Who are You?

I came across this very good and encouraging, thought-provoking article in
The Times of India today.

Who are You?
------------

In the 17th century, the French philosopher Reni Descartes came up with
the explanation for it all: I think, therefore I am. I remember this
statement being the source of debates in philosophy classes. It was the
existential 'which came first' story the chicken or the egg.

Years later, I feel that his statement really is a fill-in-the-blanks
statement. 'I think, therefore I am.' In other words, 'I think I am angry,
therefore I am angry, I think I am tired, therefore I am tired, I think I
am busy, therefore I am busy.'

Let's go back to Descartes and fill in the blanks. I think I am too busy,
therefore I am too busy. So the usual conclusion to this thought is I'm
too busy to go into the garden this morning thus I don't go. [I think I m
too busy to go into the garden, therefore I am too busy to go into the
garden.]

What this does is, for one, tell your subconscious mind to keep looking
for that answer, and two keeps the door open to the answer coming through.
If you keep saying I can't remember, well guess what, your subconscious
goes, 'ok, can't remember,' and it goes off to lunch and stops trying to
remember. End of story. On the other hand, if you say 'I m remembering'
it will stay 'on duty' until it finds the memory you're asking for. In the
same way if you're searching for the solutinos to a problem, if you say to
yourself 'I don't know what to do', I think I am unable to find an answer,
therefore I am unable to find an answer -- there again you've closed the
door to the answer coming through. Saying 'I am able to find the answer'
opens the gate wide for the answers to come to you. We can replace those
dead-end thougths and statements with some that leave the door open for
solutions. 'I think I am able to discover the answer, therefore I am able
to discover the answer, I think I am capable of finding a solution.' Now
some of you might be saying this is simplistic. Well, yes it is, and
that's the beauty of it. We humans seem to have a tendency to complicate
things, when things really are simple. First a thought, then an action.
First a belief, then a consequence of that belief. A thought, then a
result to that thought (action or inaction).

We have disempowered ourselves by thinking 'small thoughts' or dead-end
thoughts fulled by low self-esteem, images of unattainable goals (to be
like the 'slimmer-than-life' model on TV), and thoughts rampant with
self-criticism (or criticism of others). Thoughts that are self-defeating
[I think I am a failure, therefore.]

I think I am not smart enough, therefore I think I am unattractive,
therefore I think I can't do this, therefore...

The belief or thought we have sets the tone for our actions, for the life
we create. If there's one thing that can change our lives, it's to change
the nature of our thoughts, of our beliefs. We are not powerless. We are
powerful beyond measure.

It's up to us to fill in the blanks with the reality we desire, not the
one we don't. We can change our reality. We can make a difference in our
lives and in the lives of the people around us and in the world.

-- Marie T russell.

--
Gravitation is not responsible for people falling in love.
-- Albert Einstein.