Mendacity

“We are what we think. All that we are arises with our thoughts. With our thoughts we make the world. Speak or act with an impure mind and trouble will follow you...” from the Dhammapada.

“Will you walk into my parlor?” said the Spider to the Fly, 'Tis the prettiest little parlor that ever you did spy; the way into my parlor is up a winding stair, and I've many curious things to show when you are there.” “Oh no, no,” said the little Fly,”to ask me is in vain, for who goes up your winding stair can ne'er come down again.” -Mary Howitt

A spider spins its web in hopes of capturing prey to devour. This simple, yet necessary act of nature is perceived by many as one of the most terrifying ways to die. The spiders victim is first bitten, poisoned and rendered helpless. The victim is then wrapped tight in spider silk until such time when the spider can suck its victim dry of its life force. All the while the victim is supposedly aware of what is being done to it. We all know how a spider kills its prey because many have watched, unable to look away, yet choosing to do nothing. We tell ourselves that it is the natural order of things. Many are so appalled by this whole act because, if we give the spiders survival techniques too much thought, we allow it to bring up uncomfortable feelings in ourselves. Feelings of helplessness, fear and anger. We convince ourselves that there is nothing to be done, the circumstances are beyond our control, and then leave the spider alone. Poisonous feelings are illusions, however, hatched by our own lack of self confidence and fear of the unknown.

Fear and worry are two different emotions, but often confused as one and the same. Worry occurs when we over think a problem that we feel ill equipped to handle. Instead of choosing to be proactive, find a solution and be satisfied, we second guess our solutions, or worse, will not even try to seek one. We become paralyzed by worry. Worry is the bait, and more often than not, we are content to live in this web of deceit feeding off the worry. It is an meal easily served but hard to digest in the end.

Fear is our body's natural response to danger. Many times our eyes will register danger before our mind does, or vice versa. A spider waits patiently on its web for the tiniest vibrations to alert her to danger ,or dinner. It knows when to turn and run because danger was mistaken for dinner, it trusts its instincts and doesn’t second guess itself. Many people do not know how to discern the difference between worry and fear. So front doors get locked all the time. People choose not to talk to strangers or lend a helping hand to people they don't know. All this is done while in the web of their own making, but the inability to distinguish between fear and worry have made their web weak and over sensitive. Their web can be easily broken. People convince themselves that locking a door, or becoming a recluse, will protect them. It is an illusion however, a lack of confidence in themselves. They have become an easy mark to bigger predators, stuck in the snare of their own webbing.

Anger is the emotion that is produced through unresolved wrongs. The wrong does not have to be done to us personally. The prejudices could be what an individual perceives happening around them on a daily basis in their homes, neighborhoods, work place, school, on TV., etc. Anger, however, is another poorly constructed web. People don't understand that they can escape the web of anger by simply speaking up for themselves. The web that is the strongest is the one built from experience, self confidence, and truth.

Both anger and fear are bred out of ignorance, and a lack of self confidence. Negative emotions always arise when we are bewildered over someone or something around us. They also occur when we feel defenseless, a victim in a web of mendacity. Every human has the power to control their own consciousness. Our awareness is the one true aspect of our lives that are totally and completely ours. Fear and anger cannot be blamed on anyone else because they are part of our consciousness. The web of helplessness, of emotional addiction, of dishonesty can be broken. Wake every morning with a smile, dictate how you will feel about the day you are about to live. Be involved, ask questions, speak up for injustices, stand for the helpless. Perform daily random acts of kindness, smile at everyone you meet, tell the people you love, that you love them, daily. Reverse the feeling of fear and anger, choose not to be paralyzed by the poison of weak emotions. When we are conscious of what we choose to face each day, because we understand that the webs we weave are the webs of our own making, then we can make the choice to give birth to pleasure, not poison.

“And now dear little children, who may this story read, to idle, silly flattering words, I pray you ne'er give heed: Unto an evil counselor, close heart and ear and eye, and take a lesson from this tale, of the spider and the fly.” Mary Howitt