From a Shamanistic viewpoint, all of this which we experience is an illusion. From a theoretical physics standpoint, it’s a hologram. Even from a purely biological view, what we experience as “reality” is more a product of our thoughts, opinions, and expectations than of the actual actions going on around us.

Let’s say that your world view (expectations, thoughts, and opinions) says that, when you let one person cross your boundaries, it becomes a dogpile of everyone ganging up on you to cross your boundaries. If someone then does something to blatantly cross your boundaries, you are going to be on your guard, hypervigilant, waiting for the dogpile to start. You will notice the slightest transgression. Things that might before have been shrugged off become part of a mounting pile of evidence to back up your world view. Each instance is significant, feels bigger, and takes on new importance.

But how can we tell the difference between what our mind attaches meaning to and what is actually meaningful? We can’t, because meaning always comes from the mind. All meaning, in some sense, is a fabrication.

Most of us never even pay attention to this idea. We float through life, propelled by our thoughts and perceptions, never giving much thought to the validity of what our mind serves up. We allow ourselves, through lack of exertion (or misplaced exertion), to be victims of our own minds.

What if, instead, we used the powers of our minds for good? What if we started to evaluate those thoughts, expectations, and opinions? What if we held up an unpleasant situation and looked for other ways to view it? What if we decided to change our minds?

I like patterns as much as the next person, maybe more. But if I take each event on its own, without making it part of a string, it becomes easier to look at it for verifiable information. This is. This was the physical act that happened. If I strip away all the meaning and the event is still unpleasant, and I remain aware of my minds attempts to make me a victim, I can choose to attach meaning to it that can actually make the event more palatable. I can decide to believe that the person who I feel tried to run me off the road had the runs. I can decide that the person in new looking clothing using food stamps got lucky at the homeless shelter and got first pick of the new donations. I can decide that every email I read was written by a smiling person who is just socially awkward. I can decide that everyone is doing the best they can, based on the information they have at the time. I can even decide that the person who is being rude is having a bad day because someone in their home is terminally ill.

Your mind may argue that this idea is insane, but how is it any more crazy than what you were doing before? Your mind was already telling you stories, why not have some say in the plotline?

Can you see how this might change your experience? And that, if you change your experience, you might change your perception of your situation? If you were able to do that, how would it change how you react or respond to that situation? Could this, in short order, actually change your world?

Maybe try acting as if you are the Light of the World for a little while, see what that does…