Learning How To Be Free: An Invitation, from a painter Options

[painter]

NOTE: The original Topic Title of this thread was "Learning How To Read . . ." but I've changed it in hopes that we can begin to escape the literal associations of the word "read". If "free" suffers the same fate, I may change the Title yet again.

I've been thinking about this for a long time. Months.

Over the course of being a member of this forum, especially in the context of "Alternative Theories," I've occasionally mentioned the necessity of "knowing how to read." Of course what I mean by this isn't directly related to knowing how to read the words you see before you here. All of us know how to do that more or less. If you're not familiar with my having said anything about this, I point you specifically to this post on my pinned and closed 'esoteric' thread here: http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum//index....t&p=7894218

A few members of this forum have asked me to say more about what I mean by this "learning how to read" business and it is this that I've been contemplating for a long time now. Having given it some serious consideration I've decided to post and pin this thread here as an open "invitation."

First I am inviting you to engage with me and one another in some discussion here about this topic. However, I am very aware that discussion of this topic is by necessity limited so long as it remains nothing more than discussion. To go further requires something more of us: Specifically a willingness to engage in exercises and experiments which can begin to move us beyond mere discussion into the realm of actual experience and knowledge based upon that experience.

This invitation, therefore, is offered as a starting point in the hope that some of you may wish to go further and take all this to another level. All I will say about that at this point is that the possibility exists, although necessarily limited by this forum/text medium within which we correspond. For this purpose I'm in the process of establishing another forum, participation in which will be by invitation only and will require that users not be anonymous and have a genuine interest in coming to a more direct understanding through observation.

So, I will leave this as it is. Feel free to ask whatever questions you wish and we'll see how this goes.

[Willow]

Finding this very interesting, having been asking myself the same question for several years now. Who, or what, am I?

I feel that I’m not my name… that’s just a label others use to refer to me.

I feel that I’m not my job, or my interests… they’re just things that whatever I am is doing.

I feel that I’m not my thoughts (though I am aware that Descartes would not agree!)… because I am having them.

The closest I’ve come so far in answering this question is that whatever I am, I am the observer of all these other things.

Maybe it’s enough simply to say, I am?
(reminds me of that ol' line: 'I'm a human being, not a human doing')

I’ve been trying similar things to some mentioned here… such as simply observing what is going on around me without judgement (not easy); observing my thoughts without following them or allowing myself (whatever that is!) to get drawn into them, and gradually learning to sometimes suspend thought altogether in an attempt to be aware of what remains.

Can’t say I’ve particularly found any answers… but I have found I seem to be much less reactive to problems and issues… a lot calmer… a more peaceful what-ever-I-am.
I’ve also found ‘myself’ feeling as if I am beginning to understand things more deeply… but in ways that cannot really be put into words…
Perhaps this relates to Painter’s idea of ‘learning to read / be free’?
Or maybe not! (IMG:http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

If it’s any consolation, Painter, the question of ‘Who am I?’ is one explored in depth in at least one classroom every year… with some very interesting things experienced and hypotheses suggested.

A popular response is "I am life"... but my next question is... and what does that mean?! (IMG:http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) (IMG:http://pilotsfor911truth.org/forum/style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

This post has been edited by Willow: Feb 8 2009, 03:56 PM