Shannon's Journal Discussion Thread, Vol. 5

[Shannon]

Oh I wanted to add on the relationship between power and fear; There are a few powers which I think are helpful to develop mentioned in the book which I think are strong antidotes to fear.  

(1) The power to create joy and happiness
(2)  The power to do what is needed (have discipline, overcome resistance)
(3) Power over how you react/and your understanding (the power to have choice over you emotional state)
(4) The power to act - I place this as a high level of consciousness about your level of agency in any given moment
(5) The power to Love !

I would break these powers down into several skills which I think have a good shot at raising power in these areas.

Skill 1: The skill of Flow

This means we confidently set goals and are able to immerse ourselves in those goals, be very present and engage with all tasks of life with high levels of presence. Research shows that the flow state is associated with the release of all the major happy chemicals (dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin); so this skill covers joy and happiness,  as well as the power to act (and i believe the power to love).

Skill 2: The skill of resistance confrontation

I believe that regardless of how good we feel we need to acquire the skill of getting over hurdles and weathering discomfort, knowing that we can overcome discomfort and have a a high frustration tolerance leaves us confident that we can overcome any obstacle; this can help us to enter into flow,  as well as give us the confidence to act when external circumstance goes against us.

Skill 3: The skill of Consciousness

This is a tricky one, having a strong relationship to reality is necessary but also uncomfortable. We can't pick suitable goals without high levels of consciousness and realism - sure there is a place for fantasising, but when it comes down to the nitty gritty of goal completion as well as interacting with fellow humans and the planet we need to have a real sense of our place and have some humility else we choose goals which ultimately don't serve us (and I believe by definition that means they don't serve others) well, and we end up somewhere on the spectrum unable to comprehend where others are coming from.

OK rant over. Don't know what use if any this was but hey thought it was worth sharing my thoughts.

I appreciate it.  I'll see if anything is possible to use.