Guerrilla Nature

29th October 2022

Everything is energy. The whole universe. That includes each of us. This energy interacts with the rest of the energy in the universe. When we really consider it carefully, each of us is as much a part of that universe as anything we can perceive as being other than ourselves.

When we realise that we are allowing our mood and behaviour to be controlled by what we perceive as negative stimulus, it can be helpful to consider that what we are experiencing is a build-up of energy resulting from not dealing with, or not letting go of, something adequately enough to be uninhibited by the discomfort we feel about it.

People might remind us to “be positive” and that might seem like the most unhelpful advice they could possibly offer. We might wonder, or even ask, how such platitudes are actually supposed to help. After all, if it were so simple, wouldn’t we already be doing it?

Practising mindfulness and being aware of our own consciousness is probably the most consistently feasible way for the majority of us to remain in a positive state of acceptance. If that means nothing to you, then it might be that you have hitherto been unaware of a way to exist that could help to emancipate you from the negativity that swells seemingly without warning or mercy. This writer has been there and empathises.

If a reappraisal of an entire way of life seems like it might just be too much of an undertaking, it can be reassuring to realise that changing our way of life starts with changing the way we perceive existence and what happens as part of it. If we follow the advice signposted in this article, we will not attempt to change everything all at once. In fact, according to some highly regarded philosophers, the suffering brought about by what has often been referred to as “the human condition” is often rooted in being confused by exactly where our responsibilities lie. That doesn’t mean that we are being advised to aim for absolution from responsibility; far from it, we are being encouraged to realise that we cannot fix the world’s ills and the results of attempting to do so have historically, demonstrably, involved an increase in suffering.

What these philosophers are encouraging us to recognise is that the best way to help ourselves to learn about how we perceive is to focus on developing our awareness of being aware; to practice mindfulness relentlessly. A great deal of the advice offered is orientated around allowing thoughts to pass through with the associated emotions, rather than allowing them to become the focus of our attention. It might seem hypocritical of these great thinkers to encourage us not to overthink. However, the impression taken by this writer is that we are being asked to differentiate between contemplating and ruminating.

Somebody whose primary reference points come from the Tao Te Ching might refer to holding onto the centre, or embodying “wu wei” (doing not doing). As interpreted in the referenced translation of this scripture, wu wei is not inaction, but a state of being in which the optimum action presents itself. This state of being is incongruous with the inner turmoil that blights so many, but is a remedy to it, the perceived inability to access which can feel frustrating; not least because the frustration itself is another manifestation of the suffering from which we aim to be free.

The Buddhist tradition refers to the eightfold path, but these eight might have had their origins in a more homogenous term equivalent to “the middle way”. The results of following this “middle way” might fairly be compared to those intended by following Lao Tzu’s advice to “hold on to the centre.” The inadequacy of words to convey comprehensive complexity without contributing to compounded, confounded confusion can be seen in the potential for the reader to interpret this “holding on” as directly contradicting the general encouragement to relinquish attachments to ideas or concepts. When we realise that holding onto this centre can help us to avoid falling victim to fluctuating moods, then perhaps we are starting to glimpse the first signs of what we already knew but had forgotten.

It seems of paramount importance to bear in mind constantly that we are easily capable of convincing ourselves that we know something which is more a projection of our insecurities, as betrayed by our respective perspective, than it is inalienable fact. This can be a distressing realisation but the suggestion here is that avoiding these truths serves primarily to alienate us from a sense of connection to reality, which can inhibit our willingness to accept what is. If we are to avoid this internal conflict, we must learn how to see things as objectively as we possibly can. Forgiving ourselves and others when behaviour falls short of an anticipated standard is necessarily part of this process. Maintaining sufficient semblances of standards whilst exemplifying a compassionate and empathetic outlook can be tricky!

Sometimes, even those who know these things and even those who help others to realise them can lose focus, forget and feel proverbially lost among the myriad repressed traumas that can be so influential for so many in shaping the peculiarities of our respective behaviour. Those beings, who are often referred to as wise but would kindly repudiate any suggestion that such a title were appropriate, usually know what to do to get themselves back to a centred state of calm and peace.

If you really don’t seem to be able to shift attention away from what is you consider to be the problem, you could try to channel the energy into a creative solution. If that seems impossible, doing something creative might help to get those proverbial juices flowing, or free the mind long enough to remove the stress from the thought process. You won’t know if you don’t try.

