Santa's got his lists. You know the ones. Naughty and nice. So you better watch out, right?
Well, we've got our lists too. Likes and dislikes.
But unlike Santa, who checks his lists once a year, we refer to our lists every moment. Every single moment.
No matter what is coming into our awareness, be it bodily sensations, mental thoughts, or physical stimuli - we take that input and compare it against our lists.
If it matches an entry on the “like” list, then we're pleased, to one degree or another. More likely it's a miss on “like” and a hit on the much, much longer “dislike” list. In which case we are less than pleased, often far less.
Having a conversation with another person? Whatever words they're saying, whatever body language they're presenting, whatever vibe they're radiating - all gets checked against our lists.
Thinking about some upcoming possibility or eventuality? Those thoughts are weighed against our lists.
Everything that goes on in life, whether actual or imagined, is measured against those lists. And our sense of happiness is based on which list matches.
Imagine how silly it would seem if someone asked how you were doing and you replied, "Let me pull out my lists and check."
But, in so many words, that's exactly what we do.
Yet rarely do we consider why the lists were made in the first place. Nor if they serve us well. Of one thing we can be certain: these lists severely limit the experience of peace. As we read in A Course in Miracles: "All that [the world] can show is preference, not reality. What relevance has preference to the truth?"
Is it possible to forgo such an inventory of bias? And if so, might that lead to less suffering and more joy?
Join me in Thursday's class where we'll explore these questions, including practices for entering the realm of unconditional serenity. I look forward to seeing you then.