Within my bubble of limited awareness, my policies conceptualize beliefs in the form of conditional statements, “if/when a condition is true, then do the following action…” It’s straight-forward and simple logic – the kind I use everyday. I perceive something so, I apply an action to it – even when that “action” is to do nothing. This, however, does not account for other options.
What happens when I insert “UNLESS” into my formula?
That is,
- If/When I think a certain condition is true, then I will do a specific action… UNLESS…
The “unless” option introduces a challenge to my certainty about the original condition. Maybe it’s not true as I perceive it. This applies to every aspect of reality – from objective to subjective. Often this comes up when I realize my actions produced a result contrary to my wishes.
The First Action
In every case my first “action” is to process a thought. Thoughts are perhaps the only “things” I can perceive. For example, my companion says something nice to me. From their appearance to their words to my interpretations and judgements of the situation – all my thoughts.
There are times when thinking is the resultant action. What is the thought that prompted it? Because my thought process looks like, “If this condition (an idea/concept), then this action (a further idea/concept that may appear as physical activity)…” UNLESS…
Unless something else is at play here – which prompts me to ask myself some questions that challenge their underlying belief.
- “What ELSE could I be perceiving than what I’m perceiving right now?”
(“My observation of this situation is right, unless…”) - “How ELSE might I perceive this than how I’m perceiving it right now?”
(“I’m doing the right thing, unless…”) - “Why ELSE might I perceive what I’m perceiving right now?”
(“My intention is right, unless…”) - “Who ELSE am I than the one perceiving what I’m perceiving right now?”
(“I am right, unless…”)
When I practice such thought provocation, I break up stuck thought patterns, clarify my intentions, and promote understanding of what I’m creating.
