As promised here's a look at the less well known opposite of Paranoia ... Pronoia!
If you, like me, have known paranoia, maybe experience it in daily life, even in dreams ... it is surprisingly common to greater and lesser degree ... worth examining before diving into the magical world of the opposite known to me, the Centre of my own World you may recall, through experience, and perhaps to you, the Centre of your World, times however many readers are reading this story ... if we move from the extremes of both it seems likely most if not all humans have experienced these feelings ... looking rather like yin yang or Dao ... but that's another story!
Yesterday's morning's walk was wet, as forecast ... weather, being complex, is notorious for lack of predictability ... patterns may be observed and best guesses broadcast, confidently since viewers and listeners like certainty, certainly an error in a world fundamentally uncertain, if Heisenberg was right ... and many others, of course! Nevertheless, this mostly waterproof walker didn't drown and met other walkers, though fewer, while in the shops shopping continued with tinsel, sparkly Santas and enough food to last a month or two, much of it destined for the bin ...
Later, a visitor arrived for lunch and philosophy ... a very deep exploration of human existence, existential suffering and all those far too common experiences of human beings ...
The Buddha taught, amongst other things: Pain is inevitable, Suffering is optional! Or maybe that was another neo-buddhist sage? The positive message from that tradition was that there's an escape from suffering on offer ... and there perhaps is Pronoia, the topic for today, how each human being, employing the power of the Mind, has the ability to create a parallel universe, even in the mundane one, where suffering is not experienced, though empathy for fellow humans is an essential part of the deal ... after all's said and done, we're not separate anyway, so any suffering of any sentient being is shared compassionately ... balance being a key point here ... too much empathy, i.e. suffering for the whole world, may mean excess projection and less useful action; too much cool detachment may point to psychopathy, best avoided ...
Today, the forecast is brighter, weather-wise, and the Elders of the Dale, are meeting up for lunch and conviviality ... well a few of those brave souls stepping out of the awful Fear created by Fascist Authorities by design ... but that's all politics, best left alone for now ... perhaps. ..
This evening a Carol Service outdoors by the tree, the Bishop of Durham no less leading the faithful and the faithless too in joyful singing or miming, anyway gathering in a large group from the community for once ... subsequent reports will let you know how that goes for those not attending.
Pronoia? Put simply it's the simple joy of imagining the whole universe conspires to meet your needs and heartfelt desires ... which sounds rather pleasant and much more fun than the miserable fear invoking paranoia driving this mundane mass hallucination created from the minds of ...
... Who? Or should that be whom? Even WHO. .. though that's another conspiracy theory!
Looking like quite a busy day, time for breakfast and a pre-dawn walk to fire the engine, meet the trees, talk to the sheep munching grass in the fields, climb above the slumbering village for a while before descending for some interaction with the locals ... and incomers like me!
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