Free-Range Living

End piece

Mind limitations ------

One of the effects of mental conditioning, including self conditioning, and not always beneficial, is that it can tend to lead to individuals developing ‘fixed’ mindsets. A simple example might be (in the UK) ‘to always drive on the left hand side of the road’, which works well – for example for here in the UK. Once the driving is to take place in Europe – say in France, the conditions have changed, so there is a strong prompt to change the mindset – in this case ‘to now drive on the right-hand side of the road’. Limitations can arise though, for instance, when the stimulus for change may be not quite as apparent and/or when the fixed mindset is long-term fixed.

A useful example is said to have occurred recently (2021/2022) here in the UK when dramatic rises in prices, particularly energy prices, were in danger of putting a considerable number of households in jeopardy, causing considerable urgent concern amongst folk, yet some politicians continued to sing from their ‘idealogical songbook’, counselling ‘non-intervention’ on the part of the government, but probably then failing to recognise the dynamic changing emergency short-term conditions due to being fixed in longer-term idealogical mindsets. It’s probably with the potential ‘inflexibility’ of mindsets in, erm, mind, that Zen people for instance, advocate the conscious cultivation of ‘open’ minds, sometimes known as ‘beginner’s minds --- ‘

‘ -------- I was learning what it means to be more open -------- but that can only happen when you de-clutter, and make space-’

( Travels With a Stick --- A Pilgrim’s Journey (book) Richard Fraser )

The notion of having to ‘clear the way’ again occurs in the quote above, and again why it can be important to gain the ability to face and accept normal ‘less than perfect’ aspects.

This writer had a strong ‘awareness event’ of the limitations of inflexibility of mindsets driving home after an exacting day on two farms in his past farm advisory / consultancy days. He had concerns that he hadn’t been consistent in his advice that day, advising two clients to take opposing courses of action to each other. Mulling it over, he had had to come to the conclusion that although he had advised opposing courses of action, each course had been appropriate to those particular businesses.

This in turn prompted a sharp awareness of how the use of formulaic or prescriptive types of ‘ fixed’ advice could be inappropriate, and that each situation was unique and needed to be assessed on its own merits, and that in practice dynamic effects (eg. short-term economic changing conditions) that needed to be taken into account, could not be easily facilitated via fixed approaches.

Winston Churchill (UK wartime politician) no doubt had the 'open mind' approach in view, with his quote 'consistency is the dogma of small minds' , although there could well too be situations where a level of consistency could be important - ?

Mental expectations

‘The mind often seems to be of the ‘wanting’ mode, with expectations ---- ‘ (Eastern spiritual guide)

In today’s modern commercially-orientated world, there seem to be many sources of potential ‘mental conditioning’, tending to push the individual into ‘wants’ territory, and so potentially away from their ‘own true selves’, and away too from a ‘simple life based more on needs’ approach, that maybe the reported ‘epidemic’ of people feeling ‘not ok’ness’, is not too much of a surprise - ? (eg. too much ‘mind expectation build-up’ leading potentially then to ‘perpetual disappointment’ - ?)

( and could also link to the trend of (‘micro small’) individuals reportedly feeling less empowered, less ‘internally strong’, due to the preponderance of ‘power-full’ large-scale organisations in modern life, with at times a seemingly all-pervading associated ‘big is good, might is right’ cultural vibe, along with significant social media activity --- ?)

Modern western-style cultures too have been charged with down-scaling and de-valuing individuals, the so-called ‘dumbing down’ syndrome :

‘ --- in the end, such a (consumer culture) civilisation can only produce a ‘mass man’, incapable of choice, incapable of self-directed activities – docile, disciplined to monotonous work ----increasingly less self-responsible – governed then by conditioned reflexes ----- ‘

( Erich Fromm, The Sane Society )

A potential problem though, if Robert Pirsig (below) is right - ?

‘ Individuals are the guardians of ‘life quality’ ( Robert Pirsig, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance)

Buddha it was, even in his olden-days ‘non-media’ environment, who stated that ‘mind wanting’ was often a primary source of human dissatisfaction and unhappiness, a condition mindfulness practice with its incorporation of acceptance of ‘unwanted’ traits and focus on ‘reality living’ seeks to counter. Rather than linger in the ‘mind wanting’ approach, presumably much boosted for instance by modern commercial levels of advertising, the mindfulness approach seeks to help people ground themselves in reality by initially facing and accepting ‘negativity’ in the short-term, in the form of perceived ‘less than perfect’ character traits, which then can steer away from ‘mind wanting’ towards living in reality, which probably some experienced folk - many? - anyway have come to ‘naturally’ as they proceeded through life -----?

