Naked Flirting
I don't usually post LONG verbatim quotes, especially from LiveJournal, but I'm going to make an exception with what follows because 1) LJ is unreliable and slow to load, and 2) I think it deserves to be set up without all of the static that surrounds it in the normal LJ flow.
Mr. Breese has written an interpretive response to a long verbatim quote that HE posted that actually clarifies (in some ways, transcends) the original excerpt. Here it is:
I'm about as anti-reductionist as they come, but...Everywhere we go, we make one basic evaluation. It is your carry-on bag in the airport of life. We never let go of it!
Which? Names, it has so many names: good/bad, pleasure/distaste, adoration/revulsion, love/hate, excitement/fear, true/false, interesting/boring, applause/blame, hope/fear, satisfied/angry...
Young Alisa Rosenbaum surely felt it even before she could speak it: There is a very basic distinction between "that which is FOR me" and "that which is AGAINST me". Everywhere we go, every new domain we encounter, we carry this vital distinction along & we apply it as best we can.
Dr. Katie & company highlight how your focus is under your control. In any situation, you can put the spotlight on what is FOR you or on what is AGAINST you. Moment by life moment, your critical awareness can and should shift around, spanning both FOR and AGAINST all over the place. Insufficient negative focus can lead to worse problems.
However, most people way underestimate the value of lots of joyous appreciation, really of everything on the FOR side of the ledger. There are beautiful economies of scale to be enjoyed -- right there for the taking, inside your very own eyes.
The differences between clinical depression and optimal living are profound, and ultimately that is what all this is about.
If everyone took the Dr. Katies 50% more seriously, almost all lives would be profoundly improved through building healthier focus habits.
Whaddya think?
The original excerpt from Dr. Katie, on Naked Flirting is here.
For the record, *I* love Andrew's take. He makes these connections that are SO obvious to him, and yet invisible to many even after he's pointed them out. It's always a pleasure when he shares them, even if it's lost on some.
[Posted at 00:06 CST on 07/25/02] [Link]