For those who struggle to allow negative states to dissipate, here are six viable pastimes that those who are comfortable with knowing that they don’t know might use to help them reconnect with who they are and, consequently, increase positive energy.

1) Research

There are books that can help us to reframe the perspective from which we interpret existence.

Michael Alan Singer’s “The Untethered Soul” might be the most beneficial for those who have simply had enough of being ruled by their emotions and wayward thoughts. Eckhart Tolle’s “The Power of Now” can offer similar benefits through extending the explanation of the much simpler message offered by Master Oogway in the hit animation Kung-Fu Panda. Sensei tells us, “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift, that’s why they call it the present.” The Untethered Soul and The Power Of Now are each available for free download in pdf format, but the authorship is deserving of have the hard copies being purchased by whomever is in a position to purchase them. Others to search for, especially for those who prefer interpreting videos instead of documents, include Alan Watts and Sadhguru.

Those mentioned are far from the only ones offering information about how we can be less absorbed in negativity, or more able to channel the energy that comes to us in a way that benefits us and those with whom we come into contact. Prominent speakers on similar considerations include Vandana Shiva who, like Sadghuru, is not averse to discussing geopolitical matters with reference to a state of compassionate awareness that currently appears to enjoy burgeoning popularity as an ideal for which we might strive. The aim seems to be the eventual realisation of that ideal as a reality from which we can all derive great joy. If we can have a positive effect on others, it can help to increase the positive outcome for ourselves as well.

For those who don’t like reading or watching videos, there are audiobooks. Listening to narration allows us to go about our business without having to devote our attention entirely to something to  which we might not yet be ready to commit. Audio books are an easy way to hear the truth in the writing without having to take too much time out to focus on it. Once we start to hear the truth, we may find ourselves stopping to give the audio more attention than we had anticipated.

2) Meditation

To those who’ve never done this, it might look like people just sitting and doing nothing.

Physically, those people might not be moving. However, they are aiming for deep concentration. If we practice consistently, we start to notice what Eckhart Tolle and Michael Alan Singer are referring to when they write or speak about being aware.

Meditation is not just for relaxing so that one can fall asleep: the point is to become more aware of the mind as a thing that is far from being the entirety of the self or might even be, in some ways, separate from the true essence of the self. We are not our emotions. We are not our thoughts. We are not our bodies. Each of us is a manifestation of consciousness that is experiencing the universe through its physical form, which includes the body, which houses a mind; this combination of the physical and the mental experiences emotions and when these emotions feel distressing we feel upset, at which point we allow an energetic blockage to form.

Meditation offers an opportunity to realise that our thoughts and feelings are not in control and that, in fact, trying to compete for control is what gives the negativity power. Meditation is a about letting go of all that disturbs us so that we might exist in peace without being dictated to by fear of expectation, pressure, embarrassment, anxiety, depression, anger, or any feeling we perceive as disadvantageous. It’s not an immediate fix, it requires a bit of practice and it’s easy to fall out of the habit. It is, however, just as easy to return to the habit; we just have to decide that we are going to. The time is always now.

3) Exercise

Some people might not want to sit and read, or watch YouTube videos, because they feel that neither is productive. For the same reason, some might not want to meditate.

Exercise is considered by many advocates to be meditative. The process of using one’s physical body can allow energy to be directed towards movement, giving the mind time to focus on something other than negative thought cycles that we so often allow to bring us down in the first place. Training is not going to solve whatever a person perceives as problems they are facing, but it can be a great way to channel energy into something more positive than worry.

Exercise can be something as simple as going for a walk. Even just half an hour of stomping can help to release the mind from its habitual negative cycle tendencies. “A change is as good as a rest” is an old saying that holds a lot of truth. Going for a walk can provide just enough change to remind the walker that life need not be centred around the same spaces all of the time, which can be helpful in reminding us that there is a whole wide world beyond what we experience as our repetitive grind. Walking can also lead to the realisation that exercise can be of benefit, which can in turn be a great way to encourage involvement in forms of physical activity with higher outputs.

Running, cycling and weight training are among the forms of solo exercise that can provide structure as part of a goal-orientated discipline; martial arts provide similar challenges whilst working with fellow beings; the opportunity for participants to test themselves one-on-one against opponents can be another goal; group sports can provide social interaction as well as a platform for developing skills of communication and co-operation.

