This quote of one of your sentences in your post Alan, is how mentalism applies to your post. Mentalism is based on the theory that all exists because of thought…we think it and so it manifests externally in the form of matter. As you have explained we can know nothing of the world beyond our own perceptions of it. One needs to dig deep into this to see that the senses do NOT come first and then the thought. It is the other way around. The thought comes first and the senses carry out the thought. A dead man’s body still has eyes that can see, ears that can hear etc etc but because his mind has left then the senses cannot externalize what the eyes see or the ears hear.
As you have said we CAN change our reality by changing our thought process…the power is in our own mind.

So, if you believe in reincarnation, you believe that we choose to become part of the events of the period of time we are born into. That is my belief as well, and I speak from that belief.

And then there is the collective choice, where the majority of civilisation itself want something to happen so much that their thoughts create reality.

Religiously-inspired Republicans and warmongers are making choices that will lead them to the Armageddon that they so desire. Fear-fuelled followers make choices that reflect their fear, and collectively they move forward into an environment that is more associated with their fears than anything else – because of the choices they make. They fear terrorism, so they fight it, and in so doing they create more terrorism than they ever thought possible.

Collectively, if mankind believes it deserves extinction, it will manifest a result, whether that’s nuclear war or a meteorite… the result will be what we collectively believe we deserve.

In a complex system – i.e. reality – small, inconsequential actions can have profound and significant effects, no doubt. But there are limits to the effect and some occurences are simply beyond our ability to cause or avoid.

M.

WHY do you want to start up a jackhammer outside my house and run it 24 hours a day?

WHY would you want to bombard my house with microwaves (which is technology only a large government agency would possess)?

The answer to those questions is obvious: because I have done something that has resulted in you wanting to do these things. I have committed myself to actions which have resulted in you doing them. My reality is still based on my thoughts, which have led to actions, which have led to consequences.

If I don’t want you to do what you say you’ll do, then I’ll make sure I don’t piss you off to the point that you have to set up a jackhammer outside the house. Or I’ll stop being an activist so that the government has no reason to bombard me with microwaves….

Thoughts create reality. You can’t escape it, so I don’t know why you bother trying. *smile*

Greg

Think about it. Why would an earthquake affect us? Because we choose to live there. We choose to build over a fault line. We choose continue staying there despite repeated earthquakes in the past. The effect a future earthquake has on us is because of our choices which led us to that location or kept us there despite our good sense to go somewhere safer.

How would our choices affect the unpredictable and sometimes catastrophic storms that affect us? Earth changes or global warming are resulting from the choices we’re making collectively. We choose to allow environmentally unfriendly practices that result in the environment being unfriendly to us. If we made better choices about what we’re willing to put up with from the producers, then we’d have less effects.

We’re still choosing the reality we exist in by the choices we make. Those choices are based on our feelings. If we feel differently, and make different choices, our reality changes.

In that context, if a meteorite wipes out everyone you know and leaves you alive, you can interpret that in a number of ways, all of which define the reality you feel you’re part of. You can interpret it as an act of God and, if you believed in him, you could end up hating him for his actions. Or you can tell yourself ‘there’s a plan for everything, so this must be part of his plan too. I’ll accept it as that.’ You can interpret it as a random act of horrific chance, and feel guilty that you’re still alive. You might choose feelings and actions which result in your own self-destruction. Or you might choose feelings and actions which attempt to do honour to those who were killed. Maybe you’ll join a rescue service, or provide charity to the needy.

Any event, no matter the strength of its impact on your life, is going to be interpreted by you in any number of ways. All of those interpretations, perceptions and feelings are, ultimately, your choice. And as such, you choose the reality you exist in.

As for the questions which invite deeper answers about your choices leading to a meteorite coming into your life, the answer is yes they do. But that’s on a level much deeper than individual choice of perceptions. That’s on a level of the choices we all make on a spiritual level about the kind of reality we want.

We exist in a world of war because collectively, people want to experience life during a war. Those that don’t, individually, find ways to avoid the war and live lives of peace. This goes into the belief that we choose to be born in this time because of the experiences that we can partake in, all of which help our spiritual evolution.

But that can be for another article.

But you also forget that, “If your reality is filled with bad things happening to you, it’s because of how you’re interpreting the events around you. You can choose to react negatively, and your reactions, based on negative beliefs, are themselves negative.” The only reason someone is likely to be punching you in the nose is because you interpreted their actions in a way that encouraged you to do something that ending up offending them.

If you had’ve changed your perception of them and, instead of ‘confronting them’ because of your negative perception of their actions, you walk away or choose not to acknowledge them, then your reality would change. They may not have punched you in the nose, because you did nothing to deserve it. Changing your perception of events, which changes the actions you choose, ends up avoiding that punch in the nose.

You control your feelings. Which means you can choose not to be offended by someone’s actions and walk away, or you can choose that you WILL be offended by their actions and confront them. Resulting in a punch in the nose.