What is real?

"Get real!"  That was an expression that I remember using at some point in my life. "No, I'm serious" was often the reply. I think it was about the listener wanting to disagree, but putting the burden of proof onto the speaker.

OK, that's pretty abstract

I suspect that part of the confusion in conversation comes from our mixing up "thinking" and 'feeling" and giving equal weight to both processes. Feelings are extremely fickle. Haven't you ever been feeling at the bottom of the barrel and then some little 'good' thing happens or someone calls or a hummingbird comes to your favorite flower and you suddenly feel great! You can't trust feelings. They will almost always betray you and waste your time. I felt bad, awful, about missing my walk on the Camino when I broke my hip. In retrospect, it was so not the right time and wouldn't have been good and now I feel more than fine about it.

The Dalai Lama talks about using feelings for the good. If I get really pissed off about homelessness in my country and go out and do something to help the problem, then that anger was good motivation. If I get really pissed off about homelessness in my country and then follow that with feeling hopeless and then sorry for myself and then eat too much chocolate, well then.

When we ask a question or hear a question, it is important to psych out whether the other person want us to "get real" or not. In Guatemala many years ago we discovered that we had to give the hint as to what we wanted or we were misled constantly. The Guatemalan camposinos wanted to give you the answer that would make you happy. So, in the middle of nowhere, on a road with almost no traffic, if we were waiting for a bus and someone came along we would ask, "Is the bus coming?" "Yes, yes, very soon." They would see our smiles and relief and add "in a few minutes, it always comes." and walk away. After four or five hours of dust on the roadside, when the next person came by we asked, "When does the bus come?" and kept a smile on our faces. "You missed it, it came at six in the morning." If we looked sad, they threw in a hopeful "But maybe there will be one soon." If we looked happy, they would stand by their answer. This was never malicious, they knew they could influence how we felt and wanted a good outcome. How much do we do his all the time?

We can't discuss asking the right question without a second on the topic of 'the trap'. "Does my bum look big in the dress?" Second over. No answer will work.

I have friends who can't make a move without contacting their astrologer or the I Ching. I have other friends who would never do either because they "don't want to know". The I Ching puts a lot of emphasis on the question. Other forms of divination don't.

Where do you stand on prophesy?