An individual's experiences are all internally driven, even when affected by the external world. By accessing parts of our mind that are not as rewarded in our society, we gain more channels of perspective and an ability to reframe each situation to serve our purpose in the moment. For example, one person may view the same situation from another person completely differently depending on how they internalize it. A person with multiple accessible perspectives have more potential to create practical meaning out of a situation.
By avoiding emotions, we turn off our ability to go to the places in our mind that do not require protection. We start stepping out of past patterns and programming from our childhood years that largely define our sense of self. Accessing new patterns requires definitive choices to move away from protecting the self, producing vulnerability: the risk and/or illusion of losing self-importance by having "undesirable traits." Such "undesirable traits" are not in society's reward system of nurtured qualities, such as jealousy, anger, and sadness. Traits still appear, but are suppressed and deemed unwelcome, often causing explosive results when triggered. When we are able to continue making choices not relying on society's rewards, we open our minds to many more prospectives. Feeling is no longer a distraction, but a form of connection.
Another way the mind and self forms protection is to keep detailed lists of the patterns in people we interact with. The more we break away from having these details ourselves, the more we recognize the malleable nature of other people. As long as we learn to rewrite the programming, we expend less energy on keeping track of the code of how people should act, think, and feel in different situations. Therein lies autonomy over your own experiences, without being affected by the whirling of expectations versus reality.
In the hypothetical world, every moment, away from pattern and identity of self (because the self wants to preserve itself by creating repetition) presents an infinite amount of frames, perspectives, channels, and possibilities to experience the world. The self simply becomes a wonderful tool to interact, but no longer controls our decisions by producing similar results and trying to perceive the world with tunnel vision. It is as if we burrow through the earth with a singular tube. Then, we develop access to multiple tubes, perhaps eventually no tubes at all.
Of course, we do not abandon all critical thinking, nor do we need to completely dissolve the self in order to access this potential. We are opening our minds; therefore, easier able to interact with different types of people and activities. It seems to be the most practical way to live in harmony with each other and the fluctuating nature of the external world.
Instead of changing external realities, try reframing the mind to harmonize with current situations. Practice making choices to break your usual personality patterns, without concerning yourself with the results. Do it first, and trust your ability to construct meaning later. This creates more neural pathways, forcing your brain to practice adaptability.
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