An Invaluable Understanding

You’re never going to hear me tell you how to discipline your kid, when to ask for a raise at work, or what you should eat for dinner.

I couldn’t possibly know the answers to those questions for you.  I barely know them for myself at times.

What I can provide–which is enormously more helpful than giving advice–is an understanding of how our human experience is created. What it’s all about and from where it comes.

When you see how your moment to moment human experiences are created, you become infinitely better equipped to make excellent day-to-day decisions.  Your life runs more smoothly and choices make themselves because you see how it all works in a deeper, more meaningful way.

Let me give you an example. Imagine two mechanics. Mechanic #1 is new to the profession and has a limited understanding.

He can do all kinds of things…change your oil, replace some basic parts, rotate your tires…but he’s simply following the steps he was taught and going through the motions.  He does a great job on your oil change, but he doesn’t truly understand the ins and outs of how a car works so his power is limited to following rules, logic, and steps.

He asks for lots of advice from other, more seasoned mechanics because when something shows up that he wasn’t trained for, he’s unsure what to do.

Mechanic #2 has a passion for cars. He deeply sees and appreciates the intricacies of your vehicle. He gets it. He understands cars at their most basic level.

He can change oil, replace parts, and rotate your tires like the first mechanic. But when he does those things, he’s not following steps or doing what he was taught in mechanic school. He’s coming from a completely different place; he has a deep knowing of the Why behind the What and How.

Which mechanic would you choose?

Which doctor would you choose? One who knows how to remove your appendix, or one with a profound understanding and respect for human anatomy and biology?

The two doctors have very different grounding. The first is doing what he was taught. The second sees the bigger picture in a way that makes the specific steps effortless and obvious.

Which engineer would you rather have?  One knows how to read blueprints and build a structure that is unlikely to fall down, or one with a profound understanding and respect for the laws of physics?

Which way would you rather be? Armed with opinionated advisors, books, resources, facts, figures, and steps? Or armed with your own profound understanding and respect for the principles that underlie the human experience?  

With an understanding of how our moods, emotions, and behaviors come to be, advice is rarely necessary.  The specific to do’s will take care of themselves when you see that you have unlimited wisdom and common sense within you at all times, waiting to guide you through those decisions.

You come to see the truth about the mental confusion and emotion that sometimes obscure that wisdom.  You know that the confusion and emotion clears up on its own, so you no longer try to fix them (which only makes them worse).

You see that it is this simple: When you’re in a low mood, wait. Do little. Let it clear on its own because  low mood conclusions are highly biased and very suspect. When you’re feeling peace of mind, you can take your conclusions and decisions to the bank. They are trustworthy and helpful.

As you develop this deep knowing for what it means to be human, being human rises to a whole new level of ease, meaning, and joy.

If you’re going to take the time to deepen your understanding in your profession to become the best mechanic, doctor, engineer, teacher, manager, or parent you can be, it only makes sense to deepen your understanding of being human so that you can have the best human experience you can have.