CAN INDIVIDUALS REACT DIFFERENTLY TO THE SAME THING?
HOW MUCH POWER OVER OUR THOUGHTS DO WE HAVE?
THE QUESTIONS
Here is a selected portion of an email, to which the discussion below the questions is an answer: (bolding, underlining, and italicizing are mine)
1. "Could you please explain the following statement about brain function: "The mind is strictly mechanical. If anybody is overweight, unhealthy, stressed, unhappy, and/or not fulfilled and not highly happy, they are violating the realities of life..."? (From Your Bio/Mechanical Brain/Body - Summary, since then modified to adjust for this question.)
2. "I am trying to sell myself on this, but part of me holds onto the fact that the environment (e.g. the energy at workplace, circumstances like caring for a newborn child) can breed stress and unhappiness. Studies shows that being around negative people can affect your brain function (I'll share the link when I find it XD)."
DRILLING DOWN DEEPER
In your latter question, you make the factual statement of a possible (using the word "can") effect, although it appears to be presented in the context of your holding it as more of a given effect that we might not be able to alter. "A" happens, causing "F" to happen. But the complete process is more complex, with more steps than that.
To get the answer and to analyze this we must add all the mechanical steps that occur between what is treated above as the cause and the effect - and then we can note that each of the greater number of steps is mechanical, as there is no basis for anything magically occurring without a cause-effect step.
THOSE NEGATIVE EFFECTS ARE ALL MECHANICALLY CAUSED
Note that the effects in question #2 are not at all, nor necessarily, a contradiction to one's violating the realities (laws) that would otherwise cause one to be able to get a desired result. Indeed, if one does not follow the law and puts something in a sequence that has an undesired effect, we will likely not get the desired end result.
"Bad energy" at work, indeed, is likely to stimulate some negative thoughts that could make someone unhappy. And, yes, I would buy into a statistically sound study that shows that negative thinking, of others around us and/or of ourselves, would, indeed, affect our brain function - and, yes, there are some countermeasures we can take to offset that effect - to say otherwise would be like insisting on "fixed thinking".
"Bad energy" is not a good thing and is likely then to cause a negative effect, though a true (theoretical) master of beliefs would not be affected (or at least not much). However, few of us are masters, so our human fallability may mean that we could not be happy in those circumstances - therefore, if we don't like the end result caused, the circumstances (the beginning of this part of the sequence) would have to be changed if we could not offset them. If we could not change (cure) circumstances yet expected that we would still be able to do well, then we would be violating the reality of life: that a negative cause is likely to create a negative effect.
Caring for a newborn child would create a stimulus likely leading to a series of effects/consequences that lead to stress and unhappiness. The amount of time it takes would push out other activities, and, if we allow it and do not set up a good "resting" strategy, we are likely to suffer from inadequate sleep, which would then mechanically cause one to not function well, possibly then feeling bad about one's poor performance (a common effect, but not a "given" one, as we can devise and use strategies and change beliefs such that we can eliminate or highly reduce the "bad feelings"). There are lots of steps in the sequence and lots of variety in the combination of the steps.
We would have to use the Problem Solving Process, where we diagram each of the steps and then question the effect and then possibly revise the unworkable steps.
Maybe there is no person on the planet that could create the perfect outcome, but if a person looks at the laws and realities involved one could alter the steps to reduce the stress effect significantly while also increasing the appreciation of the wonderfulness of having a baby. And do that to the point where there are more positives than negatives - which a number of people have been able to do without severe stress.
Is that something you could "buy into"?
Being overweight, unhealthy, stressed, unhappy, etc., are results of not applying the (mechanical) laws of life correctly and/or of failing to apply them. The fact that they are mechanical in nature does not imply that we can or will be able to "think it away", somehow, magically, as that would violate the realities of life. No, it does not mean that at all. It just means that the laws of how things work (the realities) need to be followed if we are to produce the result that the law inevitably produces (if not interfered with by another outside cause not under our control).
