I’ve been writing a lot on this blog about attending to inner realities. I’ve been saying that attending to inner realities can help us change our outer realities. Part of this means nurturing a deep awareness of our inner being.
But how does this connect to outer realities? How does outer reality change because of the inner traits we cultivate?
In the western world, we are so focused on externals. Do I look good today? How do I appear in the eyes of other people? What does science tell me about life, the universe, and everything?
“Rarely do we take the time to pay attention to what’s going on inside us.”
Rarely do we take the time to pay attention to what’s going on inside us.
Some have even written that in the western world we are afraid of our emotions. Any feeling, thought, memory, or perception is seen as irrelevant, simply because these seem not to change anything in society, politics, or the physical world.
Yet this idea could not be farther from how reality actually works.
Our emotions guide our relationships. Our thoughts help us make choices. Our memories help us learn about the meaning of life. Our perceptions form the basis of our realities.
And all of these are just the tip of the proverbial iceberg.
“To say inner experiences are less real than outer experiences is not quite right.”
So, to say that our inner experiences are less real than our outer experiences is not quite right. In fact, some argue our inner experiences are just as real as those that happen in society, politics, and the physical world.
How to understand the connection between the two?
In the next number of posts, I’ll be offering some ideas on this topic.
Here are seven questions to help you reflect on how your inner realites affect your outer realities:
- Have you ever felt misunderstood?
- What was this feeling like for you?
- Were there any more feelings this experience produced in you?
- How did these additional feelings affect how you interacted with the person who misunderstood you?
- How did you clear up this misunderstanding, if at all?
- What did it feel like to clear it up, if this is what happened? What did it feel like if you didn’t clear up this misunderstanding?
- How did your relationship with the person who misunderstood you change as a result of this experience, if at all? How did it remain the same, if at all?
Life would be unlivable if there was no connection between inner and outer realities.
How do you see this connection? What do you do with it? How do you engage it, work with it, navigate it, or wrestle with it?
Leave me a comment; I’d love to find out.
References
Greenspan, M. (2004). Healing through the dark emotions: The wisdom of grief, fear, and despair. Boulder, CO: Shambhala.
Harman, G. (2018). Object-Oriented Ontology: a new theory of everything. London, UK: Penguin Random House.
Lasair, S. (2019). What’s the point of spiritual care? A narrative response. Journal of Pastoral Care & Counseling 73(2): 115-123. DOI: 10.1177/1542305019846846
Disclaimer: The advice and suggestions offered on this site are not substitutes for consultation with qualified mental or spiritual health professionals. The perspectives offered here are those of the author, not of those professionals with whom readers might have relationships as clients or patients. In crisis situations, readers are encouraged to contact these professionals for appropriate support and treatment if needed.
Reflective Life 
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