So welcome to the portion of the course on existential questions. Now, when we look at existential questions, I do want to remind you that what I've done here is download these hundred and 50 questions from my book, which is called the book of existential questions. So I'm urging you to download it, go through them, do yourself a favor, note your answers, make it real. Make it tangible for yourself, make yourself account or bear in mind that we have been talking about self fidelity, self advocacy, seeking the truth and now seeking new potential directions, action steps, pursuing our dreams, even looking at the ambitions and bucket list, things that you've got maybe out there looking at the whole gamut of options and possibilities and opportunities. And in the words of the military, it's about becoming all you can be. So hopefully some of you will make decisions based on this but I do believe these Hundred and 50 questions are going to be helpful for you.
Some will not be relevant but quite a few will be. So I'm going to read something for you on this existential as questions are almost inevitable in everyone's life at some point. They allow us to become aware or question the why, what where, who? How on purpose of our existence? Simply put, if the purpose of life is to have a life of purpose, then what does that mean for you personally? The following questions the ones downloaded are designed to assist in providing some answers.
These answers can then allow us to truly become the authors or architects of our own existence, if we are willing to allow ourselves to turn them into action steps, once aware and conscious of the origins and present validity if any of our beliefs, behaviors, reactions and choices, then if we choose to retain the status quo, it is still a choice, not a master or a dilemma anymore. One is no choice. two options are a dilemma. We need at least three options to be able to make a real choice. As was mentioned in the list of C's seeing the light, courage is not the absence of fear but doing something despite the fear. It was Norman Cousins who wrote the death is not the ultimate tragedy of life.
The ultimate tragedy is depersonalization dying in an alien and sterile area, separated from the spiritual nourishment that comes from being able to reach out to a loving hand, separated from a desire to experience the things that make life worth living, separated from hope. This loss of self can be viewed as a form of self abandonment. And if the emotional or physical pain is too great, then self rejection and self hatred can quickly follow. To put it into full context. By our thoughts, beliefs and actions, we have the ability to become our worst adversary or our best advocate. Now, let me remind you that most people spend a lifetime seeking a missing sense of external external And some will try and become whatever they feel they need to, in order to gain acceptance and love by those from whom they desire it.
This can result in a constantly turning to situations and behaviors that might be against one's true beliefs, and are usually against one's own interests. This will only add to the internalized and often verbalized sense of unworthiness and low self esteem. Having to give up one's true self in order to try and gain love from someone else, will often result in so called codependent relationships, and a very unfulfilling life, a life of surviving rather than of truly living. We cannot always control what happens to us or around us, but we can learn to change our responses to those things. We can lead a life in pursuit of our own goals, allowing ourselves the gift of being open to pursue our own true potential and returning to a state of full connectedness with our own spirit. As Jean NACA Berg once said to lose one soul eliminates meaning from life.
Healing then is appropriate. As of shifting our beliefs, thoughts and actions from that of being our own worst enemy into becoming our own best friend, or at least treating ourselves with the same kind of consideration, that we would extend to someone we loved unconditionally, I will sometimes state to a client that you are the only person you will never leave or lose in your entire lifetime. So you might as well establish the best possible relationship with yourself, knowing that our attitude defines our experience with anything and that attitude is directly linked to our beliefs, thoughts and actions. We are therefore the architects and authors of our own existence. These questions are designed to assist you in defining your beliefs and thereby your two choices and possible present and future action steps. So what follows in the book and with the resource download in this lecture are now the hundred and 50 questions again, I urge you to please print them out and potentially use a space in between them to make your answers, put them down and hopefully Bye bye.
Putting them down it will make you accountable for them. Enjoy