Again one of the benefits of taking the ‘mindfulness’ approach has to be gaining the ability to ‘not have to be perfect’ and thereby effectively countering any significant ‘instant perfection expectation’ pressure from ’mainstream culture’ – the thinking is that people are often ‘works in progress’ and so need time to be able to make relevant progress, if required (many evidently decide for instance that the high level of cultural ‘money focus’ expectation has become in ‘incomplete answer’ to the satisfying of their own needs, so then, as an example, ‘downsize’ their life arrangements).

A further answer, along similar lines, to any modern culture-induced anxiety states, could well be to seek to ‘exit’ mind-wanting mindsets and to aim to live more in small, everyday reality, then ‘dealing with reality’, and importantly, ‘facing and accepting’ the same, a process which then stands a chance of leading to ‘bigger’ areas of reality, such as finding ‘real self’ persona, where fulfilment may lie -----

The ‘coming to terms’ with the current reality, can edge the door open to being able, further down the track, to experience bigger, beneficial realities --- (Anon)

‘Living life mainly according to needs ---- ‘

( Henry Cole, presenter ‘Worlds Greatest Motorbike Rides – TV programme )

Such a ‘simplified approach, for instance, might then facilitate the individual to be able to divert from the ‘mass mainstream’ behavioural pattern and, for instance, to not then have to have the ‘perpetual drive’ for money, and then more of it, but rather to operate at a ‘lower’ ‘individual needs’ level, which may also suit, for instance, the internal make-up of the person ---- (eg, to focus their efforts on doing a good job, giving good service and giving ‘value for money’, rather than, say, aiming to extract the maximum sum from others for their efforts).

Lao-Tsu, the eminent Chinese sage from long ago, made reference to ‘putting down the anchor’, to then not be ‘swept along’ (by for example modern-day fast moving cultural trends) --- :

‘If you want to be free, live simply, use what you have, seek to gain contentment from where you are. ------ Of course the world is full of novelty and adventures. New opportunities come along everyday -----

So what - ?’

Could be an ‘anti-dote’ approach to modern life - ?

‘Second meadows ----- ‘

Human ‘expanded’ consciousness states have been referred to as ‘second meadows’, conjuring up visions of tranquil waving grass , balmy weather and peaceful gentle pastoral settings, with maybe though a bit of a journey to take to get to them - ?.

Taking the ‘work on self’ journey via, say, mindfulness practice and meditation, can then advance the individual out of mass mainstream conditioning en route to ‘building’ more ‘real self’ strength, and with the mind then becoming more ‘the servant’ than the ‘controller’, developing the ability to effectively counter any overload of ‘mentally-based’ expectations ---- (eg rather than ‘just wanting’, say, wealth and riches, ‘flash living, spirituality, enlightenment, ‘expanded awareness’ and whatever, the individual is working on their reality awareness capabilities, to then bring themselves to those (‘higher’) ‘second meadows’ -------

A website offering ‘words of wisdom’ on how to be ‘personally fulfilled’ gives people instructions, the first being ‘be grateful’. Does this though produce authentic gratitude, which might though, have to originate from an internal source ? An instruction on ‘how to be’, represents to the individual an external source, rather than internal. So again, the individual rather needs to ‘take the inner journey’ to self-discover such aspects - ? On the TV the other night the Dalai Lama was urging people 'to be compassionate' - a laudable condition, but, again, does authentic compassion need to come from within - ? If, say, someone is angry inside due to ,say, poor life conditions, it may be unrealistic to expect that individual to be able to summon up compassion -such an expectation  maye even be counter-productive? That individual may have to firstly work through their anger/ come to terms with it, in which case to expect compassion from them at that time would be unrealistic - ?

(the instruction 'be compassionate' might work  for someone who has that facility but is in someway inhibited to show it  - ?)

It could be worth revisiting Eckhart Tolle’s erudite quote :

‘ --- awakening is a shift in consciousness in which thinking and awareness separate. For most, it is not an event but a process through which they undergo ------------ Instead of being lost in your thinking, when you are awake you recognise yourself as the awareness behind it. Thinking then ceases to be a self-serving autonomous activity that takes possession of you and runs your life. Awareness takes over from thinking. Instead of being in charge of your life, thinking becomes the servant of awareness, which is the conscious connection with universal intelligence.

( A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose Eckhart Tolle)

Affirmations, as below, can too offer some support :

‘ Those that would be men, need to be able to be non-conformists’

(Ralph Waldo Emerson, American author and Transcendentalist thinker)

Ralph Waldo was undoubtedly supporting the ‘real self’ mode, being able to operate if needed outside the mainstream 

‘ No amount of holy words will help, unless a person acts --- ‘

(Buddha, source of ‘Buddhism’)

Buddha’s probably indicating that, say, copying spiritual aspects such as ‘being compassionate’, isn’t necessarily the ’real deal’ – the individual needs to ‘take the journey’ ----- learning on the way to be kind to ‘self’ to then be able to develop further ‘authentic’ kindness to others ----

(maybe some over-compensate with ‘over’ kindness to others as they find it difficult, due to earlier ‘critical-type’ conditioning, to give it to themselves - ?)

