I was listening to a past episode of the Joe Rogan Podcast a couple of weeks ago, where he was interviewing the guy who is the host of "Hoarders." And he dropped a phrase that really made me think. He is a former gambling addict who is now channeling that energy into helping others get over their tendancies to hoarde things, which is a mental problem mostly. He dropped the idea of "Mental Violence."
MENTAL VIOLENCE.
I like the sound of that. I've never heard it put so simply fine before. Immediately it got my mind thinking. How much violence do you inflict on your own mind every single day, thus slowly driving you insane? How many times do you take to public forums such as blogs, twitter, FB and such to gripe about things beyond your control? How do you read the opinions of others and let it sway your opinion, or make you succumb to anger on something ten minutes ago you knew nothing about, but are indeed helpless against anyway? How often do you find yourself griping about small things, mundane things, just because it makes you feel like we're all in this together and we all gotta eat the shit sandwich we're being fed? How often do you get so sick of being emotionally effected by people who are ranting about something that is beyond their control or that they truly don't know everything about but pre-judge it without experiencing it anyway?
The thing is folks, WE DO IT TO OURSELVES!!!!!!!!!! Right now, you are doing it. You are reading my thoughts and putting it to play in your mind and perhaps applying it to your mind. Does what I say make you angry? At who? Me for saying it? or at everyone because it simply exists? Every morning you awaken with a blank canvas of a mind. And little by little you take the punches of life and put it in your mind. You stub your toe on the tub while getting ready in the morning. You read the paper or internet news and see that Jlo is dating this or that person. You take on their problems instantly. You brake your car hard because someone in front of you wants to turn but is going slow about it. You get angry at them. You get to your work and get annoyed by others. Maybe your boss is a dick. Maybe you encounter a patron or customer who is an ass. You run into a person who instantly complains about the gas prices or the weather, simply cause you are standing there. You go home and watch reality shows about people in less fortunate situations than yours and for a few minutes you take on their struggle in your mind.
These are the types of things I mean by Mental Violence. We must be cautious about what we allow to effect us. Cause everything, EVERYTHING today is built around the idea of fucking with you. From the large to the small things. Everything. Not to say that you should feel nothing. But you should be careful about what you let in. Only you choose what is to effect you and how much. Only you give a person or a thing permission to make you feel something. You choose how to react. And every minute you spend reacting to it is a minute of your life that you cannot get back. Your clock is ticking and how do you spend your minutes? We must strive to avoid the snares and traps that lead us to mental violence. Cause sometimes it gestates and emerges as actual physical violence. From screaming into a pillow all the way up to fist fights or cutting yourself.
Mental Violence comes in a myrid of forms. Only you can determine what sets you off. But I urge you to recognize these triggers and avoid them. Don't talk about them. Don't let them into you. Instead, secrete peace. Ooze happiness. Don't go on Twitter saying what you hate. Go on there and talk about what you LOVE. Avoid spreading your mental violence to others.
To be honest with you, I find that the people who constantly secrete mental violence I am quickly recognizing now, as I have been working on changing my thinking. And I unfortunately have been trying to distance myself from them. You cannot help everyone. You cannot save the world. All you are responsible at the end of the day is yourself. But you can influence others. By spreading GOOD. Not your inner violence. So what if you had a bad day. Was it as bad as not having a home or worrying about being beheaded or your family killed like it could be in other places of the world? I'd wager not.
I am no saint in this. I have plenty of mental violence. I sometimes have so much in my head that it is hard to shut down at the end of the day. But I am striving to be better about it. And I have made great steps in the last few years and I will continue to do so. Don't let the evil in. Don't let it in. Don't. Say to yourself the mantra: "No More. I'm Done. It's Over. I control This. Right Now. No More." Repeat it. You read something that gets you going, do the mantra. You feel you are going to stumble on something that will effect your goals? Do the mantra. Say it, know it. If you truly want to cultivate happiness, keep your eyes on the prize and go for it. And don't let the slings and arrows of the world's bullshit stop you. Do it. Go get it. And avoid putting gasoline on the fire of mental violence in yourself. Instead, fuel the love of things you love to others. Whether they agree or not does not matter. Share it anyway. I get more stoked on a person who is passionate about a thing I am not that into than I am reading about how much a person hates something. I love hearing about other people's passions. I get off on it. So can you. Live can be like a constant orgasm if you want it to be. You just gotta stop the mental violence.
T
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