Those who have participated in the forms of exercise mentioned might recognise that there are cross-overs between the advantages listed for each, but the thing that they all offer is a way to channel negative energy into something that provides discernible physiological and psychological advantages over just not doing exercise.

One trap that many beings have fallen into with exercise is to allow the regimen itself to become another stress inducing factor in their lives. That really defeats the object. If somebody struggles with mood, there is a good chance that the negative feelings they experience are related to stress levels. Trying to implement a training schedule comparable to that of a professional athlete is as likely to contribute more perceived problems as it is to help overcome any existing ones.

Arguably the best form of exercise for increasing positivity is asana, which is often referred to as yoga. “Yoga” is actually a Sanskrit term which translates approximately as “unity” and refers to the practice of harmonising the different parts of an individual’s existence with everything else so that body, mind and spirit become consciously reconciled with the whole universe. Asana is the practice of controlling movement and breathing to achieve a physical state that is sufficiently calm, thereby allowing the mind to focus. Asana is what yoga practitioners do in order to prepare themselves for meditation, so here is a form of exercise which actively encourages mindfulness and is now popularly regarded as one of, if not the most, important elements of a peaceful and positive existence.

4) Create something

Most people have creativity in them. For too many, connection to it gets lost through years of following rules, jumping hoops, taking blame and generally having to “do adulting”.

Of course, taking responsibility for one’s behaviour is to be encouraged; if nobody did so, then rarely would anything practical get done. However, almost everyone is capable of becoming so concerned with doing things that fund expenditure and reinforce routine that we forget to access the creative aspects of ourselves.

Children play games in which environments and events are imaginary or embellished. Some, but not many, of these children retain their connection to imagination and develop it into artistic ability that allows them to become great painters, sculptors, musicians, poets, authors, or artists of any other denomination imaginable. They are often the most “in touch with themselves” and the freest in their ability to express their experiences outside of their own minds.

Far more of those children start off with the same natural tendencies to use their imagination and creative abilities but forget how to express them. It’s never too late! Some people take up playing the guitar at sixty years old; some people retire after they’re seventy and then rediscover their love for painting. Imagine if they had started earlier, or never lost connection to creative expression in the first place. They might have decided to retire sooner, or live a more peaceful existence as a result of being able to express themselves artistically when something bothered them, instead of bottling up that dratted negativity that plagued them so frequently.

That is not suggest for one second that those who don’t “do art” are negative in any way, but the mental health benefits of providing a creative outlet are well documented. The next time you encounter something that you find frustrating, disappointing or upsetting, try to write about it, draw it or paint it. If you do not hold the opinion that you have talent in any of these areas, it really doesn’t matter at all. The point is to express how we perceive experiences and focus the mind on something that is productive but will help to ameliorate, rather than exacerbate, any disturbances that have contributed to the negative feelings.

There are even colouring books for adults. This might seem like a silly idea but, if so, it might be worth asking yourself why you think that. Does the idea of colouring in a picture someone else has drawn seem childish to you? Did you ever do colouring in as a child? It can be very soothing to return to an activity that was repeatedly enjoyed when life was less full of pressure. And some of these colouring books contain very intricate images, so you really can be very creative about how you decide to colour them. Even if one only has a few biros or highlighters of different colours, or some old crayons or colouring pencils in a disused draw somewhere, the results can be quite pleasing. And in the same way that going for a walk can lead to an appreciation for exercise, colouring in can be a gateway to discovering the joy of interacting with images and illustrations.

Creativity need not be limited to what might conventionally be considered art. Cooking can be very creative. We can start by following simple recipes and then, once we become more accustomed, make gradual adjustments according to our particular tastes or preferences.

5) Mind The Language

How we think and what we say will inevitably have an influence on how we feel. Apportioning fault or blame can be most unhelpful. Eradicating patterns of disheartened perception or frustrated behaviour means forgiving ourselves and others for whatever was said in a state of distress.

The thought patterns that both result from and cause the negativity we experience will invariably be related to fault, blame or guilt of some sort. It’s not that nothing is ever anybody’s fault or that nobody can ever take responsibility for anything, but holding on to the idea of something being someone’s fault, or the idea that blaming someone else somehow offers any improvement, can often serve to perpetuate unpleasant feelings. This facilitates a process of victimisation, either for oneself or for another party identified as the one to whom the fault or blame can be ascribed. “Fault”, “blame” and “guilt” are just three of the words that it might be best to avoid if we intend to develop more positive patterns of thinking and speaking.

