World Full of Noise

The world is full of noise!  Just as our image above, it’s like a constant barrage of blah, blah, blah.  All of which has little to no actual importance in our real life.

Yet, we may find ourselves persistently absorbed by the latest news headlines, TikTok and Instagram videos, Facebook posts and Twitter tweets.  And others…

The Matrix

Like the Matrix, the noise machine has us and we don’t even know it.  We think this is what we want or need.  After all, we must stay informed and engaged, right?

96 Times Per Day

According to Asurion, Americans check their phones 96 times per day; that’s once every 10 minutes.  It’s amazing that we can get anything else done.

Caffeine, Alcohol and Cannabis

Just like with caffeine, alcohol, cannabis and other drugs, we now know that our brain’s pleasure center is stimulated by our interaction with our gadgets; they are addictive!

They cause our brain to provide us a “hit” as we consume the salacious information they provide, or while we play the interactive games that were deliberately designed with our brain’s pleasure center in mind.

Actually, our ego and Low Self love this stuff, too!

So, this noise gives the left brain something to do (process) while we feed our lower emotions with a constant stream of dramatic, energetic content that has little to do with anything that is important in our life.

Self-Reinforcing

And, because the subconscious is the domain of our habits, it will dutifully reinforce our 96-phone-checks-habit.

• When we comply, we get a hit of a chemical from our brain that makes us feel good, or satisfied.
• If we resist, we may feel anxious, uneasy and possibly jittery.

That is, until we comply, by checking our phone, gadget, or computer — again… then our brain will give us another fix, which is reinforced by our Low Self and subconscious programming.

Sound familiar?

Indeed, it follows the same pattern (pathology) as any other deeply embedded habit or addictive substance.  Often, with similar undesired and unhealthy results.

For Those Pursuing their Spiritual Path

Now, for those on the spiritual path, this 96-phone-checks-habit is an even greater distraction.  It keeps us from concentrating on what is most important in our life!

If we are not focused and deliberate in our daily pursuits, we will naturally flow through our day following the regular patterns of thoughts and behaviors that are part of our job, family life and extracurricular activities.

Hey, What Happened?

We will do today as we did yesterday.  Then repeat, until we reach our later years in life and wonder, what happened to the time?

Outer World Negativity Funnel

The learning and activities we came to achieve and do in this life have little to do with the spurious focuses of the outer world, as well as the gadgets that enable the funneling of this concentrated negative noise into our consciousness.

In fact, most of it is a significant time-numbing distraction.

The Sound of Music

In the Sound of Music, that 1960s musical, Christopher Plummer (the retired Austrian Captain in the movie) said to the baroness in one of the scenes, “Activity suggests a life filled with purpose.”

Just as the noise becomes our almost exclusive life activity.

Phones, Gadgets & Karma

When we focus on stuff that is not part of our life and spiritual work, it is like taking on someone else’s Karma.  It is quite easy to take on others’ problems and treat those difficulties as if they were our own.

If Our Subconscious Could Talk

That brings us back to the subconscious.

If our subconscious could speak, it would say something like, “Keep him distracted, so that he doesn’t start working on that smoking habit, helping the poor, healing his low self-esteem, becoming more loving, releasing anger issues, supporting the orphanage, and so on.  Let’s keep him focused on subjects and topics that he neither controls nor will he be able to fix.”

Our subconscious protects its belief systems like our computer maintains its BIOS and operating system.  The old programming must be protected, even if it is unhealthy, makes us unhappy, or causes us lots of problems in our life.

Once we are aware of all of this, it is easier to move to a healthier solution.

The Solution – Be Aware, Not Involved

It is important to be aware of what is going on in our community, country and the world, but avoid becoming engrossed in the outer daily news, as if they were our own to immediately solve or possess through an unhealthy focus.

These events are often no more important than the opinions of a movie star or commentator.  All of the happenings and incidents we see, read and hear about were created by “others.”

Therefore, they must also be solved by those who created them, not us.

As Jesus said, “Be in the world, not of it.”  He only helped those who sought to be healed, and those who were willing to participate in their own restoration.

What does “Turning Down the Volume” Look Like???

Turning down the volume in our life can be quite simple, at least in theory.

As we remain dedicated to our life focus and spiritual pursuits each day, the outer noise will become quieter and softer, until it becomes practically invisible to us.

Our Home, Our Sanctuary

We should treat our home like a spiritual sanctuary, allowing in only those things into our experience that serve our (family’s) highest good!

Shift of Focus

In just a few weeks, what seemed so important before may hold little interest to us now.  Our life becomes more calm and serene in the midst of the outer storms of the world.

Why does this happen?  Because our life becomes devoted only to those things that are ours to learn, do and pursue, leaving others to focus upon their life interests and challenges.

Service to Others

Of course, we are to help others help themselves, especially when they earnestly seek that assistance.

However, we are not to become engrossed with problematic people, and in situations and problems that others caused, and for which they take no responsibility or interest to address.

That is merely taking on someone else’s Karma and allowing them to dodge responsibility to learn and address the very problems they created.

Living with the volume turned down, allows us to be laser focused on our spiritual path and growth, and that of our spouse and children, while living in increased fulfillment and happiness.

Be a Living Example

Over time, we become a living-breathing example in life for others to emulate; that is the real spiritual work of life!

Talk is Cheap and Useless

Each of us can better live our true spiritual life as shining beacons on the hill by turning down the (outer) volume.

After all, talk is cheap, as well as useless…  and so is the noise!