Heroic Creativity

Heroic creativity is the process of shaping our entire life from the inside out in order to benefit others – and represents the second "diamond step" on the path for an authentic student. After fully digesting the fact that self includes other (the first diamond step), it becomes obvious to us that we rely on others for every conceivable thing from food to language to love. That is, we recognize that conceiving of ourselves as existing alone, without the support of an impossibly complex network of causes, is totally irrational.

When we examine this network of people and other factors on which we rely for everything, we see that it too, like ourselves, is malleable – and that we contribute directly to its state of health and stability. Since what we can experience in the future (for better or worse) is determined by the state of health of our "mother network", it only makes sense to enhance the overall integrity of the network as best as we can. Therefore, it is common sense that we should aspire to learn what types of actions actually enhance the network upon which we depend.

In the diagram, the arrows indicate a deliberate and systematic effort to enhance the designated areas of life. By taking responsibility for these dimensions of our lives – by working on ourselves, by improving our capacity to engage the world and see it clearly, by facing and working through our own challenges – we literally "save the world". Stated more clearly, when we finally feel motivated to act in such a way as to have a profound impact on the greater good, we should redirect that intensity inwardly – and dedicate ourselves to creating stability in our own lives, first and foremost.

"Being compassionate" begins right here, right now. In this context, creating ourselves heroically literally means to become expert in a discipline, to become peaceful, kind, and friendly, to learn to manage our health and our households, and most importantly, to learn to view others as an integral part of ourselves. To reiterate, this commitment is how we first amplify the health and integrity of our mother network.

Only by thoroughly examining (paying total attention to) a particular area of our lives can we identify the degree to which that area can be refined. A lack of emphasis or too much emphasis on one quadrant or a set of quadrants creates disjointed, disorienting life-event patterns. Where we decide to place our attention builds (creates) our physical, emotional, and mental habits. The more we pay attention to a dimension of my being – in thought and in action – the more it becomes possible to manifest the health and expansion of that dimension.

Well-being is derived from consistent effort made to establish integrity in each of the four quadrants shown. “Integral action” is effort made to enhance the health of a particular quadrant without compromising the health of any other quadrant.

"Paying" Attention

The direction of our attention indicates the direction we are moving in life, deliberately or unconsciously. Like purchasing tickets allows for admission into otherwise inaccessible domains, by paying attention, we gain access to deeper dimensions of ourselves. Investment of attention is groundwork for well-being.

To direct attention deliberately is not as easy as it seems. Engineering life from the inside out requires an unraveling of deep-seated programming. To desire well-being in the first place is often the result of experiencing intense physical or psychological pain.

It is extremely difficult – some say impossible – to arrive at an unbiased perspective of oneself. To observe oneself honestly, without distortion, is an essential component of learning.

A clear view of the facts is a prerequisite for building healthy patterns, but facing those facts can be hard to swallow. New pattern creation is difficult to undertake alone, so working with friends and mentors who sincerely wish to see us become more healthy in body and mind is always recommended.

Animation

Nothing in life is static. "Objects" (events) are always in motion. "Objects" (events) exist as trajectories with force, colliding into other objects (events) and transforming over time. “Inner" objects (inner events) – imagination, mentation, and emotion – are also always moving. To be moving is to be active. "Objects" (events) are “actions”, therefore – even sleeping, resting, thinking, feeling, and so on. Anything that exists or can exist must express itself as activity (motive force). Actions are either effective or ineffective in their ability to enhance future actions. Actions are both causes and effects.

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Degree of momentum dictates quality of interplay. The more deliberate and refined the cause of an event is, the more deliberate and refined the event itself will be. Conversely, the more unconscious and “mindless” the cause of an event is, the more unconscious and “mindless” the event itself will be. The more deliberate and refined the event, the more that event will reinforce future, similar events. The converse is also true.