#164 Shifts in State of being

     Canada and the US have egalitarian (vs hierarchical) societies. We assume that most folks are in the same IQ range as us, and therefore apprehend information in much the same manner as ourselves. This is well-meaning, but unrealistic.

     Each person is born at different levels of actual and potential psycho-social-spiritual levels, from sociopaths to enlightened beings, but mostly in-between. So we start out with a certain genetic inheritance (DNA, nature, karma), then the effects of "nurture" (environment) kick in - parents, relatives, teachers, food, shelter, media, work, marriage, illnesses, pollution, aging, etc.

     A ten year old who's experienced years of chemo for cancer may be "an old soul" - more advanced psycho-social-spiritually than the average 30-year-old. An adult who's undergone several major life events eg death of loved ones, personal life-threatening illness / accident, etc and has come out of it grounded, loving and open is fundamentally different from the person s/he was before these events - s/he's now had several post-traumatic growth spurts. These are qualitative, fundamental changes in state of being.

     Longstanding meditation practice elicits similar quantitative as well as qualitative shifts in consciousness. Over time, as one's practice matures, so does the ability to understand at deeper and deeper levels, and to behave with increasing appropriateness.

Photo: Werli Francois   www.dpreview.com