Ectothermal

Economy :: Value Studies

He knows if he drinks himself past a certain threshold, he'll start perceiving himself an interesting person. So interesting that someone in this restaurant or in the street should get involved with his subjectivity.... Jesse has become economical about giving himself ugly memories.

-Gary Indiana Dreams Involving Water

Humor: Laughter heals my psychological traumas and softens my heart.
Intuition: The insights offered up by the mind and body are subtle but vital.
Personal Growth: Growth is my rest and my recreation. I need it to feel alive.
Love: I need to connect to people to make everything else meaningful. I easily forget this.
Beauty: I value it, despite my intellectual resistance to feeling "shallow." To hell with that. I am happiest when I feel it and experience it.
Exploration: It is okay to visit unhealthy places, but I don't want to live in any of them.

Simplicity: It is liberating to let go of physical things, habits and vestigial values.
Honoring the Self: Staying in a safe but unhappy job is the slow leak of the soul.
Creativity: I am plugged directly into the bliss of the Universe when I am creating something.
Learning: I am plugged directly into the bliss of the Universe when I am learning.
Perversion: I am plugged directly into the bliss of the Universe when I am creating something strange and arresting.

Enjoyment: I am plugged directly into the bliss of the Universe witness another person's creation of something strange and arresting.
Physicality and Consciousness: The dreaming mind can and often does bridge these two realities, harmonizing them and allowing them to communicate with each other. This is a powerful inroad to health and wellness.
Action: I am prone to hesitation, and need to move quickly from wanting to doing.
Imperfection: I am prone to hesitation because I expect myself to produce something outstanding immediately. Rough sketches are important. Sucking terribly must be honored.
Frustration: My frustration is a gift. Its power is to alert me to unsatisfied expectations. Through frustration, I can let go of vestigial expectations, or purposefully refocus my attentions.

Meaning: Meaning is by far more important to me than pleasure or power. Pleasure is a distant second.
Bigotry: I am right in feeling rage toward it, and it is my right to confront it, even when it is not aimed at me, and especially when I discover it in myself.
Haste: I have to fight a predisposition to rush, to expect things more quickly than is possible, and to focus too intently on ultimate goals. I must learn to enjoy the small steps; ultimately, I believe they are more important.
Security: Is a lie. Money is no substitute for a life well lived.
Introversion: Is healthy for me and nothing to be ashamed of.

A Questioning Mind: Is a quick road to a sense of aliveness and awakens enchantment.
Compassion: I value and admire it in people. It can be cultivated, and shouldn't be assumed to exist naturally.
Non-interference: Being with people where they are, and enjoying them as they are is a great skill and a terrific challenge.
Focus: Maintaining a sense of unhurried presence is probably my greatest weakness, and I lose focus sometimes to cope with life. Focusing on this will amplify many other strengths in my life.
Passion: I am often afraid of it, and need to learn how to give in to it and not treat it as a cerebral thing. I need to remember the body. This is a weakness second only to Focus above.

There is probably more than this, but this is a good start for me.

posted by Ecto Thermal @ 5:10 PM