How Controversy Comes Of Age

Controversy comes of age when a topic has either of the following characteristics and is widely circulated:

1. Someone presents the complete or partially opposite view. For some reason, this creates doubt that is supposedly impossible to figure out. Doubt favors what is already being done.

2. One or more “expert” people somehow considered worthy of listening to, make statements that don't agree in part or in whole on a topic. This is usually accompanied by pieces of paper claiming testing, research and studies. This suggests objectivity. This creates uncertainty. Uncertainty favors more experts, more research and more money.

Treating a topic from an overriding perspective of controversy is like self-administering coercion. Believing something is a controversy predisposes us to believe things, against intuition and against reason. It makes us believe two alternatives have equal validity and therefore should be given equal consideration.

Treating a topic from an overriding perspective of controversy creates a midrange between truth and lies that expresses itself as “we don't know” or “we can't be sure” culture. This is a no man's land where no critical thinking or no spiritual listening takes place.

When a controversy is claimed to exist, it is being used as a tool to maintain that which is false or to get others to entertain that which is false. In the meantime, a few profit while many are harmed.

The word, “controversy” by itself does not imply drama nor does it mean a topic to avoid. Controversy simply means one viewpoint is different from another.

Sometimes differences are left alone as matters of personal choice while others are elevated to the level of dispute. Whether personal or not, some viewpoints are absolutely true or false. What makes controversy the counterproductive concept it is today is its emotional component that attaches us to the topic. Emotion tends to inhibit the chance for properly assessing alternatives. It tends to override the spirit mind. This excessive amount of emotion simply gets the blood racing and wants what it wants irrespective of personal and universal detriment.

Controversy comes of age when we don't.

Related: Financial Information Sources, Gaming The Economy & Our Education

Personal Growth: Enjoy Monstrous Screams

A child screamed. Both parents rushed into the bedroom and asked the obligatory, “What's wrong?”

The frightened child stated he saw a monster. One parent quickly dismissed it and said, “It was in your dreams.”

Now annoyed, the child said, “my eyes were open.”

Although this is a movie snippet the opposite is true in real life. Monsters really are in dreams. They are blocking the doorway and saying, “Don't even try it.” Some monsters are inside your dreamspace, the “What if” monsters.

Then there are the real monsters – self-doubt and people who will cosign your fears and donate some of theirs if you don't have enough.

These are the practical people who save up fears for their friends just in case they lose touch with reality and start to slip into the dangerous world of dreaming. They will gladly help you brainstorm all the scary and monstrous reasons why not. Their philosophy: “There are monsters everywhere but if we stay together, the monsters will get the few who venture out.”

There are many approaches to dealing with self-doubt and other people. Simply put, distractions from dreams in, distractions from dreams out. Spend more time with yourself, letting go of bad things and taking in good things, avoiding some things and people and then seeking out some things and types of people.

Most importantly, know there is fun to be had while dealing with the monsters. I enjoy having my own little make-believe massacre with each one. It begins with believing these monsters dream too. Their greatest fear - what if no one dreamt them up? It ends with the sound of their screaming as it trails off behind me.

P.S.
I also enjoy annoying/torturing monsters by responding to all the scary thoughts they try to get me to accept.
Monster (using self-doubt): What if you don't sell any books?
Me: It's better to have a garage full of books than a mind full.
Me again: It's better to have a record of attempts than a history of regrets.
Monster #2: (using others) “But what will people think...?”
Me (cutting them off, annoyed and focusing on what I choose): If there is any uncertainty associated with dreams, there is definitely a lot of certainty without them. These are life's terms and I won't allow you fake as# monsters to confuse me with what's really at stake.
Monster (super desperate, sulking away, still cocky): The American dream is all about the mo'ne', not living. Don't be stupid! I'll be back when you're starving.
Me (with lots of responses but keeping silent because I know the monstrosity will be back with reinforcements, hanging around on the corner)


Recognize the pattern? Without self-doubt or other people, monsters got nothing. Without self-strengthening thoughts, you got nothing. The better your thoughts, the better your actions. It all starts with what you tell yourself. I am more than capable. Somebody screammm!