Law of Attraction – Books Series
When we read something inspirational or poetic for example, our ability to understand is limited to what we have previously experienced.
Everything is taken with identification in the literal sense, we try to identify the feelings of the author or the teaching. The problem is that you can only identify things that you have previously encountered.
For example, if you have cooked for many years, but due to circumstances, you only know about 3 spices, that is it. You have never even known that there are more than three possible spices that could be added to food, and you are a master chef, but with only your three spices. If you ate a meal prepared by another person who used seven spices, the three you know plus four new ones, you would be able to identify the three, but not the other four no matter how hard you tried.
They are simply not identifiable to you since you have never experienced them before, and so you simply could never understand them.
It is the same with reading material written by someone who has had different experiences to you or was inspired from a more profound source than their own intellectual experiences.
If you read and think you understand fully, then you will never learn anything or have a possibility of learning the real deeper meanings. You will understand only up to your level of experience or capacity. But that gives you nothing other than a feeling of comfort, and comfort is not progress.
If you have read something and feel you have completely understood, either you have missed something valuable, or there was nothing very valuable in it, but it is one of the two, unless it is a fiction novel for entertainment of course. I am speaking of mystical or teaching materials being read by a person who wishes to improve themselves.
Knowing that you do not know is the only way to know. It is a paradox which limits the majority of people from increasing their level of development by maintaining their level of ego and comfort with a belief in their understanding.
The way to learn is to know that when reading something of a higher nature, that you do not fully understand it due to your limited experience. So what is the point of reading in that case? Because it leads you towards understanding.
Returning to the spiced up meal, having eaten that new dish, you now know that there are new spices that you have not previously known about, and will begin your search for them. The meal that you could not understand has given you a direction, a point to work towards that you previously never knew existed and so you could not begin your journey towards it since in your world, there were only three and not seven spices.
Of course, there is a lot of rubbish out there, so do not give great credit to everything you read or do not understand as being beyond you and something to aspire to. Rather bear this concept in mind when reading something that is from a valid source, knowing that you cannot understand it fully.
If a person of 90 years old tells you of their experiences traveling the world, and you are 20 and have never left your home town, you will not be able to understand what the elder is speaking about, but it may get you motivated to take a journey yourself.
Such is the value of reading what you do not fully understand. After you have made some journeys on your own, you may read it again, and find new meanings to it, but still put the author and yourself in each their own appropriate level of understanding before you think that you understand after only the second read.
Some materials take a lifetime to find the delicate threads which hold life together, but it is the development of knowledge of your own limitations that is the most valuable lesson.
The problem of course in a human life is that growth is hindered by seeing everyone as you are. There is a common saying that everyone is a mirror, and that is true, but as soon as you hear these words, your mind shuts down thinking it understands when in fact you only understand at your level of being able to understand.
We must go beyond our own level of comprehension because that limits any potential for serious growth. You will find other people to have issues or problems which in fact are your problems or issues. Through self-lying you do not see your own self limitations however you will see them in other people and then discount the value of what that person can offer you by saying they are too blocked or full of fear, when in fact you are full of fear but not seeing it.
The reason you cannot see it, ironically, is that when you are listening to a teacher or reading something of quality and value which makes no sense to you, you may think you are fine and they have a problem. And of course since you are fine, then there is nothing to do about it.
I am not saying that we all do this all the time, but if you do it once for a very valuable moment, then you will suffer a great loss, and that is what I am trying to help you prevent.
It is really quite simple to correct this problem if you have the courage. Whenever you see any flaw or fault in anyone, immediately reflect and continue specific self observations for the trait, and verify with your friends and family if you possess this flaw, then do everything you can to change it.
Nothing stays the same, we either move forward of backwards, you choose.
Join the discussion