Your comfort zone
Heather reunited with her friend Lou after a long time. They were catching up with the stories of their lives.
Heather: “ I remembered that you mentioned at one time about the importance of detachment, I understood that intellectually but it is so hard to put it in practice… That has been my recent experience in a relationship.”
Lou: “Intellectual understanding is the key to open the door to a spiritual “concept” such as detachment. The door could be open, but unless you are willing to enter to another room through your own steps out of your comfort zone, that intellectual understanding will not be practical. It will be just another piece of theory.”
We have listened to so much “stuff” about how to become “better,” “more spiritual,” free from sorrow, a “holy man,” etc.
Why is it that all that “knowledge” does not sit into our psyche? 😉
Because the issue relates with our feelings, to heal our emotions and not our logical, reasonable self.
Our society is great about giving “tips from the top” on how to change our behavior but there is nothing shared that could change the way we feel and perceive the world, that is our attitude in life is unchanged by intellectual stuff.
If the above does not make any sense yet, perhaps this quote will:
“Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” by Neale Donald Walsch.
Mathias, the wise tree; was chatting with Ananda in a sunny afternoon:
“Friend, you are living in your comfort zone trying to entertain yourself with many things and avoiding the experiences that you need to grow.”
Ananda did not quite understand what Mathias meant until the bumper sticker “Life begins at the end of your comfort zone” magically appeared in front of him.
Below is the video:[http://youtu.be/wQzDFjWPyf8]
As we could see, life has already in store the experiences necessary for us to grow. We could recognize the calling through different means.
They will appear… and we may avoid them.
Nevertheless, once we “get used to” a particular life style, that becomes our “comfort zone.” That is, we know one side of the spectrum of experiences, BUT we may need to know the other as well.
For example, to live in solitude, alone is a great experience. To get there after being used to living with lots of people around, could be “hell on Earth” until we get used to it… Then, that getting used to it, becomes our “comfort zone,” that is the time to move on again, so growth could happen.
Why that growth did not happen the first time around?
Because the range of experience wasn’t complete. Knowing first hand loneliness, will enrich a relationship with different people as long as we are not “escaping” from one experience to get into something else.
Of course, this is just an example. I am not advocating that is necessary to live alone before living with others. Everyone has the experiences needed in life.
Avyakt7 only shares his experiences.
Living in your comfort zone could be monotonous. “The same old thing.”
Life begins at the end of it.
Exploring the Depth of Living 
Very sound advice; though we need the courage to effect it because few find uncertainty alluring . . .
With gratitude and respect, Hariod Brawn.
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…But yet uncertainty is life.
I find this human predicament interesting.
Thank you for your courageous note, Hariod! 🙂
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‘But yet uncertainty is life.’
Indeed so, and yet the ghost-like entity within lives in the hope of security and certainty; it regarding itself as the agent for bringing this about – and with this illusory obligation fear arises at the prospect of leaving its own comfort zone.
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Could we say that courage is needed to overcome the illusion?
Or perhaps, in the realization of the illusion there could be freedom from it?
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To your first question, I would say that fear does not see the illusion; it does not see that it was created out of that very same illusion. So the calling for courage must in some sense be an intuition, rather than a product of discursive reasoning.
To your second question, I would say that ‘in the realization of the illusion’, a certain freedom comes along with that. And yet still, in this clarity, there can be thoughts of illusions, narratives about obligation, and so forth.
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