Ch-ch-ch-choices 6; Pick Up, Move On

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Choices come in all shapes and sizes. We have been viewing a few video presentations courtesy of the TED talks series wherein different aspects of choice have been brought out. When looking at choice from the spirito-philosophical point of view, we are really looking at what it is that we can do to improve ourselves holistically, therefore all previous videos contribute to this. The industry of 'self help' is large, and often bemusing. However, it does not take much investigation to notice that there is really nothing new under the sun! All 'new age' spruiking is actually ancient wisdom, stripped out of context and repackaged with an 'ownership' label so someone can make a few bucks. It is one thing to honour a good teacher with a stipend or similar material reward, so that they can keep the body functioning. It is quite another to be fleeced by profiteers for what is basic common sense, for the most part.

This is alluded to in today's video; Gurudev is discussing the 15th verse of 15th chapter of Bhagavad Gita wherein Shri Krishna states that He is the source of memory and forgetfulness. Gurudev expounds on the idea that we can get mislead as to what purpose forgetfulness - and its partner, forgiveness - serves in order to be able to function fully in life. We hold onto memories as we hold onto material property. Depending how attached we are to a memory, it can be easy, or less so, to let it drop. Some folk make a career out of bringing up 'old files' of experience, out-dated and useless, and even downright dangerous in the 'now' situation. Drop it! If you find it hard, then by all means seek assistance in that - but drop it you must if you are to progress properly in you spiritual career. Even in the deepest, darkest moments of life, we do have choice; sometimes we have to take several different steps of choice to pull ourselves out of our dwalm, but choice there always is. 

Ch-ch-ch-choices 6; Regular Maintenance

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Continuing the TED talks series with different views on the subject of choice. This week a video which looks at the need to pay attention to our mental state in order to be in better condition for making life choices. If we are in emotional turmoil, we are not at all functioning efficiently. Several valid points are made regarding the way our mental state informs the physical… there is reference to 'sublimation' by use of distraction which, when practiced diligently, helps to alter the state of mind. What applies mentally, applies spiritually. 

To lever Vedantic value from this video,  it is necessary to remember that the loneliness, self-esteem, etc.,  referred to in the talk are all ego states and therefore pertain to the 'jiiva' aspect of our existence. The aim is to salvage that ego and understand it better, in order to become more congruent in our BMI personality. In achieving that, we have more within ourselves available for the flight into higher, philosophical pursuits. As Guy Winch himself points out near the beginning, we must learn to recognise the need of help. Then we must apply the things we can for ourselves, as well as reaching out to others who may be able to assist. To work with the analogies provided, we do not expect another person to clean our teeth for us,  or brush our hair (uness we are extremely incapacitated); likewise, we ought not to expect that another can tune our mind for us and pull us out of our miseries. We alone can exercise our daily physical hygiene, thus it is asked that we also exercise good mental hygiene … and for our purposes here, good spiritual hygiene (saadhana). All that is required is that we choose to do so!

Ch-ch-ch-choices 5; New for Old

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Here is fifth in the TED talks series on different views on the subject of choice. In this one, the subject is how we can chose and take action to alter our habits. In Vedanta, we understand these to be subject to our vaasanas… in clearing out useless or damaging habits, we can get to the baseline vaasana and 'burn it out'. This is taught throughout the shaastra, but no harm hearing the 21st century Western psycho-social version! Here, the speaker references mindfulness and awareness of one's actions - something with which readers here, by now,  must be familiar. It is not such a leap of understanding to appreciate that in order to solve something, we must study the puzzle well; this applies to our own personalities and behaviours as much as to any abstract problem.

Ch-ch-ch-choices 4; Hand Over The Keys

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Here is fourth in the TED talks series on different views on the subject of choice.

Today a talk from Prof Baba Shiv on surrendering our responsibility in decision making. This is not for the small stuff. He is talking about the big life stuff. Why share this particular video? This is not the place to discuss medical ethics, the pros and cons of treatment or such. What is interesting here, though, is the research this neuro-economist did to determine how we go about decision making. There arose evidence that certain circumstances brought better decision making where surrender was given to 'the expert' in the circumstance.

Which brings us to our point here at AV-blog… when it comes to improving our spirito-philosophical decision making, are we best left to our own recognizance ('agency'), or are we likely to have improved outcomes from following the 'prescription' of the Guru? 

Ch-ch-ch-choices 3

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Here is third in the TED talks series on different views on the subject of choice.  This is a very interesting take on making choice - whilst the subject matter is held very much to the world of objects, it does not take too much of a leap to think in terms of the higher philosophical choices we need to make in terms of our values, which are mentioned here. Vedantically, we are beginning to learn that our choices are as much driven by our vaasanas as the surrounding circumstances to those choices. By making the choices we do, as Ms Chang here states, we 'write our own script'. Using the terminology of Vedanta, we 'etch our own vaasanas'. 

Ch-ch-ch-choices 2

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Here is the second in the little TED talks series on different views on the subject of choice. This talk is a decade old now, but the principles are absolutely on track with Vedantic thinking as to the idea that we must actually limit our choices in order to gain a more secure standing and feel in control of our lives. Indeed, if you read yesterday's AUM-day post, you will understand that the 'choices' being discussed are directly related to our vaasana-system and it is by reducing vaasanas that we can regain some control over our life, reducing stress at the very least, growing spiritually at best.

"In his 2004 book The Paradox of Choice , Barry Schwartz tackles one of the great mysteries of modern life: Why is it that societies of great abundance — where individuals are offered more freedom and choice (personal, professional, material) than ever before — are now witnessing a near-epidemic of depression?Conventional wisdom tells us that greater choice is for the greater good, but Schwartz argues the opposite: He makes a compelling case that the abundance of choice in today's western world is actually making us miserable." (source; TED profiles)

Ch-ch-ch-choices 1

Hari Om

Each 'Choose-day' we will investigate the process by which we can reassess our activity and interaction with the world of plurality and become more congruent within our personality.

Every day we are faced with them. There is no getting away from choice. How and why we make the choices we do is oftentimes a conundrum. Whilst this blog is principally about choice in relation to spiritual philosophy, the basics are the same regardless of 'where you are coming from'. It is this very basic similarity which allows for marketing and social 'engineering'. We don't like to think of it, but for much of the time we are being driven by our instincts, rather than our higher intellectual process. There is a whole category of psychological analysis on choice behaviour. For the next few weeks, in the interest of the bigger picture and to demonstrate different approaches to this subject, some of the very excellent TED talks are going to be presented here. (TED actively encourages dissemination of ideas via these videos through their Creative Commons License.)

There is an article which makes interesting reading (here), and it has a link to one such talk. This is it below. (NB; reading the article you will see that there is something called 'bias choice'... Vedanta knows this to be driven by vaasanas! What is more, Prof. Iyengar refers to Americans as her point of reference, but the cases mentioned could just as easily apply to UK or Australia, indeed, any country which has effecively been 'invaded' by the 'freedom of choice' ideal.)


Prof. Iyangar also has a book related to this talk, click here to see a review.

Whilst no spiritual element is directly referred to here, what is to be kept in mind is that following a philosophy of high values is likely to guide us to better (and less fraught) decisions.