NOM

Just bumped into this definition of Doublethink from George Orwell's 1984 and it hits so close to home. This is how I lived for 30 years when I was a believer. I even read this book as a believer and was able to compartmentalize it.

George Orwell from 1984 wrote:To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself—that was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word—doublethink—involved the use of doublethink

The gap between our professed beliefs and our lived experiences, how to nurture a genuine spiritual path that is grounded in love and understanding?

I've experienced dissociation - where the mind creates a sense of detachment or separation from the immediate reality - being disconnected from my own body, thoughts, and emotions - numb. In shock - when our mind finds it challenging to process reality - afterwards its possible to realize the lesser disconnects within ourselves and others.

Through mindfulness and compassionate presence, we can gradually bring the fragmented aspects of our being back into harmony, fostering a deeper integration of our mind and reality. The ability to process reality with a kind heart and an open mind is so challenging.

Instead of suppressing or avoiding, embracing the art of deep listening, deep breaths. - Breathing in, we hold our painful thoughts and emotions with kindness and understanding. Breathing out, we offer them space to soften and release.

So difficult, to have empathy and a willingness to understand, to create a supportive space for those not yet escaped.