Mental Processes 9 & 10
As cultures mature from primitive to more advanced they enter an age of transition. The result is “cultural lag.” “Cultural lag” means that people are trapped between the old, traditional ways and the new ways. Life in an age of transition is a battle between Nature's Intent and the culture’s momentum.
Nature’s Intent directs your Life-Energy towards high Integrity choices to further evolutionary excellence. The culture's momentum fights to continue to control your Life-Energy and direct it towards the culture’s priorities.
MENTAL PROCESSES THAT AUTOMATICALLY DIRECT YOUR LIFE-ENERGY TOWARD THE CULTURAL PRIORITIES
9. FOGGING
Mental fogging occurs when your mind convinces you that "this" is just too difficult to figure out. Fogging persuades you that you are not meant to deal with certain realities of your life. This mental process usually evidences itself through feelings of being confused, spaced out, 300 miles away, unable to grasp even a simple step towards understanding what is confronting you.
Fogging interferes with your ability to effectively deal with anxiety provoking issues. A universal example of fogging occurs when people attempt to grapple with the conflict between their cultural vs. Personal Priorities. When you are forced to choose between your Integrity (Personal Priority) and your socially acquired sense of rectitude (cultural priority), you will experience mental fogging. Consequently, you will eventually shrug your shoulders and say, "What's the use, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em."
CORRECTIVE ACTION: Require yourself to face the issues in your life straight on. Write down the Personal priorities at stake and the cultural responsibilities in question. Study these issues until you arrive at a course of action without compromise. Compromise almost always means "Compromising your Integrity."
10. SELF-MANIPULATION AND SELF-BRIBERY
Self-manipulation and self-bribery are conscious and unconscious mental processes you use to convince yourself to do what you would rather not do. "I'll wash the dishes, then I'll go have a hot fudge sundae." These mental processes of self-manipulation and self-bribery are typically unconscious. For example, you unknowingly bribe yourself to make that obligatory phone call by focusing on the television show you will watch afterwards.
When self-manipulation and self-bribery remain unconscious you have no Conscious sense of what it is that you would rather not do. And, you have no way of finding out why you would rather not do it. Consequently, you end up manipulating yourself, all too frequently, to act in ways that violate your Integrity and deplete the quality of your Life.
CORRECTIVE ACTION: Rigorously track your thoughts and your emotions. Notice your procrastination … take it seriously. Pay attention to your heart; see if it is offended by this thing you think you "should" or "ought" to do. Dare to ask your gut, or your Core, or your spiritual center, "Why don't I have any energy for doing this?"
Listen with an open mind for the answer, and when you hear the answer do not dismiss it with cultural platitudes and fears of guilt or peer pressure. Instead of compromis-ing your Integrity, stay with the discomfort of the double bind you are in and continue to study the issue until you can make a Conscious, high Integrity decision about what you need to do (or not do) to further your quality of Life.