Aurora Borealis by Frederic Edwin Church
Thanks to a Friend for sending us this beautiful art
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Dumbing Ourselves Down
by Madisyn Taylor
from the Daily OM (link)
(I highly recommend visiting the Daily OM -daily)
"When we dumb ourselves down, we sell ourselves short and lose an opportunity to shed light where it is needed.
The ability to go into any social situation and sense the level of consciousness in that situation is a gift. It enables us to move considerately in a world that holds people of all levels of awareness. However, there is a difference between shifting our energy to accommodate people and dumbing ourselves down to a regrettable degree. Sometimes, when we get into a particular social situation, we may feel pressure to play it small in order to fit in. Perhaps everyone is drinking or smoking excessively, engaging in gossipy small talk, or complaining bitterly about politics. It is one thing to notice this and modify our expectations and another thing entirely to join in.
When we notice where people are coming from and acknowledge to ourselves that their energy is not in alignment with ours, we have several choices as to how to proceed. One viable option is to quietly endure the situation, keeping to ourselves until it is time to leave. In this way, we take care of our own consciousness and protect our growth process. Another option is to interact in a way that honors and pays respect to the people in the group, while gently attempting to shift the level of consciousness with our input. In order to do this, we must maintain our own vibration, which means that joining in by dumbing down is not an option.
When we choose to dumb ourselves down to fit in, we not only sell ourselves short but we also lose a possible opportunity to influence the situation for the good of all concerned. Our desire to join in may come from our natural yearning to feel connected to the people around us. There is no shame in this, but being able to stand on our own, separate from the crowd, is a powerful milestone on any spiritual path. It can be difficult in the moment, but when we arrive on the other side, our integrity intact, we may find ourselves feeling positively smart."
1 comment:
This is a good subject to dwell on. It has taken me years to learn how to adapt myself for such situations. Many years ago, I would join in and then later feel bad about myself. As I have gotten older, my need to "Fit" in has faded. What I begin to move towards is cutting negative people out of my life which has been effective in many ways.
There becomes a point when there are certain people you cannot "cut" out of your life, and when situations arise, I politely make a comment that I do not approve of the situation and would like to change the topic. Surprisingly the people that really care about me respect this and avoid such situations when I am around.
It is quit funny with those closest to me, when things start to turn negative, I simply say "HAPPY TALK!" and the conversation topic changes.
With casual acquaintances, I now simply remain quiet and when an opportunity allows I will make a simple non confrontational statement that makes it clear I do not agree. This is often times met with a smile or a gesture that says "thanks for saying that, I feel the same way you do."
Thanks for sharing this
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