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Redefining Death…
By Ben | October 5, 2008
I was reading an article online today. It was about doctors changing the definition of death so that organs could be harvested earlier for transplant (in order to save other lives, of course). They were discussing the difference between brain death and cardiac death, and made the point that it was challenging, because there was no exact second where the person was ‘officially’ dead… and another challenge is the longer the organs are in the dead body, the less useful (more and more complications and risks) they tend to be for the recipient. Obviously, this is a sticky area with many legal and moral issues circling it.
What really interested me, was the act of redefining death…
Doctors had a certain set of circumstances defined as ‘death’, and they changed the circumstances that mean ‘death’ in order to get better results with the recipients of organ transplants.
Neuro Linguistic Programming refers to this as a ‘reframe’.
A simple example of this (that most clever parents know and use) is turning chores into a game to make them more enjoyable (try to beat your best time, sing/dance while you do it, see how hard you can laugh, smile, etc.).
How many other places in life can we apply the reframe to get better results?
What else can we redefine to make life better?
Some classic examples:
- Failure: There is no failure, there is only feedback. No matter what the feedback is, it can be used for your learning and growth… if you are looking for it. If you don’t look for feedback, if you don’t seek the opportunity to grow, then it will typically pass you by.
- Frustration: Frustration is the first sign that you are learning something new. You can learn to recognize these feelings in your body as an excellent sign that you are starting to ‘get it’… just smile, relax, and re-focus. Adjusting to something new (change in environment, internal change, new learnings, etc.) is often accompanied with some discomfort and/or frustration. If you recognize it as a good indicator of growth, you will drastically reduce your suffering… which brings us to
- Suffering: Suffering is part of the human condition… if you experience suffering, it just reminds you that you are human. As you learn to grow from, with, and through suffering… you gradually becoming something more than human. The most important thing to remember is, even though this really sucks… it will be ok. Keep breathing.
Applying meaning is always under our control. We usually do it unconsciously. Much of it is past programming (parents, friends, society, etc.), and it is sometimes very challenging to change, yet
We can always choose to redefine our experience…
It is useful to pay attention to how you typically give things meaning. The path of the Mystic is self exploration. How you tend to define things will always tell you much more about you than it does about the thing itself. You might even choose to meditate on it….
Whether we are looking at the very specific:
- the sensation of warmth in your chest,
- the sound of a certain piano key,
- your internal image of a successful you
Or the the very abstract:
- Where do physics and philosophy meet?
- How do we fall in love?
- How do I become the person I want to be?
Whether it is in meditation, or in your day-to-day experience of life…
The definition, and the eventual reframe, are always completely under your control.
keep smiling,
ben
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Topics: -Mysticism, -Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Change Your Neurology - Extreme, Change Your Neurology - Mundane |
