Living in Patterns

One way in which all humans are similar, is the way that our minds simplify our lives by using patterns to guide our behavior.  Some patterns are instinctual, and/or driven by the pleasure/pain sensations in our physical body. 

Some are learned early in life, at a time when we are not yet able to question assumptions with critical analysis.  Others are learned later in life, when we *can* use critical analysis to guide our new beliefs and behaviors, but we often don't because of faulty beliefs we have already accepted without question.

For example, if someone believes that a free press always tells the truth, they won't question the stories they hear on TV.  If someone believes that the Bible is the inerrant word of God, then they won't question the dogma preached to them from the pulpit.  If someone believes that their right to vote gives them a voice in government, then they won't question the decisions of government.

If we are stuck in an illusion, then we can't see the patterns that are driving our actions, and we can't take effective steps to change the pattern.  For example, here is a story reportedly told by Dr. Wayne Dyer on enlightenment.  It goes something like this:

A man was walking home one night, and he fell into a huge, 12 foot hole in the road.  He got up, and continued on his way.  The next night, he was walking home the same way, and he fell into the same hole. The third night, as he was walking home, he remembered that he fell into a hole the previous night, and just as he did, he fell in it again.  The forth night, he reminded himself that there was a hole up ahead, and he still walked into the hole.  The fifth night, he told himself to look out for the a hole in the road, he saw it, yet he still fell into the hole.  On the sixth night, he took a different road home.

The point of this story is that we must first recognize our patterns, before we can break them. Awareness is the first step!

When people realize that the press isn't telling them the truth, the press will no longer hold power over them.  When people realize that the Bible was written by men, deliberately and with a purpose, then they can devote themselves to God's work, not that of their religious leaders.  And when people realize that their votes do not give them a voice in government, then they will stop wasting their time waiting for the next election.