I just spent a weekend assisting at the Montreal Forum. For those of you unfamiliar, the Landmark Forum is, in my experience, the most powerful personal transformation program available. In just three days, I saw dozens of people completely change their lives; reconnect with estranged loved ones, drop fear, judgment, bitterness and resignation, and rejoin the human race in ways that exploded with compassion and joy and possibility.
One of the discussions during the Forum is “What’s real?” What are our tests for reality. We may think that what we feel is real, so live our lives based on our gut. The problem is that just because you think or feel something doesn’t make it true. You may feel that your wife is a nag or your husband’s a loser, but that’s only YOUR reality; the one you made up with your pre-existing biases.
You may think that the agreement of others creates reality. Like when you’re in an argument and you find yourself saying, “It’s TRUE. Just ask ANYBODY!!!” As if the agreement of the masses confers reality on things. Just look at the Crusades or Nazi Germany and you’ll know that the masses are far from being a reliable arbiter of reality.
So, what’s true. In the Forum, they say that “physicalness” is the only test of reality. In other words, if it’s physically there, it’s real. So, the next time you’re judging yourself or others, ask yourself, “Is what I’m saying REAL?” Or is it just a point of view you created or one you’re adopting based on mass agreement. If there’s no physical reality to what you’re saying is real…It AIN’T!
To further explore this concept, read UnHypnosis. Find it at www.stevetaubman.com/content/pages/stuff.
