Paths In The Void
First Steps
In First Steps, we provide functional definitions for key abstract concepts that will be fundamental in understanding everything else that follows in the Path.
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These concepts are:​
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Life
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Feeling
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Choice
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Belief
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Happiness
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Consciousness
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Selfishness
They are functional definitions because they are clear, simple and practical. With these definitions, they act as anchors when we feel ungrounded, reference points when we feel lost, and tools when we want to navigate our feelings in healthy and constructive ways.
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Furthermore, they add clarity and consistency to what is being discussed. By eliminating ambiguity and abstract concepts from our definition, there is less chance of misunderstanding what we are trying to transmit; a path is a path because the pathway and direction is clear
Life
What we believe Life to be will be how we live it. So if we believe Life is a struggle then we will put our focus on the struggles of it. If we believe it's about being successful then we will be driven by the wanting of success. Or if we don't have any firm beliefs then we'll constantly change direction and never be satisfied, or drift aimlessly about.
Whether we know what our beliefs are on Life or not, those beliefs drive and mold it. They act as guides on what to expect from Life, how we experience it and, ultimately, how we live it.
The key to knowing how we live Life is knowing how we define it.
Feeling
Our feelings are how we experience what is happening outside and inside of us. They serve a critical role in how we experience Life.
But when we do not have a clear understanding of what they are, we might go down the path of judging them as “good” and “bad” causing us to suppress some of them or obsessively pursue others.
When we don't have a clear and simple understanding of what feelings are and the purpose they serve, this ambiguity can cause us to hold contradictory beliefs about them.
Choice
Our choices are an intrinsic part of our Life. They are what we use to directly interact with our external and internal world. And when used properly, they allow us to directly influence and guide our life.
But our choices are different from our hopes, wishes, dreams and wants. In knowing exactly what they are and how they function, we can make choices with the proper mindset.
If we want to feel empowered in directing our life, we first have to understand what it means to make a choice.
Belief
Everything we know, feel and do is based on our personal beliefs. They are how we make sense of reality and without them we would be in a constant state of fear and doubt.
For example, each step we take is based on the belief that it is safe for us to take. Without this belief, a short 10 second walk across the room might take us 10 minutes instead.
Our beliefs play such a critical role in how we interpret and interact with our reality so understanding what they are and how they function is equally critical.
Happiness
Whether we want to admit it or not, we all want to be happy. But most of us are okay with not knowing what exactly happiness is. We allow our understanding of happiness to remain ambiguous or abstract making it, by definition, impossible to cultivate and sustain.
When we don't know what we're looking for, how will we be able to find it or know when we have it.
The first step in learning to be happy is knowing what happiness is.
Selfishness
We often associate selfishness as something negative. Something we should try to resist if we want to be a “good” person.
But being selfish is part of our survival mechanism and a necessary part of life. Without it, we would neglect our well-being and have no concept of self-preservation.
Learning and being selfish is an essential component of living a healthy and balanced life so it's important to have a clear understanding of what selfishness is.
Consciousness
For those of us seeking a better state of well-being, we will eventually be told to be more conscious. Whether it is being more conscious of our thoughts, feelings or actions, being more conscious will help improve our chances of finding whatever we're looking for.
And it's true, the more conscious we are about something the more we're able to understand it. But how do we know whether we're becoming more conscious or not?
Without a clear and simple understanding of what it means to be conscious, we won't know how to effectively increase our consciousness or how to effectively apply it to our life.