From International Viewpoints (IVy) Issue 20 - January 1995
See Home Page at http://www.ivymag.org/
Philosophical Viewpoints
By Todde Salen, Sweden
Viewpoints and Freedom
THE OTHER DAY I had a cognition. I talked to someone who is often
unhappy about his life situation. He complains he has work all the
time instead of being free like he would be if he won a million
dollars
by luck. He told me about how he liked to play with cars as a kid
and today he had to work with car-parts to earn a living (he works
in a company selling car parts).
I remembered a Tibetan Lama and his comment when a newspaper reporter
asked him what he had to say about the Chinese take-over of his
country
in 1959. The Lama replied: 'That year the Chinese kindly told
us that the time had come to leave Tibet and start to meet the world
outside Tibetan borders'.
If you consider the difference of viewpoints behind these two
attitudes
it becomes very apparent that your point of view makes a big
difference
in how you feel and think about something.
Where does Freedom come from?
Contemplating this I started to realize that all freedom stems from
the ability to choose different viewpoints. You could even say
that happiness has really nothing to do with luck, but everything
to do with the ability to assume viewpoints that increase or decrease
happiness.
As I discussed this subject with my friend who is unhappily selling
car parts I pointed out to him that he could be more happy if only
he considered himself lucky to have a job working with big toy
cars, where he could even make money by assisting others to play with
their big toy cars.
He started to smile at the thought, but pointed out to me that if
he changed his mind like that he would only fool himself into being
happy. So I pointed out to him that it was of course 100% up to him
to choose what viewpoint he assumed, but at the same time he created
his own happiness or unhappiness. And whatever viewpoint he
decided to assume he would 'fool himself'. And this was equally
true about the present viewpoint he had on his work.
The reason why he chooses to continue to fool himself into unhappiness
is another philosophical subject. I believe Hubbard mentioned on a
tape that people choose to live miserable lives because their
havingness
is low. From a buddhist viewpoint it would be explained as Karma.
A SCNist would try to change his viewpoint through auditing and/or
training. A buddhist would try to change his karma by living a life
of good deeds.
The important stable datum is: Freedom is the ability to assume
viewpoints.
Corollary: Slavery is being stuck in a viewpoint you cannot
get out of.
Between lives
Between lives we assume the new viewpoint we are going to hold on
to during the next lifetime. Thus the greatest freedom is in the
between
lives area where we make that choice.
From this follows that it is important to be as aware as possible
and have the highest possible ability to think clearly between lives.
Through training to Meditate [audit, facilitate] and by learning how
to confront you increase your freedom between lives. It is during
your life that you can give yourself the best preparation for the
between lives experience. In the between lives area you have your
'way out' of fixed viewpoints opportunity when you 'enter
the light' (if you are able to).