S2: Transcending Surface Level Thinking
When I began writing this article I actually was not intending to use that lingo as the main lead-in for discussing Transcending Surface Level Thinking. However since the essence of deep-diving and authoring your own narrative is exactly what rising above superficial thoughts is all about, those catchy little words fit quite nicely here.
First, for time sake, some scant context: TRANSCEND indicates being above a thing and/or not being moved by a thing and/or not being impacted by a thing in any way, shape, or form. SURFACE LEVEL THINKING points to being of a shallow mind and/or an often private refusal to and/or inability to be interested in anything that is not visible and/or to be superficial at heart. NARRATIVE can be a story of sorts and/or a statement and/or belief.
So let’s look into a few narratives caused by surface level thinking. As there are far too many to cover here, I am only going to mention the top three. To keep it simple I will open the discussion for each item with a short statement involving an element of that item, then I will point out why thinking about the item in a surface level way is a problem, then I will pair said problem with an easy way to transcend the matter.
Ready? Okay.
1. IDENTITY
NARRATIVE: How humans were born never impacts identity. PROBLEM: The body you were born into does impact how your life is identified. However, generally speaking, it should not. Things like being born with a silver spoon in our mouth or no spoon in our mouth, or, being born into certain so-called skin colors, or, being born on one side of the globe versus another, or, being of one gender or the other...none of these agitative identifiers should impact our identity. But, they do. This is a problem, because human society has erroneously espoused such identifiers with general overall human value. Assigning value to humans or not assigning value to them based solely upon any type of outward identifier sews seeds of twisted perception on every side, which grows and feeds social discord. It is a problem because that discord exists world-wide. The social discord spawned by wrong perceptions of folks because of how they look, is active in every corner of the globe. And, I see it in my town just like you see it in yours. TRANSCEND: A simple way to rise above and not be moved by ill-perceived notions caused by surface level thinking about identity (our own or others), is routine looks in the mirror together with acknowledging the ineffable raw truths about the human blue-print. Yes, owning the general and globally shared inner design of human-kind can seat us properly above being moved by thinking in surface level ways about ourselves and others. Uh-huh. In this case mirrors are the key. Easy.
2. FINANCIAL STATUS
NARRATIVE (commonly private): Rich people are smart. Poor people are dumb. PROBLEM: Thinking this way most usually is done in the dark, in the privacy of one’s own mind. In other words, folks who engage such thoughts do not openly say it and any dialogue around it happens primarily in the presence of other folks with the same line of thinking. This is a problem because considering anyone to be smart or to be dumb based solely upon their bank book, is the epitome of stupidity and said stupidity breeds negative social and self esteem issues. When folks are caught up in categorizing folks or being categorized on the basis of who has plenty of money and who does not, behavior malfunctions occur in every category. Those malfunctions are of no help to anybody and are the stuff of many of the messy social divides humanity continues to birth and endure. TRANSCEND: A simple way to rise above and not be moved by such shallow thoughts (our own or others) is to recognize the limitations of money. While everyone rightly wants it because being in our bodies requires it, most sane folks know that having money or not having money does not define the presence or absence of stupidity. Therefore, permanently disengaging any opposing notions around that fact can take us rapidly above the matter. Easy.
3. MATERIAL POSSESSIONS
NARRATIVE: Diamonds are a girls best friend. PROBLEM: It is a brief statement and a centuries-old sentiment containing layers of faulty insinuations. The undertone of it preaches the idea that things can be a replacement for people. This is a problem because subscribing to the idea that a [thing] can be a replacement for a space where a [person or relationship] is supposed to be restricts mental and emotional health. Those restrictions are seen in every walk of human life and have caused wonky social malnourishment throughout the human kingdom. Said nourishment issues hinder optimum well-being and get fostered when one does not allow the awareness that things will always only be surface level objects. Absent of the kind of depth and meaning humans are designed to experience, things will never be a ‘best friend’ nor any other title intended for an actual person. TRANSCEND: A simple way to rise above and not be moved by superficial thoughts such as, “Because so and so obtained ______________ (fill in the blank with a thing), proves that they are totally winning in life”...is to go toe to toe with what you already know. What most of us already know is, things are created by humans for humans. Particularly in relationship spaces, things should never be touted as a viable replacement. Things should have never been touted as any type of friend. Having certain things, or not, proves nothing about true life gains and losses. Rising above opposing chatter around this matter can be achieved via full acknowledgment of that fact. Easy.
In conclusion...
As a group, humanity has not done well with being superficial because [it] is not superficial. The un-knowable depth, complexity, and profundity of humanity can never be fully and accurately identified and articulated by the mouth of any human. And because we all innately know that, surface level thinking never truly sits well with humans. To be sure, humanity has done a fantastic job at faking satisfaction regarding surface level stuff. Yet all of that faking has only turned out undeniable foolery and continues to wreak havoc throughout the human kingdom. Due to various kinds of shallow thinking, humanity has conducted itself in too many [off] ways and has constructed far too many wrong ideals. And humanity is now tired of that off-ness and yearns for the return to depth and meaning. So now, perhaps more than ever before, deep calleth unto deep.
As individuals, turning off automatic and innate internal push back when behaving in shallow ways -is taught to us. The human kingdom will benefit greatly when such teaching stops. Not a single baby on the planet was born to be transformed into a being who is numb to the fact that there is more to their human counterparts than meets the eye. That, is learned. Nobody was born to be transformed into a being whose humanity is arrested and whose soul-growth is stunted or castrated by and through surface level thinking dictated by wrong views about identity, financial status, and material possessions (their own or others). That, is strategy manifested.
Owning the risk of sounding like a woo woo writer or an idealist of sorts I leave you with the thought that -every human can be a being who either lives above surface level thinking, or, who completely eliminates it.
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Sylvia R. Draper | Thought Leader | World-View Citizen | Humanity Advocator
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