We learn to believe. We also learn not to believe. I’m going to revisit the concept of belief even though posts 66, 67, 68 covered belief. I’m trusting there is something I still need to learn by revisiting this subject.
Scott Forrester writes that a child does not yet know how not to believe in his/her innate ability to learn. This reminds me of the recent visit of our year old grandson James who exhibited no doubts when peeking into and emptying every cupboard and shelf that he could reach. He believed this was his duty!
Bion,* a psychoanalytic writer I read and try to understand, believes there is a spontaneous, unconscious gregarious quality in the personality of humans from the moment they leave the womb. He uses a chemistry term to describe this characteristic: valency. In chemistry, valency is about combining elements in a limited way.
If we believe in our spontaneous, unconscious gregarious qualities, we may be like James and follow our curiosity and learn about our mysterious and fascinating world. Imagine how great life will be when this happens!
You may notice that I am weaving information about psychoanalysis into blog posts.This is to whet your appetite for my memoir which will describe in detail (!) my experiences in treatment and fascinating tidbits of psychoanalytic theory. Don’t send money yet.
CLUE: Try yet again to leave a comment on my blog! Read Kathi’s experience and cheer on her persistence! She went to the blog itself. You can do that or hit reply to this email. Just say hi or tell me how you kindle your enthusiasm for life!
*W.R. Bion (1961) Experiences in Groups
Image: The Guardian was totally covered with snow for weeks and now is totally naked aside from her crystal necklace. I’m glad!
4 comments
Your grandson is at a delicious age where everything is possible and new! I think we sometimes recapture a piece of that when we encounter new experiences or learnings, and that truly is a wonderful, inspiring place to be! It is a shame that we lose so much of our wonder and belief as we grow, but I believe that we hit a tipping point (maybe in our 50s or 60s?) when we open up again, when we've seen enough to know that we don't know everything and can look at the world with new eyes.
What wise words Diane. I know you as a person who looks at the world with new eyes and I'm so glad you are my friend!
Thanks for reading and commenting!
Nicola, Thanks so much for your continual reference to my book. It is meaningful to me that you find it inspiring. In reference to a child not yet being conditioned to ignore their inner fire and curiosity, my wife Lee Ann recently asked me what is it that you really want? She sees when I am spinning my wheels. It seems that adults are conditioned to be so culturally logical that the emotional clarity of purpose that they could have is masked by conditioning and conscious thought. I recently listened to a youtube video of a Tedx talk in which Hanna Roberts says that she knew she was put on this earth to run the Badwater ultra marathon which is a 135 mile race which traverses death valley in the summer. That is not logical!! So I recently got more in touch with some of my illogical but real and inspiring aspirations.
Scott – thanks for checking in. You are most welcome for writing about your book – I find it so inspiring.
Your wife's question – what is it you really want? – is such a good one. That our desires are masked by conditioning and conscious thought seems to be the case. It takes work to get beyond those barriers.
Good luck with your illogical but real aspirations! I'd love to know how that goes!
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