Unquestioned belief

For me flight is never the first option...and seldom ever a second or third option....it's just not in me to run away, no matter how unpleasant the experience will be...typically I either advance or stand my ground...sometimes doing either results in having to change or evolve...running away does not bring change, does not bring strength, only by advancing do these come, but not without a price....flee, live to run away again and again or fight, face harm and change to become stronger...

RyuJin wrote: For me flight is never the first option...and seldom ever a second or third option....it's just not in me to run away, no matter how unpleasant the experience will be...typically I either advance or stand my ground...sometimes doing either results in having to change or evolve...running away does not bring change, does not bring strength, only by advancing do these come, but not without a price....flee, live to run away again and again or fight, face harm and change to become stronger...

As someone who also always fights first. I have to disagree. That too is a belief that is often not useful. Like the "shoot first" idea being discussed in the other thread, it forever closes off your other options.

Learning when to leave it and not fight is proving to be one of the hardest lessons of my life so far. Being aware enough to find a different reaction, a different outcome. And so far, discovering that more often than not, there was no fight to begin with, only the one I brought with me.

The days where I chose to walk away, I am far stronger than on the days when I don't. And I have never yet regretted walking away.

If it works for you that's all that matters
What works for one doesn't necessarily work for all....the way my childhood went retreat was a blatant display of cowardice and weakness...however I understand its tactical value and I know it's not always cowardice or weakness...but there is always that deeply ingrained desire to fight in me...even if it's a pointless fight...so I adjust my viewpoint...standing my ground allows me to resist passively and to sidestep allowing for advancement or strategic withdrawal(which is not retreat or running away)...

RyuJin wrote: .the way my childhood went retreat was a blatant display of cowardice and weakness...

My childhood went the same way. And now I'm attempting to unlearn things that I learned in childhood as they hold me back.

RyuJin wrote: but there is always that deeply ingrained desire to fight in me...even if it's a pointless fight...

Me too. And I am working on questioning why and removing the ingrained belief in the fight.

RyuJin wrote: standing my ground allows me to resist passively and to sidestep allowing for advancement or strategic withdrawal(which is not retreat or running away)...

And yet, I have seldom seen you advocate for passive resistance or withdrawal of any kind. But I have seen many responses that detail the level of violence you would use in any given situation.

Sadly it's what I'm best at...we all have different strengths to play with...the world needs people like me to fight for and protect those that can't fight for themselves as much as it needs them to create a better world so people like me are no longer needed...

RyuJin wrote: Sadly it's what I'm best at...we all have different strengths to play with...the world needs people like me to fight for and protect those that can't fight for themselves as much as it needs them to create a better world so people like me are no longer needed...

So you chose to fight?

I chose to accept my value/purpose rather than to ignore it....I spent years refusing to acknowledge it and suffered accordingly...we can resist our purpose or we can accept it...over time we can be repurposed, but not without sufficient change...weapons and equipment get repurposed all the time...

At this point in time all my talents, all my knowledge, all my experience is geared towards one purpose...I am always seeking new skills, knowledge, and experience for when the time comes to repurpose...

I doubt it's real belief in the OP, just following established and accepted rules of how they've chosen to define themselves and their place in a peer network. A genuine belief, in the mind of someone open to learning would I think stick with suffering borderline criticism to better understand how their belief integrated with the views of the lecturer ie. a fresh perspective on their belief is always refreshing.... when its a real unquestionable belief they don't need to fear criticism!?

interesting topic.i believe as a Jedi would that physical death give us over to the force.we would become guides for the enlightened meditating initiate who meditates into the either .whether or not we congregate in some paradise dimension learning all there is to know...........I could care less :blink: but to help a maji on his way to making corporeal reality a better civil existence sound like a good idea

Really, ideally, one should take it all as it is when its presented, with no pretense, including ones reactions. Its the only way we can ever really see who we are.

My wife, even now during our Dark Times( ) challenges my thinking(or lack thereof) and disillusions my beliefs constantly. It is ALWAYS uncomfortable, but I have learned it hurts less and I grow more when I accept her perspective and logic. I'm intuition most of the time and she always has atleast 5 sources before she brings something up to me...even my personal habits...