The fact that all things occur mechanically according to the "laws" of the universe does not necessarily imply that there is a solution nor that it is easily solvable through some super mechanical move - many mechanical sequences are very complex, with lots of steps, requiring a lot of changes and work to change them - but virtually everything can be solved (except for the unsolvables that would violate the law, as we are not likely to be able to self-levitate given the law of gravity).
We may get cancer and not be able to solve it. We may have some other condition that is beyond our insight or understanding (so we won't know the mechanical moves to make if we knew how to make them!). But virtually all the undesirabe conditions/effects/results that I mention above in normal (most) people are controllable, if we apply the correct mechanical moves, including changing our beliefs (which are a mechanical thought and a cause of an emotion that may be contradicting the good that we want to create). We are not the "victims" of circumstances, other people, etc. We CAN change mechanical steps in order to change our lives - but we do need to know the power that we have and that we have many ways of mechanically applying that power. (Consider reading some key pieces or all of the pieces in The Program For Developing Your Power - The Good Kind! For A Better Life!)
The realities are that we must do specific things to cause specific results - a simple concept, not complicated, but occurring each time in the real (physical/material) world if there is nothing (a separate cause) intervening to throw it off.
If those realities (laws, steps) are not engaged in correctly, we are violating what must be done to create a desired end effect, such as losing weight.
If someone has not lost weight, the reality is that they simply have NOT done the steps it takes to lose weight, including not mastering the thoughts/thinking that are necessary to be able to do so. Yes, they "should know better", but they actually do not know enough yet to be able to accomplish the desired end result (and the proof of that is that they have not accomplished the end result!!!!). See Authentic Knowing to see when a person does not, in fact, "know" something.
THE REALITIES
The fact of the matter is that things do not happen without specific steps in a sequence - in other words, everything in the universe happens mechanically/systematically - there is no "poof!", from nowhere, magically causing anything.
In other words, you might consider it the same as a cake recipe, where you, in reality, need specific ingredients in specific amounts cooked a certain amount of time, etc., to make a cake. Everything we can make or do in life is the same way. (It could be helpful for you to understand Systems.)
IS IT REALLY ALL MECHANICAL?
Yes.
First,we need to learn, via the reading sequence, What Is Reality?. In The Elementary Physics Of Life piece, in that sequence, we learn that everything is mechanical (i.e. subject to cause-effect) and that no effect occurs without a cause (which seems obvious but most people don’t seem to think of it at the time). And all that exists is only matter and energy comprising the whole universe, in one form or another (no matterless or energyless spirits!!!).
Yes, indeed, things that happen “out there” can trigger thoughts that will then, mechanically, cause a process of thinking that has us interpret things in such a way as to create a stressful thought that will cause the emotion of “stress”. However, that same situation might “affect” another person differently, having perhaps no effect or at least a very low “reaction” to it. If that is true in the same situation, then it is not the situation (not “out there”) that caused the stress, but the interpretation of what it meant, and the sequence of thoughts it triggered, was the cause.
WE ARE NOT LIKE ANIMALS
We are not like animals, that just react with instinct (and no "thinking"), in what we call a "stimulus → response", with nothing occurring in between the two. (You absolutely MUST know and understand how the process works; The "Human" Space Between Stimulus And Response - Choosing Versus Reacting. This is a vital principle/law to know if you are to operate at a higher level in life.)
WE ADD MEANING
In pure philosophy and as a universal law all things are neutral in and of themselves. It is only the meaning we add to it that gives it meaning. But be clear, it is we that add the meaning - it is not a given based on circumstances or some mysterious entity.