Distressing thoughts and feelings we create and hold onto relate closely to the terms we choose to use to think and speak about whatever we encounter. Using the word “hate” to refer to something for which we have a strong dislike can be very destructive. Hate is a strong word. Likewise, it could be asserted that using the word “love” in reference to things that we find unexceptional might reduce our idea of love to something mild, even approaching neutral. However, if you asked this author which of those last two words they would rather overuse and which they would rather minimise the use of, the answer would unequivocally be that love is a more positive word than hate. Why not dispense with more negative words where appropriate?

Most of us don’t realise how often we use certain words, or even whole phrases made up of different words. We all have processes in our minds that run constantly. We might think differently and learn in different ways, with preferences for visual imagery or linguistic symbols, but the dialogue that goes on subconsciously is dominated by the labels we use to associate feelings with experiences and, crucially, our perception of those experiences. For example, an image of an animal is just an image of an animal, but we conflate conceptions of that animal with the image in our minds and thereby inspire specific reactions in ourselves when we think of that animal. For some people, a furry little rabbit might be considered “cute” or a spider might be considered “scary”. The adjectives “cute” and “scary” are conferred in accordance with perception.

It’s the same for most things: If we have reactions to what we encounter and we use words to describe those reactions, we reinforce the subconscious reactions to those things and cannot free ourselves of our preconceptions. Of course, the mind will always have thoughts and the mouth might always be the way we express audibly. However, if we start by noticing the words we say when we think of certain things, we can start considering whether we really do “hate” something or if it really is “scary”. Asking ourselves why we make these associations can be very challenging. Once we start noticing the words as we utter them, we can begin to consider them before they escape our lips.

With practice, we can trace further and further back in the process until our minds learn that we can renovate the programming that had previously been established. In this way, we can increase the tendency towards positivity in our thinking processes. This is a crucial step in increasing the peacefulness of our existence.

6) Be Thankful

However difficult or lacking life might seem, the chances are that someone else has had it worse. When you’re at the bottom of a negative cycle, that thought is unlikely to bring much comfort. After all, how does consider the circumstances of someone who is worse off help someone to address situation in which they find themselves? For some, this approach might provide ample reason to be cheerful. For others, it can just seem like even more justification to feel that the world is a terrible place full of suffering and sadness.

As stated by Max Erhmann in the beautiful poem elucidating the realities of life, ‘Desiderata’, “if you compare yourself with others, you will become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.” As the Buddha correctly identified, even those who seem to have the most reason to be elated can suffer the pangs of anguish, loneliness and sadness. So do not compare, it does not help.

Instead, do as the old adage suggests: count your blessings. Think of things in life that do help or are enjoyable. If you are reading this, you have eyes that can read. If someone is reading it to you, ears that can hear might be a starting point. Then ask yourself what your eyes allow you to see, or what your ears allow you to hear, for which you can be thankful. You might live in a location that some would consider unsightly, but beauty can be found in most places if you really open up to the determination to be positive; photosynthesising plants that have somehow managed to start growing from the edifice of an abandoned chemical plant, or the birds making nests in its loft.

Someone who lives in a place where there is unpleasant noise, such as people arguing, industrial machines or traffic, might dislike their surroundings. If they have legs or transport to get away from these things, it might be worth giving thanks for the ability or resources to visit somewhere that those noises do not pollute the atmosphere. Whoever can’t leave, there is no point in feeling resentful towards that which they cannot escape. Their best chance to experience peace might be to be thankful that they have somewhere to stay, or appreciating the breaks in the noise when they happen.

Can you listen to music? Some say that music is what feelings sound like, it can feed the soul if only we are willing to let it. Find reasons to be thankful. There is always something. Most of us have more than one thing. Do you have people who love you? If not, then there is nobody to whom you are beholden. Either of these situations can be viewed as positive, if we choose to view them that way. If you are in pain, at least you can feel something. That means that you’re alive. As long as you’re alive, you have a chance to do something or change something for the better. Thankfulness is the first step in finding our way out of the negative cycle.

Copyright Guerrilla Nature 2022

The Serenity Prayer (secular)

Please grant the serenity,

To accept the things I cannot change,

The courage to change the things I can,

And the wisdom to know the difference.

Above: content related to the Increasing Positive Energy article.

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