovery is figuring out what is on us, by finding what’s in our way and removing it. If instead, we try to put on something else, its a one way communication. Whether your body, or mind or life agrees with the direction you’re doing it anyway. When that doesn’t work, we find ourselves blaming others. We followed the rules, it can’t be me. Well, one question to ask if have done this, is what was your goal in directing yourself? In following the others direction? Was it to solve something in the other person? To get a result? Even if that result is a good relationship or happy family or healthy kids. If our directing ourself is disjointed in any way, our aim is off. Disjointed means, if we are directing ourself for any other purpose than to know ourselves fully and resolve the impediments to our most thriving existence.
What you may not have noticed about Dimon’s statement is that he didn’t say you need to know where you are directing it to. He simply said to know what you are directing will help you know how. If you realize that your aim is off, that means essentially you are directing the wrong thing. Are you actually directing you? Or are you directing your life? If you are directing your life, what’s the difference? Isn’t that you? In a sense it is, but not if you are directing it as if it is separate from you. So in order to aim well, you must direct yourself, and through that allow the life to unfold. It is in this way that we do not need to control or direct other people or outside circumstances anymore. It is in this way that we can live at peace and harmony without getting what we want. It is in this way that we relinquish desire for things. It is in this way that we achieve the same state that any master gone before has achieved.
I know, but wait you say, does that mean I can’t or shouldn’t have goals. Well, let’s see, do you want to wear what I’m saying or direct yourself to look at your life so you can figure it out for yourself. The answer is right in the question. Are you directing your goals, or your self. If your goal isn’t happening and you’re stressed and angry at those around you, is that who and how you want your life to be? I doubt it. Does that mean you have to let go of every goal? In a sense, but more accurate would be to say you never held onto the goal to begin with.
Lets make one final analogy to drive the point home. If we’re back at following the directions of the gas station attendant, and lets say we planned arrival for 3pm. We get on route, and there is a detour, a car accident, some road construction. We can’t take the road the attendant suggested, we must stop again 2 miles up since the road was closed. Its 3:15, its 3:30. Our goal is in our clutches and we are angry. The goal is making us angry. The goal is directing us. Didn’t we set the goal to begin with, isn’t it something we put on ourself? Why are we carrying it when we already don’t need it anymore? Why is it ruining our time? Making us slave to it, and slave to the anger and frustration of not achieving it.
To recap, you are directing yourself. You are directing yourself to have a good life. What is a good life? Goodness right in this moment. If you do not have goodness right in this moment, your goal is directing you. Your wants are directing you. Your not wanting this is directing you. And the funny thing is you have all you need right within you if you just take off what you’re carrying and be free.