I’m wanting to erase the distinction between “lightwork” and “daily life,” whatever that is. (1)
And so I began by looking at how I am in the moment, as a baseline of behavior, at the starting gate, so to speak. I know not whether this will be a sprint or a marathon, but, I fear, it may be the latter.
As I ran a couple of errands today, I watched myself. Do I do unto others as I would others would do unto me?
And I discovered that, no, as a baseline of behavior, I don’t.
What I do do is to engage in a rapid-fire calculation of what I want from the interaction, how I need to be to get it, and what to do if I don’t get it.
So it’s very calculated, as even the karma (do unto others) approach is. But the latter will wean me from self-interest eventually whereas the former leaves me locked to it.
I visited my local medical clinic who screwed up a referral for me and whom I also needed to fill out a driver’s license medical form. When I couldn’t get an appointment fast enough, I grew grumbly. I distinctly wasn’t considering the long-term picture of doing into others, etc.
So I’d say, starting out, that I don’t do unto others as I’d have them do unto me. I use a calculation rooted in self-interest and I know I find the self-serving bias attractive.
Moreover, I also see myself playing a game of if no one sees me, it’s OK.
I notice there are personal details that I’m not sharing. As long as we live in a media situation that runs on sensationalism and ridicule, I’ll be only transparent to a degree.
This is the view at the starting block. Now, will it be a sprint or a marathon?
Footnotes
(1) This discussion follows on from “Daily Life as Spiritual Exercise,”