How To Become An Extraordinary Person
Learning to be effective, efficient, productive, and self-aware
We all live in a world of polarities. There is the duality of yin and yang, up/down, in/out, tall/short, hot/cold, fat/thin, heaven/hell, etc. We run back and forth from one extreme to the other and then convince ourselves that we have found the middle path because we worship some other type of spiritual teacher or leader. The polarities within your mind will lead you to create extremes of both positive and negative. It is here, at this point, between the two extremes that our full potential can be realized. What many mystical, and metaphysical philosophies refer to as an awakened state. It is in this place you will find wisdom and freedom from all suffering.
Being a great thinker or an educated intellectual will not make you an extraordinary person — quite the opposite. It is interesting to note that sometimes, as a person evolves intellectually, they become less aware.
The key is to be authentic, even if contrarian, without becoming reactive. The aware contrarian is seldom noticed in ordinary circumstances. Such a person is free of general fear, anxiety, or fear of death. It is as if he or she just knows how to be. This person often considers their core spiritual and religious beliefs a private matter, is a true master of inquiry without judgment. and knows how to merge wants and needs, without drawing attention to themselves. They live in wisdom and act from the perspective of a “beginner’s mind”. They are not concerned with “normal” and are fearless when presented with the illusion that something is normal.
In deification, you may exalt someone or something as an object of worship to be treated as if a God. With demonization, you may depict someone as immoral, evil, wicked, and cruel, often in absolute terms. If you do not understand the flaw in this type of thinking, then you are likely to make poor choices based on unrealistic expectations. In the East, there is a culture of Gurus, Sages, spiritual saints, mystic teachers, Rishis, Roshis Lamas, Maharishis, Imams, and other designations of elevated spiritual status. This pattern exists as well in the West with charismatic religious leaders and even celebrities.
Since being the object of adulation and deification is no longer connected to any specifically great or evil deed, one can easily pass for the other. Thus, people are given celebrity and treated with adulation for immoral, antisocial behavior, while those who have high ethical standards and make an authentic and positive difference in the world, are genuine heroes, or wise men and women, and are often ignored or minimized as uninteresting or even foolish.
Takeaway
On the Spiritual Path, we understand that the best of us will be less than our potential. Many religions are built on systems of demonization and deification. This is so in the West as well as in the Eastern religious traditions — Christ and Anti-Christ, heaven and hell, master and disciple, etc. These ideas might have worked effectively in the hierarchal feudal societies of the past but today, in increasingly trans modern, multi-cultural, digitized societies of the 21st century, this egoistic culture of demonization/deification has done more harm than good, turning complex ideas and situations into cartoons.
The intention of this journey is to express love, kindness, compassion, empathy, and wisdom whenever possible
Author: Lewis Harrison is a serial entrepreneur, writer, teacher, public speaker, and seminar leader. He focuses on problem-solving, self-improvement, personal development, and sharing love with the world. He has suffered from depression earlier in his life.
The Book: Lewis created a translation and meta-analysis of the Tao te Ching. Learn more below:
I have a bottomless passion for the application of game theory in decision-making. My game theory/business website is AskLewisGameTheory.com.”
“I am always exploring trends, areas of interest, and solutions to build new stories upon. Again, if you have any ideas you would like me to write about just email me at [email protected]”.
……………..Lewis
A Final Thought
Humans are social animals. We all are seeking love, and also searching for ways to connect. The Medium story below explores this issue in-depth.
