Choice seems so readily obvious. People claim to make choices, and then complain about the consequences of those choices. We make choices every day if only minor ones, but do people really choose? Do they take the action that choice supposedly is? In my experience people tend to choose by habit not by thought, so in fact make no choice. They just let an old one replay itself.

They say I choose this (whatever it is), and don’t even truly know what they choose. Like men who live the life of a womanizer. They rationalize their attitudes, and even believe they are giving of themselves fairly, and when the very natural and real consequences arise they blame their partner. It is a failure of choice. They don’t even understand the biological imperative. They look at themselves and yet not, like becoming very absorbed on a dogs tail while it makes ready to bite you.

The trinity of mind, body, and spirit is not at all apparent to everyone. The interaction of the three can confound those who root their perceptions and reactions in the physical world which exists only in their brains. They ignore the other elements of their identity making the false seem very real. The actual process is very simple, and as much as people like to delude themselves it is not circumventable. All choice starts from within in a point beyond the thinking. But due to habit and training the energy that we could use to build firm choices on, that we can direct according to our will, instead just maintains conditioning and habit. The first evidence of this energy is feeling, but everyone ignores their feelings even if they are very entrenched in emotion. Emotion arises as habit after feelings get diverted or ignored long enough. For example, they say they’re sad when they feel very threatened and angry. The emotion is the reaction, and it is habitual and often feeds its own trigger.

The bad thing is not habituation. Habituation is quite natural. The bad thing is how people relate to habituation. They see worth in the tool and see not its user. I do not gain self awareness from a hammer, but I can from using the hammer to act, to create, or to destroy, and destruction is a necessary counterpoint to creation. The spirit I speak of flows through our mind in exactly the way we decide it should. Like water it fills its channels, but also like water it has its own nature and often we have much cherished habits that do not permit the true nature and power of the individual to express. We become stressed by this spirit resulting in spiritual crisis. To most this seems a big mystery, and they avoid it to try to rebuild their old constructed view. But in the case of a mindful individual the crisis isn’t one. They seem to effortlessly move beyond and no one notices. In Taoism they say the sage does no great thing and yet nothing is left undone.

Why is it necessary to have your spiritual evolution be acknowledge by others? It isn’t, but our choices will be from the context of where we are. As the Bible says, you shall know them by their fruits. Though it also says that not by good works do they enter into the kingdom which is among us all. We make our choices in the context of the spirit, always. Even the most anti-spiritual person has that element of their choices, of their thinking, that goes beyond even their emotional reactions.

Are not people forced out of their habits when confronted by choice in a new context? Say, in an unfamiliar environment? We may rely on habits for guidance in choices, but may quickly learn that old habits may not be the most reliable guide? For those of a mindful temperament that is absolutely true. In fact many find the virtual world of SL, their second life, very spiritually profitable, but just as often this life changing context makes people flee. The new option for choice just scares them away. This is why I tell people here not to worry about griefers much. They are just showing themselves too, and could not remain engaged long in SL as it is too real for them.

If any thing is sacred, then sacredness is the world. To challenge the sanctity of another based merely on your own prejudices and not in the context of the challenged thing is merely bigotry. I challenge people. My avatar in Second Life is just personal symbolism to me and many find just it challenging.

Your thoughts are welcome. Be well friends.

Travis Saunders
Dragon Intuitive
~science,mysticism,spirituality~