What I half-said in the previous post (the one about Reverend Billy), about how I think many shopaholics could be lacking in self-esteem, applies in other areas too. Take for example, this blog post about how a homeless former drug addict is healing himself through running. In truth, I think we as a society greatly underestimate the importance of self-esteem, or its lack. Frankly, I think a very sizeable portion of the population could do with more… it’s one of those 80-20 things, I think. Defensive ego? Lack of self-esteem.

These cartoons can help put this self-esteem thing into perspective. The other cartoons on that site are good too.

And… if you’re concerned about those new airport scanners letting staff ogle your privates, perhaps you need these special hand-clasp radiation-resistant panties to protect your privacy.

Finally, here is what to believe.

Why do we put off doing things we know we have to do? Why not just do them and make life easier for ourselves? Well, I’ve puzzled over my own ‘laziness’ for years… but this video may have the answer: we are not nice enough to ourselves! Yes, it’s that naughty old voice in the head again, as discussed on my enlightenment page. I’ve used the method he speaks of to some extent to ameliorate my own resistance to doing things, but it appears a more concentrated approach would work better…

I’ve been interested to see that others take a similar view to myself as to what ‘enlightenment‘ is, and how to achieve it. [It is: living in the present moment, just as you are, with no need to try to be other than what you are; you achieve it primarily by silencing the inner voice so you can just BE.]

Philosopher Alan Watts describes enlightenment nicely in this hour long video, and provides some examples for you to try, so you can begin to experience just being for yourself. The video is very old, but hey, Zen is much older…

On my enlightenment page I talk about how to achieve that state. This lecture (1h 40m long) discusses it from the point of view of the way the brain works and I think it provides further insight into the process, and how to achieve it.

Enlightenment, Self and The Brain by Todd Murphy:

Sometimes it is just not possible to get on with what you want to do because dealing with life’s distractions gets in the way. For example, this week I have done no writing on the book so far because, among other things, I have been figuring out how to approach literary agents. It is important in one sense, but it gets in the way of my current goal of writing too.

I call this kind of thing ‘fly swatting.’ Survival has to be dealt with, but it is in a sense an unimportant side-issue. What counts is not what we do to survive so much as what we can do that ‘adds value’ to life: the real business of life. All animals survive for their allotted span if all is reasonably well. Humans have the chance to do a little bit more. That little bit more is what makes a difference in the world.

Sometimes, some of the ‘flies’ can be more like hornets, but still they need to be swatted or, at worst, endured. And, like buses, they are perfectly capable of coming in threes! C’est la vie!