Beyond Gratitude as Judgment

Gratitude is all about noticing and awareness. By asking a question, I can bring about noticing in a way that promotes awareness beyond the First-Second Degree of Illumination bubble. Within the bubble of limited perception, I experience gratitude as an emotionally-charged competition or comparison – a value-judgment backed by a defense that often takes the form of an expression in the syntax of emotion-comparison-justification:

“I feel grateful for [something I value-judge as positive]… because… [some reason this judgment confirms my values]”

Example: “I feel grateful for sunrises because they make me feel hopeful…”

Structurally, my statement includes an emotion, “I feel”; a comparison judgment, “grateful for…”; and a defense, “because…” – the basic structure of the bubble, in which I compare, compete, and defend. “Grateful,” in this case, means “compared to what I value” – a validation of my opinions/notions as truth.

Is there another way?

To experience gratitude beyond the bubble, it must take on a different sensibility altogether. In the realm of accountability for creation, awareness would appear as a sort of universal acceptance of ALL that IS. As a confirmed bubble resident, I can tell you that my experience of this kind of gratitude is exquisite, sublime, and ultimately life-affirming.

To turn bubble comparison into life-affirming accountability, I might question how I express thanks – and maybe reconsider in the light of acceptance.

Let’s start by reviewing how I express gratitude within bubble awareness:

  1. I notice an experience that I…
  2. relate to other similar experiences and then…
  3. make a judgment (better or worse) that I…
  4. justify with a defense that validates my values and beliefs.

Now, let’s look at it from an acceptance-of-accountability perspective:

  1. I notice that everything is as I perceive it.

From my limited bubble perspective, Fourth Degree of Illumination acceptance of accountability may appear to me as surreal – and maybe the truth behind the illusion.

Accountability and Validation

There may be such a tight relationship between validation and accountability as to imply they are compatible and inseparable as one concept.

Consider these basic definitions:

Accountability – An ability to account to what creates value in the doing – and values in each specific doing.

Validation – The perception that some outcome meets my specifications and fulfills my need (s). It’s how I recognize or affirm the value or worth of [something], making it real.

Both accountability and validation support a need, which judgements of VALUE make real.

  1. Validate – Being – giving to satisfy needed value
  2. Accountable – Doing – receive to satisfy needed value

Comparing Values for Accounting Purposes

  1. Some “thing”
  2. Another “thing” to which the first “thing” is accountable – a value-based relationship.

Read more Accountability and Validation

Who’s Accountable?

Who’s accountable? I am… of course!

Yet, do I truly believe that?

I know that my perceptual,  conscious mind defines, labels and creates its reality.

My conscious mind can turn its decisions about life’s threats and benefits over to my reactive, responsive subconscious mind to defend. Over time and with practice this process becomes automatic.

Once the transfer of belief data is complete from my conscious mind to my subconscious mind, the orders are in place to protect and defend what, how, why and who I believe I am.

Read more Who’s Accountable?

Why Do I Choose Suffering?

Injury may be inevitable – suffering, on the other hand, is one of many interpretation options from which I may choose. So, I wonder, why do I choose to suffer?

Just to be clear – my suffering is not the same thing as my experience of injury. Rather, suffering is my interpretation of my experience as painful, distressful, or difficult.

Read more Why Do I Choose Suffering?

How I Use the Memory Match Game to Justify My Judgments

My mind plays a Memory Match Game to justify my judgments.

My game of match-up is a kind of replication recall my ego uses to fulfill its need to be right. Matching memories with present experience supports my reality as I believe it to be. Validation from my past gives me a confidence about judging that feels successful.

When it comes to being right, my ego likes to hedge its bets by, 1) visiting memories of related events for past support, and 2) using imagination to modify or create memories in order to validate a present judgment.

Read more How I Use the Memory Match Game to Justify My Judgments