Programmed from Birth

Can you sense that at times "you are a man/woman, son/daughter, worker, student, husband/wife, teacher, tax payer, healer, patient, citizen, rebel, member of a particular tribe, ethnic group or religion? All are roles. Each due to circumstances and conditions".

We see things not as they are, but as we are. We are a product of life's programming where we play a role that we believe we were meant to play. However, in spite of who we think we are it is not the real person we are. In many cases we put blinders on ourselves that we wear with little knowledge of and through fear we are far too often blinded as to who we can really be.

Through life's programming we are the product of our parents training, our schools and society.

Programming of our minds started while we were still in the womb. We adopted the programming of our mothers. We then adopted the programming of our fathers shortly after our birth. As time went on, we adopted the programming of others we came into contact with. We even adopted parts of the programming of our teachers, the radio and television programs we listened to or watched over the years.

There is no such thing as independent thinking. Thoughts are products of our minds in light of all the programming up to the present moment.

Yes we believe that we are inspired by something other than what we believe came from that programming, but how can we be sure? Is it possible for us to be anything other than what we have been programmed to be?

I question the influencing of the people I come in contact with as to how it affects my programming. Are those people trying to make me into another them? Is it possible that in spite of my own programming that I am incorporating some of their programming into me? Believe it or not, I am. Yes, I can't help it. I try very hard to discriminate between what I'll accept into my programming and just what I'll discard, do I have free will?

In the past I have written on the subject of how others try to influence us into adopting their ideas of how we should act, think and work. For example, when we were in grade school, we were taught to study the text books we were given and answer questions on what we read. At the end of the day, the teacher would give us a text that required a text book answer, if we gave a different answer than the book, are answer was marked as wrong. To me, this was a type of control where I was required to comply or I would fail the course - programming.

Other people can help us get out of a rut where we had been doing the same old things day after day that prevents us from progressing. We need to be jolted into progressing through taking a new look at the place we're at, where we're going, the things we play at, the way we perform our daily work, just about everything in our life. Sometimes what others were trying to do was to help us take a closer look at ourselves and for us to better understand our way of thinking and working. We need to develop new objectives for ourselves that will make our life more interesting, worth while, and being more independent of our programming while keeping us happy and enjoying life.

Other peoples ideas can help us in many ways to better ourselves, but they can hurt us as well. Those hurtful ideas of others are to be reject without question. We are free thinkers and need to develop and redevelop our personal programming to brings us true happiness, individuality that is independent of our programming.

"As we can see, nobody has a complete vision of (him/herself) everything and never will. That is why we are so different. Even so, every human being egotistically thinks that his is the utmost, maximum knowledge and information. Each believes he owns the absolute, naked, total truth, the best and only perception of the universe around him, when in reality he grasps just an insignificant fraction of a bigger whole. This situation prevents us from not only having a more intimate, deeper relationship with other human beings, but also from having a better comprehension of ourselves and of our role in this small planet and the Universe". (Sorrows of Life, Pg. 5)

Up Until Now

When I attended Pastoral Skills classes at Temple Heights Spiritualist Camp in Maine in 2005 my teacher, Rev. Pamla Aslay, had an answer for people in the class who would say, "I can't do that."  Her answer was "Up until now". It seems that none of us can perform certain tasks until we learn from others what is necessary.  We invariably say "I can't do that" and we're right, we can't up until now.

When I was in school learning math for the first time, I had to learn about certain mathematical principles and how to apply them to various math problems. By the same token, when I started Junior College to study electronics, I knew very little about all the various aspects of electronics that was already well known to other technicians and engineers.  As time went on, I learned and through the application of what I learned I was able to test and repair electronic equipment.

You may ask "Isn't it true for all people in this world"?  Yes, but how many of us have the courage to admit that we just don't have what it takes to perform a specific task - up until now?  If you're honest with yourself, you will admit that up until now you were unable to perform.  There is no pride lost in admitting you don't have certain skills or knowledge - you are normal.

When I was growing up, my mother used to cook breakfast, lunch and dinner for the seven of us.  Today, from what I learned from her, I can cook various types of meals for myself.  Yes, I learned what was necessary from a skilled person who knew more than I did. I am still learning 70+ years later.  I will continue to learn.  This will continue up until the day I leave this world.

So up until now, you really couldn’t perform certain tasks. Maybe you didn’t have the knowledge you needed, but now you do and are able to apply it where necessary. Up until now you are the best at what you do and will continue to obtain greater knowledge you may require. Remember, what seemed to be unachievable up until now falls away as you obtain the knowledge and skills you do require, nothing is impossible to you.