1. Discover Yourself

To know you, you must look beyond what is obvious.  Look for what defines you – how you think, your consciousness.  Forthat, you must know that the mind is NOT the brain.  The mind is you, the who you are. You already know that or feel it.  I am simply stating categorically that it is not the brain.  You see? I start off attacking the most complex concern. It may seem too tough and abstract to begin looking at you, but why not start at the source? It will make the conclusions easier to examine and digest.

The second thing you will be introduced to realize is that life IS hostile and unpredictable… by design.  Bad things do not happen because of the punishment or neglect of an almighty. Things happen… oblivious to you.  The earth belches.  People attempt to make it comfortable to them, but in doing so, they disturb it further for others. And when we are not prepared, these actions can devastate or even destroy… the body though not the mind. (I will show you this)  Thus, there is no such argument as something that SHOULD NOT happen. It happens. You are there. period.

The third thing you have to know is that adversity is food for the erudition of the mind. Erudition – a big word but one that is appropriate.  It means development in knowledge.  Think of it.  You are born with a body that is fully formed.  Everything that will work is already functioning.  You really do not have to do a single thing just to live.  Of course you must feed it and rest it and use it for it to function, but its function is natural and automatic.  Look at what you know.  The mind is born empty.  Everything you know now, you put it there.  And if you do not work to get and build that knowledge, it will not be there.  Knowledge is not automatic.  I will use reason (that you already have) and judgment (that you can and will expand) to help you build that knowledge and continue building it independently and progressively.

The fourth thing you need to know is that such is the purpose of life – to know… to keep knowing.  The body will die.  That is inevitable.  The mind cannot die.  Build it so it is strong.  Do not dismiss it for the sake of survival.  This will perhaps be the most difficult area of logic and you may have to examine some lessons more than once because I will introduce you to some elevated scientific arguments – relativity, quantum mechanics, chaos and complexity – that will offer irrefutable proof of this argument. It is absolutely necessary so that you can build a sense of purpose that is more sustainable than the natural one of survival.  Survival is the purpose of all lower species… and it is self-limiting, isn’t it?

Now that you have a different but more logical and purposeful sense of life, I will lead you to apply it to your physical challenges.  You will begin to see that adversity happens, not to punish or hinder you, but to give you an opportunity to use them to build knowledge, the only attribute or asset you will always have – even when you cannot display it.  It is only with this new attitude that you will be able to face adversity comfortably and accomplish because you feel empowered rather than seek to feel empowered because of what you may have accomplished.

Other people are perhaps the greatest source of adversity.  This is because everyone has the ability to either use reason or react with basal instincts depending on which they have used predominantly.  The more another person uses reason, the better it is to relate and communicate, but you cannot rely on that.  The more they rely in instinct, the more they will further alter whatever is the common challenge.  And with so many people, each seeing the same thing differently, this can create a real conundrum.  So you must be the one to use reason and elevate yourself or you will, like others, be inclined to aggressively defend your perspective, go along for the sake of peace, or avoid others sometimes to the state of isolation. I will explain in these lessons and your guide (your own counsellor or one associated with us) will show you how to apply your personal strength, your mental strength, to function in your social reality with dignity, confidence, and a keen sense of purpose.