‘Buddha’s can only point the way ---- ‘

(Buddha)

Again, Buddha’s suggesting it’s the individual’s right, and need, to ‘go on their own journey’ ----

‘Humans are spiritual beings having a human experience, rather than vice versa ---- ‘

(Renee Daumal---- et al )

And, maybe, individuals can also easily ‘lose their way’ --- ?

‘Work out your own salvation, don’t rely on others. If you find no-one to support you on your journey, walk on alone’

(Buddha )

It’s likely that there are more useful (and sometimes, as in the author’s case, needed), mentor sources available these days of increasing interest in this area, but the quote is still useful in that it verifies the individual’s right to take their own journey.

Potential pitfalls ---- ?

Living in what’s essentially been a rational, materialistic, scientific age, it’s not hard to see that some – many? - may struggle with non concrete areas such as, say, personal spirituality. It maybe just a touch too easy and straightforward though, to dismiss it out of hand, as the quote below from American writer John Anthony West can indicate :

‘ ---- the problem with the scientifically-minded --- what they call ‘reason and right thinking’, isn’t rational at all, it’s simply the rationalisation of the ‘spiritually flat earth’ of their own inner world. Since they experience nothing transcendent or divine, they deduce there is nothing, which is actually negative credulity, not science.’

Maybe at times, care is needed, to ensure ‘the baby’s not thrown out with the bathwater’ - ?

A pitfall too can lie in the fact that because spiritual experiences and development can at times come over as so meaningful and beneficial, some of those who experience them can maybe get a tad over enthusiastic to pass on such useful stuff, then coming over too ‘prescriptive’ in terms of ‘how people should be to be spiritual’. Whilst such a situation is a perhaps understandable, it could also still be important to recognise that people are ‘where they are’, and that’s probably where any ‘journey’ needs to start from, even if it’s from a ‘negative energy’ situation.

‘There may well have been spiritual teachers who have presumed too high a level of ‘people receptivity’, based too much on their own ‘level’/experiences

( net spiritual mentor)

It’s the individual’s right and need to ‘learn and internalise’ for themselves, if their ‘journey’ experiences are to be ‘real and authentic’. Copying for instance, perceived spiritual traits such as ‘being compassionate’, is then not likely to be long-term effective ( and if an individual doesn’t currently feel ‘inner compassion’, so be it, that’s ‘where it’s at’ currently). The individual, then, needs to travel their own way, to their own pace and to their own capabilities ----

(Individualism too can maybe at times be taken too literally - ? It may be important at times to remember that development psychologists such as Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Human Needs) suggest that socially-geared needs as well as individual needs are part of individuals’ make-up, and it would seem likely that effective societies are in need of the same-?

Unique entities -----

It can be illuminating just to remember how unique the individual is – no-one else will likely have that unique package of genes, physical and mental make-ups, conditionings and experiences that they have, nor be in the ‘same place’ -----This piece, then, has hopefully been about aiding and supporting the individual, as 'freeranger', taking their own journey, finding their own way, in order to be then able to experience beneficial and authentic ‘real self’ fulfilment, a process which may well be available naturally over time, but maybe in such a loud and potentially intrusive world, may then benefit for some from such more ‘organised assistance’.

And, in conclusion, some ‘wise words’ from the east :

‘Not necessarily so ------’ (Eastern mystic),

Mysterious to some maybe, but also manna for ‘open-minded’ types ------ and, from the west, from this author :

‘Bon voyage’ to all intrepid travellers ------, take care, ---- and ‘all best’ ----

Bibliography - books :

Michael Foley The Age of Absurdity

Richard Fraser Travels With a Stick – A Pilgrim’s Journey

John Heider The Tao of Leadership

Gary Hennessey The Little Mindfulness Workbook

Jack Kornfield After the Ecstasy

Yamate Kunihiro The Way of No-Mind

John Lane Timeless Simplicity/ Timeless Beauty

Stephen Levine A Gradual Awakening

Thomas Moore A Religion of One’s Own : Guide to Creating a Personal Spirituality in a Secular World

Robert Pirsig Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Mike Robin Real-Self Realisation – An Authentic Route to Fulfilment - ? (‘E’ book - FR site ‘books’ page)

Fritz Schumacher Small is Beautiful

Eckhart Tolle A New Earth : Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose

Claire Weekes Self-help For Your Nerves