Journey In Principles - Page 2 of 17 - Dedicated to confronting life's distress. Pursuing and promoting internal liberation.

We’re only as sick as our secrets.

Note: This is a re-post from an article written in 2018 and lost during a site migration. Though I fill like it is still relevant today, personal Inventory and learning to maintain unconditional Honest is a daily endeavor I would like to think has progressed since this was first published.

Quote from Master Chance Burleson. "We can't think our way out of a situation we behaved our way into."

There’s an old cliche that I first heard when I began my journey through 12 Step recovery, “we’re only as sick as our secrets.” A topic that can very much touch anybody, no matter where they are in life.

I just happened to be finishing up, going through my motives on my inventory again.

And my 4th Step inventory changes over time. My inventory is not nearly as specific to events as it used to be. There are not any secrets per se. When I inventory now, it has a lot broader perspective. It is more about how I respond to social situations, politics, Facebook posts, etc.

If you want to empty a cup, you have to pour it out.

If you want to empty a cup, you have to pour it out. If we’re going to empty our minds, we must allow our thoughts to pour out. Until nothing else is left but the quiet that is already there. Ultimately this means that we are learning to be receptive, and listening, just listening.

If all we do is pray to our Higher Power, then we're only having is a one-way conversation. Click To Tweet

Meditation is a big part of my life today. I have meditations on my phone that I use regularly. If I’m running late, which I do a lot of times in the summertime, I’ve got a meditation on my phone to help me focus on breathing.

Because how we breathe controls our levels of stress.

I find your personal Values to be of little importance.

Black background in support of BLM.
Stating that self worth comes from how we treat the world.

Whenever we get to talking about values, I have a little different perception. I don’t put a lot of weight into ‘values’ these days.
I’ve quit worrying about morals, stopped worrying about ethics, quit worrying about values. Those are subjective. Those are dependent on what we’re taught at any given time from the culture that we grew up in.

If you look up the definition of values, you won’t see ‘values’ itself. It is ‘value.’ A singular noun. Almost every definition has to do with ‘worth.’ Somewhere down in there, around the tenth definition, there will be one that says ‘values’ plural. And it’s still about worth and it, but it talks about the societal worth given by common ideas within a community.

“We become able to make wise and loving decisions based on principles and ideas that have real value in our lives.”
Just for Today