To be honest with you, it depends.
You can see human beings, ourselves, as having a “processor” within each one of us.
This processor’s purpose is to make sense of the information we take in from our environment/personal experiences.
As an example. Some people get triggered if you make a joke about their body. Others won’t care.
Why is that? Because of their “processor.”
Now, what is the processor and why is it different for each one of us?
- This processor is nothing other than our limiting beliefs (residual emotions and thoughts from our past)
- Although we’re all human beings, we’ve all been through different experiences that affected us in different ways, hence, we have a personalized outlook on life
Regarding our evolution, most people go about their lives with the same processor; meaning, they don’t do much about it. If they’re triggered about their body in year #1, they’ll be triggered about it in year #10.
The smaller our processor’s capabilities remain throughout our lives, the more of the same person we remain. In this case, our personal experiences only reinforce the person we have always been, and we don’t experience much growth as a person even though years pass. From an emotional standpoint, our reactions also remain the same.
On the other hand. The more we’re able to expand our processor’s capabilities, the more our personal experiences are used to broaden our understanding about ourselves and life in general. This is how we become wiser, and mature as a person. And from an emotional standpoint, we learn to embrace newer experiences, we develop compassion and care, and deep inside, we understand that there is a synergy to the moment — that’s why we remain hopeful, faithful and trusting no matter what happens.
Now, how do we expand our processor’s capability?
By understanding its makeup, which is nothing else than our past unprocessed experiences.
If, as an example, we were rejected by other kids at school when we tried answering the professor’s question — the fear of being rejected becomes an important aspect of our processor. Unless we process this fear, it stays with us in every avenue of our lives, and no matter what we do, we live according to the belief that people will always reject us for trying to contribute/express ourselves.
For the example above, we expand our processor by becoming aware of this fear, and observing its behavior. Through this process, we gain in wisdom, and we realize the following:
Sometimes it’s true, people can be mean. Most of the time however, the world is nicer than we think. In the case of people being mean, who cares? It affects us if we allow it to. Why not contribute as long as we come from our heart? Plus, that’s how others get to know us and start interacting with us.
As we keep doing our best to see how our past experiences cloud reality, naturally, we understand their nature and release them through this healing process. How quickly it happens depends on us. This is not a sprint but a marathon.
What matters is doing your best, and believing in yourself.
I hope this answer brought you some clarity on the subject. If you have any related questions, drop them in the comments section.
As a final note.
Most people embarking on the spiritual path, actually, even those who have been on it for a while now, are confused about what they should do due to the conflicting information out there.
What’s the cause? People trying to compensate their lack of understanding through the use of fancy explanations. The result? Confusion.
The spiritual path shouldn’t be confusing. It requires simple directives and consistency on your part. If you resonate with those teachings, I wrote a book with the only purpose of helping you understand what the main blocks to spiritual growth are, how to overcome them, and grow spiritually as a result. Check the book here.
Thank you for reading!