WE CAN CHANGE THE MEANING
A person who understands this can therefore learn thoughts that are more realistic and true and question whatever the cause is of the stress that resulted from the causal thought. The sign of a false belief is that it causes (more than just in the initial reaction) a “bad” emotion. If one experiences a "bad emotion" that means there is a false belief that caused it, as, in reality, all things are neutral (admittedly a hard reality to "buy into" - but read the great philosophers on this). (For now, just accept that almost always a “bad” emotion comes from an alarming thought that has some belief in it of danger/threat…)
Returning the negative workplace, a very wise person in the same situation may say “ah, yes, there is an undesirable thing out there. Aren’t humans funny about how they create negative energy and needless turmoil in the workplace? As I am in charge of myself, I know that there are actually no real predetermined effects on me in my life from this. AND, since I know I am human, there is a possibility that the negative energy in the workplace, though I will not be a victim of it, could at the very least take away the energy I could use better by focusing elsewhere. Since I am the master of my universe, I shall sit down and plan and determine what I shall do. I see what I don’t want and from that I will create what I want, but I won’t get stuck in lamenting what has already occurred (and is now over). I am free of any negative emotion and I know I will do my best to make the most of the future. It might even be fun to try to do what is necessary to change the workplace energy." (That would be the person's thinking process, though the person will have that conversation down so clearly and embedded so clearly that a symbolic overall statement might be made instead of the whole conversation, such as: "I am not affected by circumstances. I am the master of my life and my emotions." Or something in that vicinity.)
WE CAN ALSO LOOK FOR, OR AT, OTHER THINGS...
Some people realize that there is no point in emphasizing or repeating any negative thoughts and are always finding the best from any situation. Some don't engage in any blame or lamenting. One of the "tricks" of the trade of thought and behavior management is to develop standard Coping Statements and skills.
RULE YOUR MIND...YOU CAN, YA KNOW!
Buddha once said, “Rule your mind or it will rule you.” And I believe the same, based on all my studies. There are many ways to do that, on the site, that extend all the way from using our physiology (breathing, movement, resting, etc.) to taking a Power Pause in the moment and all the way over to actually correcting and directing your thoughts (via the Beliefs And Thoughts section - rather large, but appropriately so, as this is the determinant of the quality of our lives!!!!!!).
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Another stab at this discussion:
THE "REALITIES OF LIFE"
The “realities of life” are the rules, principle, laws, etc. that cover the cause-effect truths. If there is an effect, there must be a cause. In the above named “not good” conditions, we have undesirable effects that would not have existed if we had used a correct cause, or causes, that was effective for, say, losing weight. If I find the right causes, then I would, mechanically, implement them and get the desired result. Of course, I may have to deal with my mental mechanics to be able to actually implement the cause, but let’s focus on just one reality piece at a time.
If I managed to use the FastDiet of 500 calories per day two nonconsecutive days in a row each week and stuck to the rule of eating only close to normal on the other days, I would lose a pound a week. I use a cause which mechanically created the effect/result I wanted. (Actually. This worked for me.)
Next, look at the diagram on the brain/body summary page, copied here:
Your body and your mind are strictly mechanical
Stimulus --> Perception --> Evaluation --> Action
^ ^
Contents in each varies
The action in the diagram is your body doing something in some way, which 'doing' (action) includes “feeling an emotion” - an emotion is a set of electrobiochemical (i.e. physical) occurrences, with some cause causing it.
Perception and evaluation are “actions” of thought/beliefs about something - an “action” is a step (one thing done before another). Notice that there are many different perceptions (most likely) that can occur depending on who is viewing it and that there are many different evaluations that might incur a fear emotion or a “so what?” neutral emotion. In a complex situation, there is no one cause-effect pattern for all people where a situation (the stimulus, the occurrence) occurs and the final effect are the same - for each person the series of “cause and effect steps” are different and therefore the final effect is different.
Yes, having a baby will use time, test one’s knowledge of what to do, and likely have some likely “stress” effect/condition in all but the highest philosophical thinkers. But there are many ways (sequences) of how to deal with the situation, other than being the emotional “victim, unable to cause anything" because the stress is pre-ordained. Some people will take naps to refresh, breathe more freely, choose to not think stressful thoughts (a trainable skill), sit down to note problems and how to solve and/or who to help, etc. and etc.
FURTHER READING
